Taylor Swift's nearly cult-like following is nothing if not committed, even if it means tackling a world potentially foreign to some fans.
Following the "Mastermind" singer's surprise appearance cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs at Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Bears, Swifties are learning all they need to know about rumored love interest Travis Kelce and the sport of football.
After the Sept. 24 game and the flurry of clips of Swift in attendance, TikTok was overwhelmed with guides to the 32 teams of the NFL, the rules of football and major players to know about in the league.
Luckily, Swifties received a fair catch when NFL brothers Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce gave fans a breakdown on the latest episode of their podcast "New Heights."
For the Sept. 27 episode, the brothers did a special edition of their segment, "No Dumb Questions," calling it the "Swiftie Version."
"This is a serious football show and we want to help," Jason Kelce joked.
For all the Swift fans attempting to partake in this new sports era, here's a recap of Football 101.
What's a field goal?
"When something's so simple, it's hard to explain," Jason Kelce starts. "So a field goal is when you kick the ball through the uprights as an offense and you get three points."
To receive points, the team’s kicker has to kick the football through the space between the vertical posts on each end of the field.
Travis Kelce clarifies that a team "settles" for three points, adding that the sport's goal is to always get the ball across the field and into the end zone, which is called a touchdown.
"But when you don't get the ball in the end zone and it's fourth down, typically you settle for three points just so you can get some points on the board," he adds.
Do you throw the ball or run with it?
When it comes to what players do with the football, it depends on the position they play, Travis Kelce explains.
"Me personally, I run with it," the Kansas City Chiefs tight end answers. Jason Kelce points out that his brother also catches the football sometimes.
For example, Travis Kelce's touchdown against the Chicago Bears — which invoked a now-viral celebratory chest bump from Swift — was the result of him catching the football thrown by Patrick Mahomes in the end zone.
Meanwhile, the role that primarily involves throwing the ball is the quarterback. Some notable quarterbacks in the NFL now include Mahomes, Jason Kelce's teammate Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.
Jason Kelce, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, however plays a position that involves neither catching nor the traditional throwing.
"Jason actually snaps the ball," Travis Kelce says of his brother.
Snapping the ball is the action that starts each play, or down, and it involves tossing the ball backwards, usually through the center's legs, to the quarterback.
What is a down? Is it, like, dropping the ball?
"No," Travis Kelce immediately responds.
His brother then jokes, "A down is a down."
The two then laugh as they struggle to explain the concept of a down in football.
"These 'No Dumb Questions' have gotten really advanced," Travis Kelce says.
Jason Kelce then spells it out: "When the offense gets the ball, they start with first down. They have four tries to get — four downs — to get 10 yards."
He continues, explaining that a down occurs when the player with the ball has been tackled to the ground or when the ball has been rendered incomplete — meaning no one caught the ball or it was thrown out of bounds. The team then makes another attempt to make forward progress with the ball.
Should the ball move 10 or more yards towards the end zone, either through a player running with it or catching it down the field, Jason Kelce explains that the team is subsequently awarded a "fresh set" of downs, starting at one.
Downs are typically expressed by the attempt number and the number of yards left to go. So if a team gets a first down, they are on first-and-10 (first down with 10 yards to go.) If they gain 5 yards on the next play, it's second-and-5, meaning they are on their second down (with two remaining) and need 5 more yards.
"If you don't get the 10 yards in four attempts, AKA downs, then it's a turnover (to the other team)," he says.
What is a tight end, and is it a real football position?
Before explaining the tight end offensive position, the Kelce brothers got their jokes out of the way.
"You gotta keep them glutes firing, man. You lose your glutes, you lose your game," Travis Kelce, who plays tight end for the Chiefs, said.
According to his brother, the tight end position is "basically, it's a Chippendales position."
Then they got serious.
Travis Kelce called the tight end something of a "combo position."
"You do a lot of what offensive lineman do," he said, referring to the big men who block each other at the start of each play. "And then you do what the receivers do, which are the small, fast guys that catch the ball, or receive the ball," he said.
Travis Kelce likened the position to the "handyman" of the team.
"Whatever you need done in the house, we got you."
In terms of the origin of the position's name that has fans giggling under their breath, Jason Kelce explained that a tight end is historically a receiver who stays close to, or "tight" to, the line of scrimmage.
"Unfortunately, it is not in reference to the heinie," he adds.
What's the difference between a safety and a corner?
While Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce both play on offense, they also explained the function of a few defensive positions, namely the safety and the cornerback.
"The corners are the two outside defensive backs that guard the two receivers or play their portions of the field," Jason Kelce says, meaning they tend to defend against the offensive team's attempts to throw the ball down the field.
On safeties, he continues, "Safeties are what the name implies — they are the safety of the defense. They are typically the furthest back."
He adds that the safety's position is to "keep everything in front of them and prevent explosives."
How and where can I watch football if I don’t have ESPN?
Football is broadcast across television networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, as well as streaming on Amazon Prime on Thursdays.
The NFL breaks down all the platforms that air professional football games on its website here.
