Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

This fight is for everything.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Excellent Links / Lighter Topics Open Thread: ‘The Lemon’

Lighter Topics Open Thread: ‘The Lemon’

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In case you are too busy or high-minded to follow every trend: Musical icon Taylor Swift has been seen dating football player Travis Kelce, and therefore her fans (aka ‘Swifties’), who are not in general people to whom professional football has been targeted, are trying to understand this whole new-to-them phenomenon…

(Commentor Raven would hunt me down and kill me for this, except he knows I’m incorrigible.)

Samer Kalaf, at Defector , explains:

… Tayvis is a fascinating collision of two very famous people from distinctly separate worlds. It’s a little like learning that Santa Claus and the Statue of Liberty were spotted at a dimly lit bar in the East Village. Swift’s every act, no matter how mundane, is diligently documented: She was spotted “cleaning up after the game” and “doing a little dance” during the Tomahawk Chop. Additionally, @tswifterastour reported that during the game, the musician was “eating a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch!”

As a pro football player, Kelce’s accustomed to media attention, but it’s at a different degree. Nobody’s monitoring what dip he uses for his pieces of chicken. NFL teams are by nature adversarial to press scrutiny, but Kelce has the benefit of playing on a successful team that won the Super Bowl last season, and he’s the best at his position, so there’s a little more goodwill offered him for inviting the spotlight. He’s also featured in practically every TV commercial playing during football games these days, so it’s not like he has a problem with getting his name out there.

The other reason why it’s so amusing to see these two together is because of how it forces these two fandoms to learn about each other. Swifties will become familiar with Andy Reid, while NFL fans will involuntarily form opinions on Matty Healy. Chiefs fans must purchase Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), while Swift fans have to scout the AFC West. That said, I don’t think they’ll have to get too deep into each other’s worlds, because this whole thing feels meticulously orchestrated and due to conclude by the time the NFL playoffs begin or Swift’s next album is released.

But not before the extremely opinionated right-wing Sports Guys, who have yet to forgive Swift for being a liberal who encourages her young fans to register to vote rather than the Aryan goddess of their dankest dreams, are all UP IN THEIR FEELS!!!

And now it’s on CNN!

… After last week’s Sunday Night Football game between the Chiefs and the Jets, Rodgers was asked by McAfee about the 23-20 loss and Taylor Swift attending the game at MetLife Stadium.

“There’s some sort of moral victory out there that we hung with the champs and that our defense played well,” Rodgers, who tore his Achilles tendon in his first game with his new team last month after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, told McAfee.

“Pat (Mahomes) didn’t have a crazy game, and ‘Mr. Pfizer,’ we shut him down. He didn’t have a crazy impact game. Obviously, he had some yards and stuff, but I felt like for the most part, we played really tough on defense and played well the last three quarters.”

Both McAfee and co-host AJ Hawk laughed at the joke.

McAfee asked Rodgers again about the nickname, to which the 39-year-old quarterback said: “He’s doing commercials for Pfizer, so I’m sure he’s owning it.”

In 2022, while still with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers admitted to misleading the media about his Covid-19 vaccination status during an appearance on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast.

Earlier that year, Rodgers said he had been immunized against the virus but a few months later, he missed an NFL game due to Covid-19 protocols and confirmed he was unvaccinated…

Reader Interactions

130Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Since taking the vaccine, Travis Kelce has won the Super Bowl, been an all pro twice, and is currently dating the most famous woman on the planet

    Isn’t he more famous than she is?

  3. 3.

    bbleh

    Bud Light because … one actor in one commercial?  Taylor Swift because … voter registration?  And Travis Kelce because … he got vaccinated?  (Ok and also Taylor Swift.)

    I know these people are directing their anger wherever Fox or Joe Rogan or dog knows who tells them to direct it, but to be on such a hair-trigger all the time seems … pathological.

    ETA omg that explication of “football” is a scream!

  4. 4.

    hells littlest angel

    After Bess Kalb’s brilliant football explainer, this is just EXTRA hilarious:

     

    “There’s some sort of moral victory out there that we hung with the champs …”

  7. 7.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I was never a football fan (though I’ve gotten caught up in the drama of more than one Super Bowl 2nd half). But my brother was, and it only took a couple of sentences one day for him to express the basic concept. You get 4 chances to move 10 yards, or you lose the ball. Fine. Easy.

    That said, when I would listen to sports talk shows, I have never been able to make sense of a word. Or for that matter, what there is to say that can fill up a “sports talk show”.

    I guess I’m saying there’s explaining football, and then there’s explaining football. My level of understanding is probably about level with the Swifties.

  8. 8.

    piratedan

    @Baud: no, he is not.

    Even in this day and age, Swift coming out with a public statement and urging her vans to get involved and register to vote is a big deal.

    I’m not a purchaser of her music, but I applaud the way that she’s wrested control of her own career and appreciate that she appears to take care of the people that help her do what she apparently loves doing… performing for her fans.  For someone who ends up having to deal with stalkers, and the misogynistic industry that music is (she once sued a guy who groped her to make a point); she appears to be a genuine person who wants to be liked for what she does.

    Considering the impact that she and Beyonce have in the industry and the number of tickets sold on her tour and even the films of her concert is likely selling out, she has a economic impact that is magnitudes higher than a professional football player (with the possible exception of Lionel Messi).

  9. 9.

    JAFD

    Re this morning’s thread:  Have signedup for ye Bluesky wait list.  Should anyone want to forward me an invite code thereto, advathanksnce, very much !

    Am paintingup some miniature mounted warriors from a millenium ago, am thinking of putting their pictures into a new feature on that site, Saturday Knight Fever

    A friend of mine who once asked “Why are you still wearing that face-diaper?” is currently recovering from his first Covid attack, along with his wife.  Meself, I’ll take all the positive die–roll-modifiers I can get.  Stay healthy and happy, jackals !

  11. 11.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    As a huge sports ball fan, that football twitter video was pretty funny.  I miss the good ol’ days when the rwnj were loudly boycotting football due to the Anthem kneeling.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    I was trying for an inside joke, but I guess this crowd is different than the morning crowd.

  14. 14.

    sab

    Don’t be silly. My husband says he is quite famous, but who would take hubby’s word? I have even heard of her, and am aware of a couple of her songs.

    She will dump him, but he can keep her scarf (although she will bitch about it in a later song.)

  15. 15.

    gene108

    If Taylor Swift settles down, her song writing career is over. What’s she going to do for inspiration, when she can no longer write breakup songs?

  18. 18.

    Alison Rose

    The pathetic condescension that a lot of people thought was so cute to act like her fans wouldn’t understand anything about football was and remains disgusting. HA HA SILLY GIRLS DON’T KNOW WHAT SPORT IS. Whatever.

    Also she still sucks as a person and still doesn’t care and that’s all I’ll say on that.

  19. 19.

    sab

    @piratedan: Good points, well spoken, but I still want to get my money back from the Beyonce tickets I didn’t order but paid for through my bank. ( So far my bank has been good about it.)

  20. 20.

    Suzanne

    Since taking the vaccine, Travis Kelce has won the Super Bowl, been an all pro twice, and is currently dating the most famous woman on the planet

    I got the booster last weekend, and all I got since was a new phone.

  23. 23.

    sab

    @Alison Rose: I like a lot of her songs. I think she has a true voice but not very big. She does well with the instrument she has, a lot like Madonna. I have no interest in her love life and never will.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Alison Rose: Here’s what I know about football.  There are downs.  And first downs, so maybe there are more.  There are field goals.  Kicked by special kickers.  A touchdown might be 6 points, or 7, and a field is 1 point.  If you drop the lemon it’s very bad.  And there are quarterbacks.

    edit:  And concussions.  And CTE.

    I’m not just interested.  So there are indeed people who don’t know much about football.

  27. 27.

    MattF

    That ‘explanation’ of football is wonderful. And the RW bros who are having fits right now are so outclassed by the Swifties they may as well just hang up their cleats and sneak out of town.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    @piratedan:

    I’ll have to post something one of these days.  I’ve been on Mastodon for weeks and haven’t posted a thing.

    I’ll admit I like the Mastodon interface better.

  36. 36.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Bottom line, the next time Swift goes on tour, no matter how much the usual batshit crazy right-wing suspects badmouth her, not one red state will boycott a Taylor Swift concert. Not. A. Single. One.

  37. 37.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @WaterGirl:

    I’m not just interested. So there are indeed people who don’t know much about football.

    I’m not interested in football much either myself. Always like to watch the Superb Owl for the commercials though!

  38. 38.

    piratedan

    @Baud: they both have their own uniqueness.  I tend to think Mastodon will work out better for some of my interests, things like fractal art or discussions on items outside the US as I think those areas have adopted The Derm.  Major^4 suggested that Bluesky doesn’t have a lingering Dorsey presence and is much more on top of keeping the trolls out and so far that’s true from what I’ve seen, but its growth via invite only does kind of make it incumbent for us to NOT invite any Nazis too….

  41. 41.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @piratedan: Thankfully, there’s a growing consensus on Bluesky that it’s important to be able to keep the Orcs at the gates from entering.

  45. 45.

    Geminid

    @Baud: I’ve been on Twitter for over a year now and have never posted anything on my own account. I just reply to people. Sometimes I have conversations that way.

    And diplomatic reporter Laura Rozen has reposted my comments twice! Now I’m not sure if I should do a Substack or a podcast.

  46. 46.

    Jeffro

    @The Thin Black Duke:the next time Swift goes on tour, no matter how much the usual batshit crazy right-wing suspects badmouth her, not one red state will boycott a Taylor Swift concert. Not. A. Single. One.

    It would be economic suicide, for one thing.  (Not that RWNJs are known for doing things in their own self-interest, of course).

    I think I read that Taylor’s tour is estimated to bring like $5B in extra economic impact ($36M+ per stop!) overall.  I’m sure Beyonce’s tour is doing the same.  That’s a LOT of cheddar!

  48. 48.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Baud:

    Isn’t he more famous than she is?

    AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    I’m not a Swiftie: I prefer the PMJ versions of her songs.  But even I know he’s a nobody compared to Taylor Swift.

  50. 50.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Jeffro: ​ 

    I think I read that Taylor’s tour is estimated to bring like $5B in extra economic impact ($36M+ per stop!) overall. I’m sure Beyonce’s tour is doing the same. That’s a LOT of cheddar!

    I saw that as well.

  51. 51.

    Tony Jay

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

      Or for that matter, what there is to say that can fill up a “sports talk show”.

    Most sports are pretty simple, so you can explain the ‘what’ of it easily enough. Sports talk shows are about the ‘how’, which is considerably less simple and always up for debate.

  52. 52.

    Ken

    “There’s some sort of moral victory out there that we hung with the champs …”

    Motto of the Washington Generals, if I recall correctly.

  57. 57.

    Ken

    @Tony Jay: Sports talk shows are about the ‘how’, which is considerably less simple and always up for debate.

    Maybe in the UK, but US sports commentary shows are famous for insights such as “if the Jets want to win this game, they’ve got to out-score the other team.”

  58. 58.

    waspuppet

    I hope you all enjoyed today’s episode of “What Fun and Interesting Lives Conservatives Lead.”

  61. 61.

    Ken

    @zhena gogolia: There was a big brouhaha about this topic the other day.

    Yeah, it was weird. I began to think I’d missed a Balloon Juice meeting where we’d developed a secret plan to breed the most famous person ever.

  62. 62.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    Rodgers is just sore he doesnt have a shot with Taylor

  64. 64.

    Brachiator

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    no matter how much the usual batshit crazy right-wing suspects badmouth her, not one red state will boycott a Taylor Swift concert. Not. A. Single. One.

    Ha! Very true.

  69. 69.

    kalakal

    @Ken:

    Maybe in the UK, but US sports commentary shows are famous for insights such as “if the Jets want to win this game, they’ve got to out-score the other team.”

    Oh the UK can manage that. Private Eye has run a column “Colemanballs” for decades  dedicated to the gaffes of the late, great David Coleman and his peers.

    Here’s some of his gems

    “If that had gone in, it would have been a goal.”
    We estimate, and this isn’t an estimation, that Greta Waltz is 80 seconds behind.”
    “He is accelerating all the time. The last lap was run in 64 seconds and the one before in 62.”
    “And the line-up for the final of the women’s 400 metres hurdles includes three Russians, two East Germans, a Pole, a Swede and a Frenchman.”
    “The front wheel crosses the finish line, closely followed by the back wheel.”
    “The Republic of China: back in the Olympic Games for the first time.”
    “That’s the fastest time ever run, but it’s not as fast as the world record.”
    “Forest have now lost six matches without winning.”
    “There is a fine line between serendipity and stalking.”
    “This evening is a very different evening from the morning we had this morning.”

  70. 70.

    Suzanne

    @Baud: I’m actually annoyed at the new phone! Mr. Suzanne was having troubles with his (mine was fine), and he found out that it would be a good time from a financial perspective to upgrade all of them on our family plan. They gave us a good deal on the trade-in, which is the only reason I was okay with doing it, because it always strikes me as dumb to not keep things until they stop working. So I do the whole upgrade, wipe the old phone….. and my watch won’t pair with the new phone. And I got to the Apple Store today and they told me the new iOS won’t pair with my phone, because it’s too old. So I’m annoyed! I love the watch.

  71. 71.

    bbleh

    @WaterGirl: cf. your recent comment re quibbling.  And the last full moon was a festival of weirdness — visiting nurses, caretakers, everybody I mentioned it to was almost wide-eyed about it.

  73. 73.

    dnfree

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I’m not much of a sports fan, but my husband is, so I hear a fair amount of TV commentary.  I’ve been saving some of it up, in case I’m ever called upon to opine.  For instance, “If they want to win this game, they’re going to have to score more points in the second half!”  That works for most sports.

  74. 74.

    mrmoshpotato

    @piratedan:

    Even in this day and age, Swift coming out with a public statement and urging her vans to get involved and register to vote is a big deal. 

    Cargo!  Conversion!  Camper!  Mini!

    All the vans!

    😁

  78. 78.

    Suzanne

    I have pumpkin bread in the oven. I am trying a new recipe. This one has cinnamon sugar topping.

    Here’s a hot take: pumpkin spice lattes are better than eggnog AND peppermint mochas.

  79. 79.

    HumboldtBlue

    @dnfree: ​ 

    “If they want to win this game, they’re going to have to score more points in the second half!” That works for most sports.

    We’re into the baseball playoffs, so you can lay down that line of wisdom at any time.

  80. 80.

    BeautifulPlumage

    I totally see the ‘lemon’ video as sarcastic humor on par with Alexandra Petri or Blair Erskine. Describing a football game as ‘theater in the round’ and ‘a lot of improvisatio’ is brilliant comedy (IMHO).

  81. 81.

    BruceFromOhio

    Kelce hawking vaccinations.

    Swift encouraging voter registration.

    Kelce’s mom taking it in stride.

    People learning from and about each other and having a good time about it.

    I am here for all of this.

  83. 83.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl: ​
     

    edit: And concussions. And CTE.

    I’d been a football fan since the mid-1960s, and a pretty serious fan for most of those years. But I couldn’t watch anymore once I learned about CTE. The notion that I was being entertained by watching people cause serious and irreversible brain damage to each other was just a bridge too far for me.

    This was about a decade ago. I don’t miss it.

  85. 85.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud:

    I’ll probably go nuts when someone likes my comment for the first time.

    On Twitter, the romance bots give every comment a like or two. You’d be ready for a straitjacket within hours.

  89. 89.

    wjca

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I’d been a football fan since the mid-1960s, and a pretty serious fan for most of those years. But I couldn’t watch anymore once I learned about CTE. The notion that I was being entertained by watching people cause serious and irreversible brain damage to each other was just a bridge too far for me.

    This was about a decade ago. I don’t miss it.

    This.  Entirely.  Now if only we could get the high schools to quit encouraging this kind of brain damage among their students.**

    Fortunately, there is still baseball.

    ** Is it coincidence that there is a huge overlap between places which are most fanatical about high school football and places where book banning and hamstringing teachers are all the rage?

  90. 90.

    bbleh

    @wjca: and is one caused by the other, or are they both symptoms of a deeper cause?

    Good subject for an anthropology dissertation!  Intriguing problem, practical implications, easy field work.

  91. 91.

    Suzanne

    @HinTN: I got a pumpkin spice latte a couple of weeks ago, and I had them put in one pump of the syrup instead of three. It was good that way. With the “correct” amount of syrup, it would have been horrifying.

  92. 92.

    Brent

    @Alison Rose:  I assume you are talking about the Bess Kalb video.  Are you saying she is a terrible person or that Taylor Swift is?  I don’t know really anything about either so I am inclined to take your word for it either way.  I was just curious.

    As far as the insult to young girls,  I understood the video (because of its context in the post) to be more about addressing Taylor Swift fans than young girls in general. The assumption during this whole Kelce/Swift kerfuffle is that there isn’t a great deal of overlap between the hardcore Taylor Swift fans and football fans.  Certainly the demographics of football viewership is heavily skewed towards middle aged men.

    So I guess my point is that I don’t really see the insult.  Indeed, I don’t get the sense that Bess Kalb thinks such knowledge about the technical aspects of the sport, whether one possesses such knowledge or not, is even particularly meaningful or useful.  Rather it struck me as an amusing commentary on the different perspective a non-football watching fan of the arts might have on a sporting contest.  Really her football as theater construction is mostly valid and would probably heavily influence my own perspective on the sport if I still watched football.

  93. 93.

    Maxim

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I couldn’t watch anymore once I learned about CTE. The notion that I was being entertained by watching people cause serious and irreversible brain damage to each other was just a bridge too far for me.

    Same.

  99. 99.

    Gretchen

    @Baud: Ive known about Taylor Swift forever. Even though I live in Kansas City, when my daughter wanted me to watch the Kielce documentary, I asked her if it was fiction or if these were real people. (She was horrified). I’d say Taylor Swift is more famous.

  101. 101.

    Gretchen

    @Brent: I agree with you. I live in Kansas City. The Chiefs are on my tv every weekend. I even sit through the more important games with friends. I don’t understand football, don’t care about football, have no intention of learning how football works, and thoroughly enjoyed the video. And KC is thoroughly enjoying the confluence of the two worlds. She played the stadium in July to a full house. When it was rumored last weekend that Travis booked a whole bbq restaurant, everyone wanted to know which it was.

  103. 103.

    p.a.

    I think years ago a group of Soviet Cosmonauts were invited to an American football game, and after, asked for their impressions.  On responded “everyone fell down, everyone got up, everyone fell down again.”

     

    It is of course a “tell” that they’re upset about the voter registrations.  Even if her politics may be transparent as liberal, her fans’ politics aren’t necessarily so.

  104. 104.

    MisterDancer

    @Brent: Are you saying she is a terrible person or that Taylor Swift is?

    Alison was kind enough to explain, a bit ago, her anger at Swift not supporting LBGTGIA+ causes for some time. This despite having a significant fan base in that community.

    I am not personally aware of the details, but I respect her anger in this situation.

  106. 106.

    EmanG

    One thing the righties are misjudging is the sustained, swarming nature of the Swifties when they think someone isn’t taking TS seriously. This is a seriously engaged fan base, a bear best not poked if you will. Should be fun to watch this dialogue play out.

  108. 108.

    Suzanne

    @EmanG: Swift’s fan base is also stereotyped as a lot of the kind of slightly neurotic, overachieve-y, not chill kind of young women that toxic men love to hate.

    Ali Wong has a great bit on chill in one of her comedy specials. It didn’t really crystallize for me why chill has an ugly gendered aspect to it until she pointed it out.

  109. 109.

    karen marie

    Tayvis?  Nah.  I like Stephen Colbert’s suggestion better:  “Traylor.”  Hahahaha.

  110. 110.

    BellyCat

    Am I the only old here who doesn’t understand (or care) about a single aspect of these two individuals’ situations?

  111. 111.

    bbleh

    @MisterDancer: @EmanG: I certainly don’t appreciate disrespect to the community either, but I’ll nevertheless welcome an ally with that kind of influence who’s encouraging political participation in a historically under-participating demographic.  The fight to maintain a law-based democratic society against a large, well-funded and violent authoritarian movement is deadly serious.

  113. 113.

    Gretchen

    @zhena gogolia: that was hilarious. Harley spends so little time here that he didn’t know that Joes KC is in Kansas. The Swift/Kelce thing was rumored to be Gates.

  115. 115.

    Rudi666

    Rogers is a bigger drama queen than TS as far as romance and breakups. He is also overrated and only concerned about his stas, not the team winning.

  117. 117.

    Jay

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    Depending on your Godson’s bike and ability, it might be cheaper to just get a Craigslist replacement bike.

    I have a Montegas hard tail, $1500 of add ons, including drop bars you can’t buy anymore, upgraded Shimano pedals and gears, including a custom 12″ “grunt gear”.

    17lbs, but it is a serious off road bike. Did  a dozen extreme down hill races with it, upgraded it to disk brakes last year.

    If it’s just a “bike”, get a used replacement and a basic U-Lock.

  121. 121.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    I was trying for an inside joke, but I guess this crowd is different than the morning crowd.

    Well, some of us got it, if that makes you feel any better

  123. 123.

    JAFD

    @piratedan: Was Up To Something Else this past evening, and Somebohy Else scarfed that code.  So shall zap email to Satby later this morn, but first, sleepp

    Pleasant deams, everyone !

  128. 128.

    Soprano2

    @Suzanne: I hate that they do that. Why are they making your watch obsolete when it works fine? I have to “repair” my ITunes every third day, I guess because they quit updating it. I dread the day I have to use my phone to listen to podcasts.

  129. 129.

    Soprano2

    @Suzanne: That’s so funny, I know lots of women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who love Taylor. Most of my Jazzercise teachers almost worship her! Several women I know went to the concert in K.C. in July.

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