Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce got booed by Dallas Mavericks fans at the American Airlines Center during Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference finals on Sunday.
In contrast, his teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was showered with cheers and applause when he was shown on screen.
At the time, the reigning Super Bowl champs were sitting next to each other courtside.
In a video excerpt posted on the social media platform X, Kelce sarcastically feigned shock on the jumbotron when the boos rained down on him.
The camera then shifted to Mahomes, who got a very different reaction. (The star quarterback is a native Texan and a longtime Mavericks fan.)
Travis Kelce got boo’d and the crowd went crazy for Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/ZSX9rLDg7a
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) May 27, 2024
To add insult to injury, the Dallas Mavericks hilariously trolled Kelce on social media by referring to him as “Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend” instead of by his proper name.
Meanwhile, Mahomes was called “our guy Pat.”
Our guy Pat and @taylorswift13‘s boyfriend in the house!@PatrickMahomes @tkelce | #OneForDallas #MFFL pic.twitter.com/FXw6u1kYgJ
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 27, 2024
Swift’s high-profile romance with Kelce dominated the most recent football season.
The liberal pop star’s sudden visibility in the NFL caused a backlash among some hardcore fans, who found her omnipresence annoying and distracting.
Numerous people commented on the Mavericks’ good-natured jab at Kelce.
Taylor Swift boyfriend. They did bro dirty
— K (@KeiLFC88) May 27, 2024
“Taylor swifts boyfriend” damn 😭😭😭😭
— hola 🦎☽ (@immamunchYRG) May 27, 2024
Some X users suggested the boos were backlash stemming from Kelce’s promotion of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
The pharmaceutical giant hired him to push the jab in commercials and social media posts last fall.
Probably b/c Kelce is a Pfizer pawn
— Flymetothemoon (@Xmarksthespot50) May 27, 2024
Kelce is a woke sellout
— Bitcoin Bull (@BitcoinBull21M) May 27, 2024
Strange. I thought people liked men with no back bone and promoted anything that will give him money.
— Don Dada (@Cazzuel) May 27, 2024
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers — who was viciously maligned by the corporate media for questioning the safety and efficacy of the jab — referred to the tight end as “Mr. Pfizer” and suggested they debate the topic.
Do you like Travis Kelce?
Kelce’s popularity took another hit among conservatives when he began dating pop star Swift, an abortion superfan and LGBT activist who endorsed Joe Biden for president in 2020.
To her marginal credit, the left-wing entertainer has not endorsed Biden (yet) this election cycle.
