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The city of Detroit is on a high as the Detroit Lions are only one more win away from their first ever Super Bowl appearance.
As a city with a team that once went 0-16, the current success has most native Detroiters feeling proud and a little emotional. This is why when Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Rachaad White did “The Blade Dance” after scoring a touchdown against the Lions during Sunday’s Lions-Bucs divisional round matchup—the city responded with outrage.
Detroiters have also flooded White’s Instagram comments going in about the perceived “disrespect.”
White later told M-Live reporter Kory Woods that he learned about Icewood from teammate Will Gholston who is from the Detroit area. White is from Kansas City. “(Gholston) did it one time. He got a sack when we played somebody in Tampa. And I was asking him about the dance. I thought it was cool,” White told MLive. “And then he just basically filled me in on where it was from, who it was from and stuff like that. So the biggest thing is they can say what they want to say, but it wasn’t disrespect; it was to pay homage.”
The rapper’s son, known as Lil Blade, responded with a selfie on Instagram, writing, “Idk if I should be happy or irritated @detroitlionsnfl.”
Icewood, considered one of the forefathers of Detroit street rap, popularized the dance with his most successful single, “Boy Would You (Boss Up and Get This Money). Born Darnell Lindsay, Icewood was part of a rap group called The Street Lordz and was slain in a hail of gunfire at the age of 28 in 2005.
The rapper’s life was documented in an episode of TV One’s Sins of the City last year.
The Lions ultimately won the game and are one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance. They take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 28 in the Bay.
Check out reactions in the gallery.
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The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t the only NFL team in the playoff run with a superstar super fan. While Taylor Swift was getting her by-now-familiar screen time cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce during KC’s hard-fought win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night (Jan. 22), earlier in the day the Detroit Lions had their own mega-platinum No. 1 fan firing up the crowd on the way to a punching the Motor City team’s ticket into the NFC championship round for the first time in 32 years.
D-town legend Eminem was once again in a skybox watching the action from on high on Sunday, and at one point in the game the big screen flashed a now-legendary September tweet from the rapper in which he wrote, “Let’s f–king go!!!! Detroit.” That got fans hyped up as the stadium speakers blasted the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s iconic 8 Mile pump-up anthem, “Lose Yourself.”
But when the cameras swung up to Slim Shady in the box, the MC — decked out in Lions gear, naturally — jumped up, flexed hard and screamed before pounding his chest and sitting back down in a moment that encapsulated the sheer, unrestrained joy felt by long-suffering Lions fans as they watched their beloved hometown heroes slip by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Em also responded to a meme featuring a picture of his 8 Mile character B-Rabbit driving around town with the caption, “[Lions QB Jared] Goff and the Lions pulling up to the NFC Championship game,” writing, “Can’t believe I did it again!!! @Lions.”
The tweet was the follow-up to an offer Eminem made last week, telling Lions coach Dan Campbell that he’s ready to help break the team’s three-decade playoff drought. “Yo, Dan, I’m reporting. I’m going to report. Third quarter,” the 5’8′, 150 pound Rap God said. “I’m reporting, offensive line, eligible receiver. I’ll be the quarterback, the entire line, (the) offensive line. And the receiver, I will throw it to myself and score a touchdown. In the third quarter. Just give me a uniform. Or at least just a helmet.”
It wasn’t the first time Marshall has offered to suit up for his favorite team. Back in 2022, the then-49-year-old appeared in an episode of HBO’s NFL series Hard Knocks, claiming he was ready to lace up whenever needed. “I said I’m here for whatever position. I’m here. Any of ‘em. All of ’em,” Em said while hanging on the sidelines at a Lions practice.
The Lions move on to the NFC championship game next week against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in search of the team’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Watch video of Eminem at the Lions game cheering on his team.
Stephen A. Smith isn’t playing when it comes to Taylor Swift. The sports analyst recently hit back at certain NFL fans who’ve complained about the pop star’s attendance at Travis Kelce‘s Kansas City Chiefs games, insisting that her presence may even have a “positive impact” on the tight end’s playing.
“I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift,” a fired-up Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday (Jan. 10). “Everybody’s sitting up there and acting like she’s some kind of impediment — excuse me, she did her job! That Eras Tour? Off the chain. Generated billions.”
“She’s going to support her dude,” he continued. “To show up at a game and the cameras are on her — that ain’t her fault! And excuse me, by the way, she went to the games after the concerts. It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not!”
Smith’s defense of Swift comes amid speculation that the “Anti-Hero” singer’s much-publicized visits to Arrowhead Stadium have been too distracting, be it for Kelce, his teammates or football fans. Earlier on in her relationship with Kelce, the NFL’s zoomed-in coverage of the star was a complaint among some viewers, and it was even the subject of a bombed joke from host Jo Koy at the Golden Globes Sunday (Jan. 7).
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” the comedian quipped as cameras cut to Swift, who reacted with a cold stare.
It’s something that the 12-time Grammy winner herself addressed in her December Person of the Year cover story. “I’m just there to support Travis … I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads,” she told the publication.
And for all intents and purposes, it seems like Smith agrees. “Taylor Swift is that girl,” he added. “Let’s show some respect. She probably is gonna have a positive impact on Travis Kelce’s performance, OK? I’m not trying to disrespect Taylor Swift.”
See Smith defend Swift below:
📹| @stephenasmith defends @taylorswift13 against the criticisms of her attending Chiefs games.”I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift. Everybody’s sitting up there and acting like she’s some kind of impediment and, excuse me, she did her job! That Eras… pic.twitter.com/CujqQ6sM7H— Taylor Swift Updates 🩵 (@swifferupdates) January 10, 2024
Millions of Taylor Swift fans and the entirety of Chiefs Kingdom pretty much know exactly who the most famous person in Travis Kelce‘s contact list is. Even so, the tight end laughed off a question about the biggest celebrity in his phone and revealed which person — besides his superstar girlfriend — fits the bill.
In a video posted to the Kansas City Chiefs’ TikTok on Monday (Jan. 8), Kelce and a few of his teammates were asked to name the numbers of the most A-list stars they have saved on their phones. “You guys know the easy answer,” the Ohio native responded, heavily alluding to Swift.
Kelce went on to reveal that, second to the “Anti-Hero” singer, the biggest star in his contacts is “JT, Justin Timberlake.”
But in regards to whether the *NSYNC boy bander would pick up the phone if Kelce were to call right that second, the star said, “Not a chance.” “I appreciate you, Justin,” added the New Heights podcast host. “But he’s a busy man.”
As famous as Timberlake is, it’s hard to compare with Swift’s current celebrity status, which, if anything, has only been elevated since she started dating Kelce. The pair struck up a romance over the summer, and the 12-time Grammy winner addressed their relationship for the first time in her December TIME Person of the Year cover story.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she said in the interview. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Kelce and the Chiefs are fresh off a very close victory (13-12) against the Los Angeles Chargers following Sunday’s (Jan. 7) game. That night, Swift attended the Golden Globes alongside her good friend Keleigh Sperry.
See the Chiefs’ TikTok below:
Swifties have a legendary gift for finding hidden clues in every word that comes out of Taylor Swift‘s mouth. And, sometimes their intense, code-breaking treasure hunts take them down truly unexpected paths, such as a tweet from a fan on Wednesday (Jan. 3) resurfacing a 2009 Glamour magazine interview with Swift in which she appeared to manifest some aspects of her current love match.
The chat with the then 19-year-old singer included a question about whether she would have to date someone at a “similar level of success” in the wake of the release of her 2008 sophomore album, Fearless, which sold more than 2.1 million copies in two months. Less than a year after her break-up with the Jonas Brothers’ Joe Jonas, Swift said that any relationship she enters into is always going to have to be “long-distance, even if I date the boy who lives next door to me in Nashville. I’ll be flying to see him and flying him places to see me.”
Of course that teenage love speculation came 14 years before Swift would fly across the country several times in late 2023 to watch current beau Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce play, with Kelce returning the favor by jetting to Argentina to see Swift on her Eras Tour. “It feels like it would involve more scheduling, and I already deal with a lot of scheduling in my life,” Swift added at the time of the logistics needed to move a pop star (and, not for nothing, an NFL top-liner) around the country without getting hounded by the press.
“Of course, if I met somebody who was worth it, I would probably stop thinking that way!” the singer told the magazine.
It was the next question-and-answer that really got Swifties activated, though. When the interviewer wondered if Swift — who subsequently was linked to “You Belong With Me” video co-star Lucas Till, Valentine’s Day co-star Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston and Joe Alwyn — felt like she needed to date someone at a “similar level” of success, the now-34-year-old singer gave a response that fans thought kind of manifested the Kelce love match.
“I think it’s more a question of confidence. I wouldn’t want to be with a pushover who would let me make all the plans and have all the control,” Swift said. “It’s really natural for me to go into planning mode, but I’d rather be with someone who has his own voice and passion and ambition.” Swift — recently named TIME magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, as well as the newest member of the billionaire star club thanks to her Eras Tour grosses — appears to have found such a striver in two-time Super Bowl champ Kelce, who also hosts a popular podcasts and has a number of high-profile endorsement deals.
Though Swift kept a low-profile during her six-year relationship with Boy Erased actor Alwyn, in her TIME interview the singer said she’s not shy about talking up her connection with Kelce, while also trying to keep some things private. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she told the mag in the December cover story. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Check out the fan tweet that helped spark the speculation below.
found this magazine with taylor on the cover from 2009 and this is what she said about being in a relationship back then omg some of it still applies pic.twitter.com/fqGaVxHEP7— isa (taylor’s version) 🇩🇴 (@isagonellc) January 3, 2024
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New Year’s Eve was a fairy tale for Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end opened up briefly about how nice the last day of 2023 was for him in the Wednesday (Jan. 3) episode of New Heights, the podcast he cohosts with brother Jason Kelce. While discussing the Chiefs’ big New Year’s Eve […]
Patrick Mahomes is opening up about what it was like for the Kansas City Chiefs to witness their teammate begin a romance with one of the most famous women on the planet earlier this year, when none other than Taylor Swift started showing up to their games to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce. And though […]
Travis Kelce’s friendship bracelet story — in which he used the item in an attempt to slip his number to Taylor Swift — has been heard around the world. And now, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is making them in NFL and Nickelodeon’s joint game day promo. NFL and Nickelodeon shared a joint promo […]
Travis Kelce was feeling the love for Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium on Sunday (Dec. 17). On the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, the 34-year-old tight end opened up about the pop star’s triumphant return to the Massachusetts venue, this time as a fan instead of a headlining musician.
“They showed Taylor at the game — you don’t see an entire home team fanbase go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors,” Travis told his brother and podcast co-host, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, on the Wednesday (Dec. 20) episode. “Just shows you how amazing that girl is. They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on that screen.”
Swift, of course, was there to cheer on Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs as they faced off against the New England Patriots, ultimately winning 27-17. This time, she brought along her dad, Scott Swift, and friends Alana Haim and Ashley Avignone.
As Travis mentioned, the “Anti-Hero” singer — sporting a Chiefs sweatshirt and beanie — appeared on the jumbotrons before the game started. And while almost everyone erupted with excitement over the superstar’s attendance, videos from the afternoon prove that a few people in the crowd responded with boos.
“There might’ve been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was f–king screaming their tail off for her,” Travis said on New Heights, using the phrase used by Swift in her TIME Person of the Year interview earlier this month. (“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said in the cover story. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”)
“I was trying to keep it cool,” Travis added. “I was like, ‘Don’t show your cards, don’t show your cards …’ Taylor, she’s on record saying that stadium’s one of the funnest that she’s played at. For them to show her is just showing her some love. Shout out to the Patriots for doing that.”
Watch the latest New Heights episode above.
