As soon as cameras focused on Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark in a luxury suite at the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game, it was predictable that Chris Russo would have something to say about it on Monday. The curmudgeonly Mad Dog has a knack for complaining, whether it’s about the latest NFL news or his qualms with flying coach, but especially concerning Taylor Swift attending Kansas City games.
Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark with each other in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium for the Texans-Chiefs game. #NFL pic.twitter.com/Ey5kDLhSV5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
Sure enough, Russo was fired up about seeing Swift and Clark on his TV screen during an NFL game and seemed to believe that the WNBA star, decked out in Chiefs apparel, was opportunistically jumping on the Kansas City bandwagon. “I’ve had enough with Kelce. I’ve had enough with the girlfriend. And now I got Caitlin Clark in the mix,” Russo declared in a vintage rant.
“And I’ve had enough with Kelce. I’ve had enough with the girlfriend. And now I got Caitlin Clark in the mix.” @MadDogUnleashed with a vintage rant on Taylor Swift, Clark and the Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/ggsqhkiqFS
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 20, 2025
“Who, by the way, I saw Caitlin Clark play, what, 50 games in college basketball the last two years? Parts of it. I never heard one reference. I never saw her father with a Chief jersey on. I never saw her with a Chief hat on. I heard not one reference in 50 games that she was a Chief fan, and then all of a sudden now she’s a big Kansas City fan. Come on, stop, please. I understand you want to be a fan because they win. It’s ridiculous. And ESPN, they’re going to be as guilty as everybody else—showing Swift and her in that freaking press box until the cows come home. When Taylor Swift’s Bob Dylan, come back and talk to me. Come back and talk to me when she has that impact. Not for the 18-year-old girls like my daughter… When you change music, come back and talk to me.”
While we enjoy a good Chris Russo rant, we must say this diatribe was quite sexist. First, he refers to Taylor Swift as “the girlfriend.” Second, he seems to doubt Clark’s fandom based solely on her father’s attire during her college games. Third, he undermines Swift’s cultural significance by implying her fans are merely teenage girls. There’s often a fun side to Russo’s crankiness, but in this instance, he came across as unkind.
Additionally, Russo might be surprised to learn that despite Caitlin Clark’s father’s lack of Chiefs jerseys, the basketball star has consistently professed her love for the team. In a 2023 appearance on ESPN2’s ManningCast, she displayed childhood photos of herself in Chiefs gear, stating, “I’ve been a Chiefs fan since I was a young girl… I was a Chiefs fan even when they were not very good.”
We’re unsure what caused Chris to be so irritable on Monday, but he definitely missed the mark this time. Perhaps he should take a moment to step outside, as Taylor Swift’s fans might suggest.
