Content Advisory: This article discusses alcohol use during a public sports event and online criticism. Reader discretion is advised.
Travis Kelce is not apologizing for his viral beer chug during a courtside date night with Taylor Swift.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end addressed the moment on the Wednesday, May 27, episode of ‘New Heights’ after clips of him drinking a can of Garage Beer at the New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game spread across social media.
Some fans loved it. Others called it immature. Jason Kelce even teased his younger brother on the podcast, joking that he was not being the best “role model” while sitting beside Swift.
Travis did not sound too bothered. “It was a classy chug, Jason,” he said.
Travis Kelce Says It Was A ‘Classy Chug’
Kelce defended the moment by pointing out that he kept it clean.
“Didn’t spill one drop,” he said. “Didn’t crush the can.”
He explained that he was sitting on the hardwood floor at an NBA game, so the whole thing could have turned messy fast. In his view, he handled it well.
“It was a smooth, classy chug to get the people going,” Kelce said.
He also said the Cavs were down by 10 points, and he was trying to bring some energy back into the building.
Clips showed Kelce standing up and finishing the drink in one go while Swift watched and laughed. The moment quickly became one of the night’s biggest viral clips.
Kelce Calls It A Fun Date Night
Despite the Cavs losing 121-108 to the Knicks during the May 23 game, Kelce said he and Swift had a great time.
“Getting Tay back to Cleveland and showing her my roots is always something I love doing,” he said.
Kelce also made it clear he was not trying to convert Swift into a Cleveland sports fan. “This wasn’t me trying to persuade Taylor into being a Cleveland sports fan with me,” he explained. “This was me just having a fun date night.” He said he loves bringing Swift into the sports world that means so much to him.
Kelce Responds To Sleepy-Looking Photos
Kelce also addressed photos that made it look like he had fallen asleep during the fourth quarter.
According to him, he was not sleeping. He was simply slumped in defeat as the Knicks took control. “The Knicks couldn’t miss a shot in the fourth quarter,” he said, laughing.
He also reacted to Knicks fans bringing up old photos of Swift wearing New York team merch. “Not a lot of teams have been able to get Taylor to wear a jersey,” Kelce said. “The Knicks did.” Swift, he noted, has plenty of New York ties and had seen the Knicks play before.
For Kelce, the night was not a scandal. It was a date, a game, a viral drink moment, and one more reminder that every public outing with Swift becomes internet property almost instantly.
