TAYLOR SWIFT is now the talk of the NFL (Wikipedia).

The most prominent issue in the North American sports world is not the dissolution of the Pac-12, the semi-annual collapse of the Los Angeles Dodgers in post-season play, or whether or not college cheerleaders and marching band drum majors should get NIL money like the athletes can.

What’s on (nearly) everyone’s minds and lips is what’s going to happen with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Is it just a platonic friendship? Since she’s richer than he is, should she pay for all the dates? Does she ever try to give him some hints on route-running? Will he take up singing when his career is over?

Not to minimize what Taylor has accomplished, but she has nevertheless become the focus of much attention. If you watch a Kansas City Chiefs game, the camera folks give us almost as many shots of her as they do beer commercials and insurance spots.

So, in a sense, Taylor has become a mascot for the Chiefs. It seems like a natural evolution from the ugly costumes for awkward-looking birds (Seahawks, Ravens, Cardinals) and Wild West themes (Rangers, Chiefs, Cowboys).

And if there’s anyone who can say with a straight face that the Philly Phanatic – other than the deeply intoxicated – represents the City of Brotherly Love well, I haven’t met him or her.

So, the Next Big Thing has been revealed. And if Taylor Swift isn’t singing the theme song for “Sunday Night Football”, well, I’ll be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.