Many sports fandoms in the world believe in curses. If their favorite team or player is underperforming, it has to be because of some bad luck or supernatural force out of their control, not just an off day or season.

Unfortunately, sometimes, these curses assign blame to real-life people close to the athletes. In some instances, people have blamed the wives and girlfriends of their favorite NFL players for the players’ shortcomings on the field, subjecting those WAGs to scrutiny they don’t deserve.

Superstar Taylor Swift received the brunt of that during the 2023-2024 football season due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. Two stars who felt the same before her were Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson, both of whom were linked to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Romo’s rollercoaster of a love life includes these two blondes who got blamed for his bad games. Underwood started dating Romo in 2006, and they attended the Academy of Country Music Awards together in 2007, breaking up shortly after. While they were together, Romo played his worst game — well, his worst until he was in a relationship with Simpson. The game that stole the throne was between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in December 2007, and Simpson was in the stands watching.

Underwood and Simpson were held responsible for Romo’s poor performance
Kevin C. Cox/Getty
While watching the Cowboys-Eagles game, Jessica Simpson cheered Tony Romo on wearing a white and pink jersey with his number on it. However, she became a scapegoat, with fans feeling that she caused the bad game to happen. An insider told People it was “ridiculous” to say the bad playing was her fault. “He played a great game on Thanksgiving, and she was there,” they added.

In 2009, Romo broke it off with Simpson. In her memoir “Open Book,” Simpson explained it was because the quarterback falsely thought she had cheated on him with John Mayer. Of course, Romo had plenty more flubs on the field following his relationship with Simpson. But while they were together, it was considered all her fault.

Taylor Swift was subjected to similar treatment when she started attending NFL games for Travis Kelce. Midway through the 2023-2024 NFL Season, the Chiefs started struggling. They had lost six games, and as per usual, people thought it was somehow Swift’s fault due to her relationship with Kelce. Skip Bayless, the sports commentator, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Feels like it’s about time to call Taylor Swift a distraction. What do you think, Patrick [Mahomes]? Andy [Reid]? How about you, Travis?”

Swift has been an overall positive influence on the NFL

Perry Knotts/Getty
A writer for Business Insider, Meredith Cash, said that the Chiefs’ real issue in the 2023-2024 season was their offensive line and felt it made no sense to say Taylor Swift was a distraction. Others didn’t like the way she was blamed either. Someone on X said, “Chiefs fans blaming Taylor Swift for this loss is ridiculous.” They brought up Jessica Simpson and other stars who’ve been scapegoats and added, “WOMEN ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE FAILURES OF MEN. Hold your team accountable, NOT women. #ISaidWhatISaid.”

Despite dealing with some negativity, Swift made the NFL a lot of money and brought new fans to the sport. In late January, Apex Marketing Group calculated the value of each time she was mentioned in NFL spaces based on social media hits and other coverage. They reported to Front Office Sports that she had earned $331.5 million for the NFL and the Chiefs. The List then debunked rumors that Swift was banned from the 2024 Super Bowl — why would she have been if she’s helping the NFL?

And a Swift-inspired Super Bowl ad proved the power of her relationship with Travis Kelce when it showed a father-daughter duo bond over watching Chiefs games together. Now that Swift has had such a positive influence in the football world, maybe the Crypto.com Arena will accelerate their plans to put her banner back on display?

BLAKE Shelton has shared his next career move after his wife, Gwen Stefani, appeared at several of his shows.

The country singer has been on the road for his Back To The Honky Tonk tour, which kicked off last month.

Blake Shelton announced big career news in a new post on InstagramCredit: Getty

Blake’s wife, Gwen Stefani, has been popping up at numerous concerts on his Back To The Honky Tonk tourCredit: Getty

Rumors have been swirling that Blake and Gwen were having marriage issuesCredit: 2020 The Recording Academy
On Monday, Blake, 47, shared another stop he added to his United States and Canada leg in a post on his Instagram Stories.

Alongside a photo of himself, the God’s Country singer revealed he’s scheduled to perform at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida this summer.

He noted that tickets for the July 27th show go on sale this Friday.

ON THE ROAD

Gwen, 54, has made numerous appearances at Blake’s shows despite rumors that the couple is having marriage issues.

Last week, the No Doubt alum surprised fans when she showed up at Blake’s concert in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Gwen shared videos on her Stories of her backstage with Blake and the packed crowd cheering in the background.

“Did you hear them when you came out there?” Blake asked his wife, to which she replied, “I know.”

“Oh my god! They love you in Canada,” Blake gushed.

For months, rumors have swirled that the pair were heading for divorce after fans noticed them spending more time apart.

It started when the duo opted to spend New Year’s Eve in different states, with Gwen hosting a party in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Blake performing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Their busy schedules continued to distance the lovebirds, making many wonder if their marriage was suffering.

EXES REUNITE

On top of that, Gwen raised eyebrows when she shared her excitement over reuniting with her old bandmates, which includes her ex and No Doubt bassist, Tony Kanal.

The group is getting back together to perform at Coachella this spring, and Gwen admitted in a recent Instagram post it “can’t come soon enough.”

Gwen and Tony dated from 1987 to 1994 and remained close friends after their split.

The Voice alum moved on with her now ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale, whom she was married to from 2002 to 2016.

They share three kids: Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, nine.

Gwen tied the knot with Blake in July 2021.

Blake announced he’s performing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FloridaCredit: Instagram/blakeshelton

The couple tied the knot in July 2021Credit: Getty

 

Being into college football, this discussion is intended for NIL deals, and with this, a clash of perspectives emerges. This philosophy seems to have been passed down from Deion Sanders himself, who never refuses to let go of his philosophy for fortune.

McClain’s bold declaration about money

With spring knocking at the door, the Buffs roster is gearing up to be at their best form, both mentally and physically. As they push themselves through drills and workouts, philosophical and deep conversations act as a recharge. As captured in the video posted by Reach The People Media, McClain emphasized the importance of money. He said, “Life ain’t all about money bro it’s all about respect… I don’t live for money bro, money live for me.”

Hence, McClain is driven by the prospect of financial success, where he offers a different perspective, one rooted in a deeper sense of respect and integrity. For him, the accurate measure of worth lies much beyond material wealth and more in the esteem earned through respect and hard work. Rather than being consumed by the pursuit of wealth, McClain sees himself as the master of his own destiny. Surprisingly, Deion Sanders, too, holds a similar philosophy about life.

Deion Sanders challenges misconceptions surrounding NIL

For Coach Prime, as he successfully attracted players leveraging the transfer portal, he issued a clear message regarding expectations around NIL. He stressed how he looked up to genuine players with their intention of dedicating themselves to the sport instead of financial benefits. Deion Sanders firmly stated, “We’re not an ATM. That’s not going to happen here. If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it’s because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education, and all the business stuff will be handled on the back end if that’s the case.”

The Buffs head coach also had a message for the aspiring college athletes, who often get allured by the money offered by lucrative NIL deals. Deion Sanders dismisses NIL as the primary avenue for building wealth, as he pointed out that the NFL should be the priority: “Because I believe the NFL is where the bag is. That’s the ultimate goal that’s misconstrued these days but truly is where the bag is and where longevity is and where you can build and understand what generational wealth is.”  

As Deion Sanders’ recruits try to navigate their way in the era of fame and fortune, Cormani McClain is a poignant example that bank accounts do not solely measure success. Within his short time with the Buffaloes, he seems to have imbibed Coach Prime’s philosophy in structuring his vision of life.