Morning Hot Reads: A Great Pair

The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER goes with the headline, "Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship is real -- and really great branding." While Taylor Swift’s career has "at times been (unfairly) defined by the company she’s kept," the pop star has "seemingly welcomed the spotlight on her latest relationship" with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. The "clearest sign of that" came when she changed the lyrics of “Karma” to call out "the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me" during a tour stop in Argentina when Kelce was in attendance. Since rumors of the romance first began swirling, "we’ve been treated to what culture writer Anne Helen Petersen called 'a truly masterful drip of relationship content'" that has "drawn in folks who previously may not have been heavily invested in Swift, Kelce, or even the NFL." Even more, the relationship "has bridged the gap between two of the largest groups of fans -- and consumers."

Also:

• The NFL's billion dollars' worth of injured quarterbacks.
• Beneath NCAA gymnastics' glow, a familiar 'toxic' culture.
• F1 star Max Verstappen was right about everything.
• How is former Nashville Predators GM David Poile handling retirement? Better than expected.
• Rob McElhenney interview -- 'Wrexham has been one of the great joys of my life.'