Aside from an athlete's stats and performance on the field, fans tend to be equally curious about a player's love life.
The term WAG, an acronym for wives and girlfriends, is typically used in relation to the high profile women associated with professional athletes.
Recently, there seems to be a new addition to the NFL WAGs that has nearly broken the internet: Taylor Swift.
Amid rumors of her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the "Cruel Summer" singer has been hanging out with notable Chiefs WAGs.
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Several people were seen leaving her New York City apartment Oct. 5 after the Kansas City team took on the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany.
The squad who appeared to join Swift for the game included former primary backup quarterback Shane Buechele’s wife, Paige Buechele, and tight end Blake Bell’s wife, Lyndsay Bell.
They were also accompanied by Miranda Hogue, who is friends with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes. Hogue's husband previously played alongside the Chiefs quarterback at Texas Tech.
On Nov. 7, Brittany Mahomes shared pictures on Instagram from what appears to be a girls' night. She was seen drinking champagne with Swift, Bell and Buechele.
Here's what to know about life as a WAG.
Where did the term come from?
The term WAGs was initially found in England's tabloids, with one of the first references printed in a 2002 article in The Telegraph.
“It was never guaranteed that the wives and girlfriends (or “the Wags”, as staff at the Jumeirah Beach Club call them for short) would get along,” the article reads.
The acronym continued to gain popularity in subsequent years, particularly surrounding the 2006 World Cup, the publication later reported.
With roots in the United Kingdom, the term was primarily used in reference to the significant others of major soccer players, though "WAGs" has now been popularized in sports like football and basketball.
Swift isn't the first celebrity to seemingly join WAG status. Victoria and David Beckham's power couple status is often considered one of the first major singer-athlete relationships in popular culture.
What's it like being a WAG?
On TODAY Oct. 9, some of the wives, fiancées and girlfriends of players for the San Francisco 49ers talked about what life is like with a professional athlete.
“I have a really hard time sleeping. I can’t sleep before games,” said model and entrepreneur Olivia Culpo, who’s engaged to 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey.
“I always pray first and foremost just for safety — just a safe, clean game,” she said about how she keeps her emotions in check.
As for 49ers offensive lineman Trent Williams’ girlfriend, Paloma Adams, she turns to some weekly traditions to prepare for the big matchups.
“I eat McDonalds every single time before a game day. That’s me and Trent’s superstition,” she said.
Mindy Armstead, who's married to 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, runs a busy life as a mother to two children and working as a psychiatrist.
“It’s not easy,” she laughed. “I do my best.”
She explained, though, that the support system among the WAGs is a unique bond that they all share.
“No one else can understand that pressure to be kind of this emotional powerhouse and support system for your significant other,” Mindy Armstead said.
“I think we really band together, and you end up making super-fast friends because of that," she said. "We’re all part of this team. We’re anxious and worried, and we’re thinking about, ‘Are things taken care of at home so that they can focus on the game?’”
Has there been backlash to the term WAG?
In 2010, the British Equalities and Human Rights Commission criticized use of the term and called it “offensive,” The Telegraph reported.
At the time, the publication reported that a spokesperson said WAGs was typically used as "a 'pejorative' phrase to demean a group of women," adding that the media rarely showed these significant others in a positive light.
Felicity Morse was also critical of the term in 2014, writing in The Independent that athletes are ranked based on their skill level, while WAGs garner success through "their glamour."
"It’s 2014 and referring to any woman pejoratively as a 'wife or girlfriend' is not acceptable," she wrote. "Neither of these roles are anything to be ashamed of, but plenty of these women have accomplishments which amount to more than looking pretty in the stands."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
