On each night of Taylor Swift’s ongoing “Eras” tour, fans who were lucky enough to snag highly coveted tickets flock to hear Swift belt out her biggest hits. But beyond the stadium walls, for the scores of Swifties unable to attend—whether because they lost their battles with Ticketmaster, because they have disabilities or chronic illnesses, or simply because Swift isn’t performing in their countries—there are always livestreams, clips posted on social media, and breathless recaps shared by rapturous concertgoers. Recently, though, another way for fans to experience their favorite singer’s concerts without physically being in the audience has emerged: “Swiftball,” a kind of Taylor Swift fantasy football league that reportedly thousands are taking part in.
Before each “Eras” concert kicks off, the team of Swiftie volunteers that runs Swiftball tweets a Google form with a ballot specific to that night’s show. Participants answer a range of questions: When Swift performs the song “Lover,” will she use a pink guitar or a blue guitar? During the Folklore set, will she wear her purple dress, cream dress, pink lace dress, green dress, or a new dress? How many minutes will the standing ovation after the song “Champagne Problems” last? Which two surprise songs—acoustic versions of songs that aren’t on the official “Eras” tour set list—will she play? Will there be a special guest? The list goes on, but the Swifties are not daunted.
Many fans then tune in to the concert via livestreams on social media and track how many points they earn as the night unfolds. I first learned about Swiftball after hearing my younger sister’s cheers of triumph and groans of disappointment drowning out the livestream playing on her phone. She was in the middle of Swiftball and aiming for the perfect score of 113, a nod to Swift’s lucky number 13. The player with the most points at the end of the night wins prizes donated by other fans, many of whom are fellow Swiftball players. Past winners have earned Taylor Swift merchandise, signed Taylor Swift CDs, and handmade Taylor Swift–themed art. Last Saturday, prizes included snake earrings, a custom Taylor Swift portrait commission, and a “Swift Family Farm” crewneck. Swiftball has already received enough donations to distribute at least three prizes to each winner for the remaining U.S. “Eras” tour shows.
According to Allie, the acknowledged creator of Swiftball, it all started with an extra CD.
The film and TV freelancer, who is based in New York City and who asked not to share her last name, attended Swift’s MetLife Stadium concerts in late May. Afterward, she felt disappointed that the shows she had been looking forward to for so long were over. She also had an extra Taylor Swift Midnights (The Late Night Edition) CD that she wanted to give away. Allie decided to organize a one-time Taylor Swift–themed game and gift the winner her CD.
“I remembered when I was at MetLife, my friends and I would get really excited about what outfits [Taylor Swift] would wear,” Allie said. “There was a point where we were guessing, and then we would get really excited when we were right.”
So she created a Google form and posted it on Twitter. Through this ballot, fans guessed which outfits Swift would wear on that particular concert night. On June 2, the first night of Swiftball, 854 people participated. Fans wanted to keep playing, so Allie kept running the game. Now, Swiftball averages a whopping 7,000 to 9,000 players for each concert, according to Allie, and the ballot has expanded to include a variety of “Eras” tour–related topics. The game has become a global event, with Swifties from Algeria to Australia playing.
Fans cite the warm feeling of community as a reason to keep playing.“I look forward to filling out my ballot every weekend,” Swiftball participant Kyra Beck told me via Twitter DM. “I don’t care about winning—it’s just exciting to play along and interact with everyone.” Beck has even felt moved to contribute to the prize pool, donating a crocheted moon-and-Saturn keychain set—a reference to the lyric “Love you to the Moon and to Saturn” in Swift’s song “Seven.”
“I make these to sell in my Etsy shop,” she said, “but I wanted to donate a set as a Swiftball prize as a way of giving back to a community that’s brought me so much joy and entertainment over the past month.”
That bighearted spirit embodied by fans’ eagerness to donate prizes is “the core of what Swifties are about,” said Swiftball creator Allie. “People can be nasty online, but they can also be so wonderful and generous.”
But Swiftball players aren’t the only ones giving their time and labor to the cause. Organizing the game has grown into a team effort. Swiftball is operated by a group of six volunteers, in addition to Allie. They help design graphics, run social media pages, grade the ballots, and quickly identify Swift’s different outfits on concert nights.
Raghav, for instance (who also asked not to share his last name), is the Swiftball points grader, which means he helps ensure that Swiftball scoring is accurate. Although managing Swiftball takes time and energy—it “feels like we’re running a company, but completely for free,” Allie noted—the project “never feels like work,” Raghav wrote in an email. “It’s always a fun night!”
Maya Smith, another member of the volunteer squad, creates digital Swiftball badges. Players can earn badges for a variety of accomplishments, such as guessing a surprise song correctly, beating a family member at Swiftball, or playing Swiftball while physically attending the concert in question. There are city-specific badges for every stop on the tour. Fans display their badges on digital sashes or digital vests, which some then edit onto their social media profile pictures to make it appear as though they are wearing the vest. It’s “a fun way to document what’s happened in your Swiftball career,” said Smith.
It’s impressive that what was originally meant to be a one-time event has now blossomed into a monthslong endeavor enjoyed by thousands—such is the fervor of Taylor Swift’s fans. But, for all their work, have the Swiftballers caught the ultimate prize: the attention of Swift herself? The pop star has not yet openly acknowledged the existence of Swiftball, but some fans think she does know about it—according to characteristic theories, “ever since Swiftball started, she started changing up her patterns,” said Smith.
But regardless of whether or not Swift will flash an unmistakable sign of recognition at the players obsessing over her every move, Swiftball has cemented its place in the intense Taylor Swift fandom. “This game,” said Raghav, “is becoming a core part of Swiftie history.”
