Has Taylor Swift ever sung the national anthem at a baseball stadium? Exploring pop icon's connection with MLB

On Feb. 4, the world watched Taylor Swift take the field after Super Bowl LVIII. In a warm embrace with her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce, the superstar celebrated the Chiefs' overtime win.

Since breaking into the limelight almost 20 years ago, Swift has kept her personal preferences, from sports to politics, close to her chest. However, The 34-year-old megastar's relationship with pro sports dates back further than many realize.

When Swift was not even ten, the aspiring singer-songwriter began sending her material to local sports teams in hopes of landing a role singing the national anthem. In 1999, she sang the anthem at one Reading Phillies Double-A game, which was played a mere five miles from her childhood home.

As Swift's popularity surged in the coming years, the icon kept good relations with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2008, Swift was tapped to belt out the national anthem of the third game of that year's World Series, held in Philadelphia between the Phillies and the Rays. The Phillies would go on to win the championship that season, marking their first victory since the 1980 season.

Though the 14-time Grammy Award winner captivated fans with her performance before the World Series, the occasion marks the last time that Swift played in front of an MLB audience. In 2017, Swift sang the anthem at the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, reportedly telling fans, “You’re the crowd that I’m gonna see in my most recent daydreams.” Some took this as an implicit endorsement of the Houston Astros, who later competed in the World Series that year.

Taylor Swift's stardom hasn't rubbed off on MLB

Since the 18-year-old Taylor Swift appeared in front of fans at the 2008 World Series, her cache has grown immeasurably. Now, millions around the world spend fortunes and queue for days just to get a glimpse of her legendary routine.

Though Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs were the latest club to get the Swift treatment, it is difficult to see a scenario in which an MLB team could justify enlisting the star as a mere opening act.