“La Puerta Negra” or “Blank Space?” “Jefe de Jefes” or “Karma?” Los Tigres Del Norte or Taylor Swift?
In the days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, Latino fans of the San Francisco 49ers decided to poke a little fun at their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, specifically about the celebrity fans each team might have in the audience at the match-up.
Earlier in the week, a fan uploaded a side-by-side image of Tigres vocalist Hernán Hernandez at the NFC championship with a side-by-side of Taylor Swift in the stands supporting Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. Commenters laughed about the comparison, each artist iconic in completely different ways.
On Friday, Los Tigres Del Norte decided to play in on the fun, sharing a TikTok video of themselves addressing the jokes, by holding up jerseys and merch of the Bay Area team.
“People have been saying that the Kansas City Chiefs have Taylor Swift,” started bajo sexto player Luis Hernández.
“Yeah, but the 49ers have…,” started bassist Hernán, before the entire group responded in unison: “Los Tigres Del Norte!”
The iconic norteño band was formed in the Bay Area back in 1968 and has been an avid supporter of the NorCal football team ever since.
“I became a 49ers fan a long time ago. The first car I bought has the team’s license plate. Since the days of Joe Montana, I feel that Latinos really embraced the sport,” Hernán told Mexican newspaper El Universal this week.
In a separate interview, Hernán even joked that he puts on red underwear whenever his favorite football team plays. While Los Tigres don’t plan on being at Allegiant Stadium Sunday night, Swift is expected to fly in from Tokyo to make it for the big game.
In the video’s comments, fans asked that Los Tigres be the Halftime Show performers at one point. (This year, Usher is in charge.)
“Why not us at halftime? Why not now? We haven’t lost hope that one day we will perform at halftime,” Hernán told NBC Bay Area. (The Super Bowl returns to the Bay Area in 2026.)
It wouldn’t be the first time the seve-time Grammy winners make history: In 2019, they became the first performers at Folson Prison in 50 years since Johnny Cash performed there in 1968.