It began, as these things often do now, with a throwaway line on a video game stream. On Thursday, during an NBA 2K broadcast, the New York Knicks point guards Tyler Kolek and Miles McBride were asked to name the least genuine celebrity supporter at their games, and Kolek, after a pause that was audible even through the screen, offered the most radioactive answer available: Taylor Swift. Some famous faces, he suggested, come mainly to be seen, and her presence at the Garden had struck him as "a little performative". McBride, with the mild air of a man agreeing about the weather, said he concurred.

The remark was softened almost as soon as it was made. Kolek joked that he was about to receive hate from the Swifties, conceded that she has "a lot going on" and cannot attend every game, and admitted he could not recall seeing her at other matches this season. McBride, for his part, praised the actor Ben Stiller and the comedian Tracy Morgan as "usually solid" fans, a reminder that loyalty, in this economy of attention, is measured partly by how often one turns up. The club, however, was unwilling to let the verdict stand.

A spokesperson insisted that Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and is deeply appreciated by the organisation. The record gives them something to work with: she was photographed at games against the Bulls and the Magic in 2014, played the arena on her Fearless and Speak Now tours, wore a punning "Knickole Kidman" shirt at the Finals in June, and married Travis Kelce there in July. Perhaps the more interesting question is why the accusation landed at all. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 to end a drought of more than fifty years, and a victory that long awaited breeds a certain possessiveness among those who endured the lean decades.