One of the biggest topics of the NFL season thus far has nothing to do with football and everything to do with Taylor Swift. T-Swift, the superstar singer-songwriter, and Travis Kelce, the All-Pro tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, have begun dating and immediately shattered the internet. Every time the Chiefs play, NFL broadcasts, Instagram, and Twitter are flooded with images of Taylor Swift enjoying the game from Travis Kelce’s family box with his mother, Donna Kelce. In this article, I will address some of the benefits and drawbacks of all the attention paid to this relationship, as well as the consequences it has on the rest of the NFL and its fans moving forward.
Benefits:
The NFL is already one of the most popular athletic organization in the United States, with each regular season game (an “event” in and of itself) averaging 16.7 million viewers. In comparison, the NBA Finals got an average of 12.4 million viewers, proving Americans prefer football to any other professional sport. Taylor Swift’s mega-popularity, added to the NFL, now brings a whole new audience to the game, enhancing the already high viewership. Taylor Swift’s world tour this past summer called “The Eras Tour,” drew an average of 73,000 fans per concert! Her fans (who refer to themselves as “Swifties”), is one of the biggest among all music stars in the world. Travis Kelce, on the other hand, is one of the most chsarismatic and likable NFL players is considered one of the best Tight Ends in NFL history, so he already had a big fanbase behind him before the two started dating. Combining the two massive fan bases creates what you would expect: a gigantic Swift-Kelce combined sunami-fanbase.
Taylor Swift made her first appearance at a Chiefs game against the Bears in week three, but she had a huge effect once she appeared at Metlife Stadium in the Chiefs’ week four Sunday night clash against the Jets. That single Sunday night game drew 29.4 million viewers, the most of any Sunday broadcast since the Super Bowl. According to NBC, young girls (ages 12-17) increased 53% over the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of Sunday Night Football. On the other hand, Travis Kelce’s jersey sales have risen in addition to increased viewership. Kelce’s jersey sales on Fanatics have increased over 400% since Swift first appeared at an NFL game.
Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, who plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles, co-host a podcast called “New Heights,” and thanks to Travis’s media success, their podcast has risen to the top of all rankings, becoming one of the most listened to podcasts currently. In addition, the “Kelce” documentary on Amazon Prime Video placed fifth in the list of the most watched TV shows/movies in the United States. Overall, it is clear that Taylor Swift is positively impacting the NFL by attracting new fans, increasing jersey sales, and providing new options for the NFL to generate more money.
Drawbacks:
Although Taylor Swift’s media presence in the NFL has many positive effects, it also has numerous negative effects on NFL fans. Considering over 70% of football fans are male, and the vast majority of Taylor Swift fans are female, many football fans are disinterested in all the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce chatter. Most people don’t want to hear about Taylor Swift when they sit down to watch a football game on a Sunday; they simply want to watch football because that’s what most people love. Many fans have also expressed dissatisfaction with how much the NFL’s Instagram and other sports news channels, such as ESPN and Sportscenter, have focused on Taylor Swift rather than other sports or genuine NFL gameplay/stories. The comment section on the NFL’s Instagram posts about Taylor Swift tends to have thousands of comments saying things like “we do not care” or “we want football.” The NFL, on the other hand, continues to promote stuff like this because it brings in a lot more money for them, even though most fans dislike it.
Overall, while many NFL fans dislike the amount of media exposure Taylor Swift receives, the NFL sees it as a chance to bring in new audiences while also increasing revenue in what is already one of the largest markets in the United States. Should the NFL continue to upset those die-hards who love the game for the game, or should they do what is best for the NFL financially and continue with Taylor Swift coverage?
