By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
Taylor Swift has been dominating the media world this year – first with the huge success of her Eras Tour, then with the film of her tour, which debuts on Oct. 13 but has already reached $100 million in advanced ticket sales. And now she has been the talk of … the NFL?
After being rumored, it was confirmed that Travis Kelce, one of the best tight ends to ever play the game, and Swift were seeing each other when she was spotted at the Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs game on September 24. Swift was sitting in a press box with Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce, and was seen walking out of the stadium with Kelce.
The rumors started when Kelce made the first move by inviting Swift to watch him “rock Arrowhead Stadium” after seeing her rock the stage in Arrowhead during her Era’s Tour
Swift was later seen at the Chiefs-Jets game on October 1 at MetLife Stadium.
The NFL is aware of the following that a celebrity like Swift can bring, and wants to take advantage of it.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, Vivid Seats saw a 173+ increase in traffic for the Chiefs-Jets game. Travis Kelce jersey sales saw an increase of more than 400 percent. Per ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Kelce has gained 1.1 million followers since the end of the Bears matchup.
Swift’s fanbase, known as the “Swifties,” are notorious for their diehard love of their favorite artist. The NFL seems set on attracting Swifties to become NFL fans, as she’s been the face of its social media pages.
The NFL Instagram account changed its bio to say that the “Chiefs have been 2-0 as Swifties,” referring to Kansas City winning both games when Swift was in attendance. Both the NFL X page and TikTok page posted in their respective bios “NFL: Taylor’s Version” and “10/1/23. Taylor’s Back.”
During both games the broadcasts would cut to Swift sitting with Donna Kelce or her director Shawn Levy celebrating the Chiefs scoring a touchdown. Even NBC commentators Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth talked about her upcoming film at the end of the third quarter of the Jets game.
The Springfield Student asked students around campus to share their thoughts on whether the NFL is covering Swift too much.
“Taylor Swift is an international icon,” said junior Communications and Sports Journalism major Emily Zambarano. “The NFL is super popular in the United States, so when an international icon appears at a game, you’re going to hear about it – especially if she’s rumored to be [dating] a player. She’s definitely having an impact on their marketing strategy, and bringing in more viewers for the games she’s at.”
Connor Konopka, a sophomore Sports Management major, agreed about Swift’s massive impact. “I think they’re posting too much of her, but I understand why. Taylor Swift has a generation of fans that the league hasn’t discovered yet, so they’re trying to gain a new audience,” Konopka said.
The NFL posting a substantial amount of Swift content has led to controversy. During the Chiefs-Jets game, a debate holding penalty was called on Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner during a play in which the Jets caused a turnover.
Disputed calls like the holding penalty happen in games all the time. The controversy is more about the NFL Instagram page posting that the Chiefs have been 2-0 as Swifties right after the game had ended. Some fans saw this as the game being fixed for the Chiefs so that the NFL could garner the Swiftie audience.
“I think the media is pushing away fans who have been invested into the NFL for years,” Konopka said. “It’s causing a lot of tension on social media. I know they want to gain new fans, but I’ve had to mute my TV while watching the game ‘cause I couldn’t stand them talking about it after 10 or so minutes.”
Swift was not at the Oct. 8 Chiefs-Vikings game, where Kelce sustained an injury. and the NFL’s Instagram bio went back to blank the afternoon following the game. Kelce spoke on his podcast about their relationship, saying that he won’t mention their relationship anymore out of respect for his and Swift’s personal lives, as well as admitting that the coverage has been “a little much.”
Photo courtesy of Vulture