Is Taylor Swift Taking Over the NFL?
Taylor Swift has made waves across the NFL after dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. Since then, this power couple has been on the minds of both football fanatics and music fans across the globe, especially after Kansas City’s Super Bowl win. Now that the season has concluded many questions remain: Do Chiefs fans like her? Why do people believe she’s infiltrating the NFL? What is next for this power couple? Let’s get into it...
On September 23rd, Taylor Swift attended her first Chiefs game. Since then, she has been there for every game, sparking an interest in the NFL amongst her fans. After every Chiefs touchdown, every Travis Kelce reception, and every Kansas City win, the camera finds her in the blink of an eye. She continued to appear at the games in a private box to support Kelce all the way through playoffs and the Super Bowl. Her attendance has skyrocketed NFL viewership; in the Division Playoff Matchup between the Bills and Chiefs, there were an average of 50.4 million viewers, the most-watched divisional game to date! After securing the AFC title, the Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl, setting the stage for Swift and Kelce’s relationship to (again) be put under the spotlight. This year, the Super Bowl reached new heights, with viewership rates reaching an all-time television record of 123.4 million viewers. This was a whopping seven percent up from the previous year, likely in large part due to Swift’s presence.
Since Swift’s first appearance at a game, there have been mixed reactions from the Chiefs fanbase. On one hand, her presence has broadened football interest into the realm of pop music lovers, with many “Swifties” inclined to watch games. However, not all Chiefs or NFL supporters are welcoming this change. One recently highlighted flaw of her attendance is how frequently she is shown on camera during live broadcasting. Many football fans feel that she has become a distraction to them when watching the games. Among our own Riverdale community, we found a spread of opposing and indifferent opinions on the matter. However, it is evident from our interviews that the general consensus lies in opposition of her influence. Even “Swifites” agree that “the NFL doesn’t need to go out of their way to promote her.” According to junior Jake Moalemzadeh, “She doesn’t need to be shown 100 times over the course of the Super Bowl. . .We get it. She’s there.” Junior Jonah Miller said that he “dislikes it. [She] takes away from the sport. It’s not what fans should be focused on and it is not necessary. To be honest, it is audacious to show that many clips of her.”
Ultimately, it is not Taylor Swift that causes these issues; rather it is the NFL that proves problematic. Many people find that the cameras pointing to Taylor Swift are what is distracting instead of her presence alone. She is not doing anything. The fact that the NFL shows her so often instead of a replay is what has fans so riled up. Taylor Swift’s effect on this season was one to be remembered. She created a dynamic never before seen in the NFL. Her presence bridged the gap between the music industry and the National Football League and brought two fan bases together. Over this time, Taylor Swift provided the NFL with a way to connect with a new demographic of young Swifties and music fans. In this way, the NFL was able to move out of the past and into a future that would include new fans of many groups while still being a league catered towards an older generation. As for the Chiefs, they have continued their dynasty with a fourth Super Bowl title and do not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce has helped the NFL become more than a football league by uniting different kinds of people around one game.
