Taylor Swift was already at the top of the world, coming off the heels of the Eras Tour, one of the most successful concert tours of all time ever.
However, since her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce became public late last year, her reputation and superstardom have had a massive impact on the NFL. Swift began appearing at Chiefs games almost weekly in a private box and TV cameras quickly made a habit of showing her in the stands cheering on Kelce. She has often been seen alongside the Kelce family and has brought other celebrities to the games, such as Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
As the narrative around Swift and Kelce grows, so does the number of people watching the NFL. It is estimated that the NFL has attained its highest regular-season female viewership since 2000. It’s been predicted that Taylor Swift simply being at NFL games has led to a rough rise of over two million female viewers.
The NFL has wholly embraced Swift’s presence, featuring her prominently on their social media pages and showing her reaction every time Kelce scores a touchdown or generates a big play. Additionally, Stubhub saw a 175% increase in ticket prices after it was revealed that Swift would be at the game and Kelce’s jersey sales took a whopping 400% leap.
Swift’s presence has also led to success and opportunities for others, as the virality of a jacket Swift wore to a game led to Kristin Juszczyk, the jacket’s designer, getting an official brand deal from the NFL. These spikes in exposure and money flowing in are champagne problems for a league that has dominated television and American pop culture for decades.
With all of the public attention placed on Swift and Kelce’s relationship, it has also come with scrutiny from the media. Kelce has had to face constant questioning about his relationship, given that he has to go to the media for press conferences weekly. Kelce was asked point-blank by a reporter, “Are you in love?” However, Kelce has been able to shake off the extra attention with class and respect.
At Super Bowl Media Day this week, Kelce said that Swift has an unbelievable fan base that follows her and supports her throughout her life and that he has been grateful to introduce her fans to the game of football.
But, some NFL fans have grown tired of seeing Taylor Swift, believing that her presence takes focus and attention from what is happening on the field. Others have countered that belief by pointing out that Swift is only shown for seconds at a time and her presence does not affect the game in any real way.
Fox Sports commentator Colin Cowherd put it best by pointing out that Swift is typically on-screen for 30 seconds during games. Justin Reid, one of Kelce’s
teammates on the Chiefs also defended Kelce by saying that Swift is “very, very sweet” and that Swift is an “awesome person, awesome artist all around.”
The story of Swift and Kelce that has surrounded the Chiefs all season long will culminate this week, where Swift is expected to make a flight across the Pacific Ocean from an Eras Tour show in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday to Las Vegas in time for the Super Bowl on Sunday. If the Chiefs beat the 49ers and win the Super Bowl, the love story of Taylor and Travis will become even more enchanting.