Taylor Swift Brings Inclusivity to NFL

Taylor Swift’s entry into the NFL, coinciding with her relationship with Travis Kelce starting in September 2023, has sparked mixed reactions among fans on social media. While some express anger over her presence or the frequent camera focus on her, I believe her involvement has fostered a new sense of inclusivity. As a longtime Swiftie who grew up listening to her music and loving football her presence has deepened my passion for the NFL. Despite divisive opinions, I see Swift's impact as not only boosting NFL sales but also as a significant step in welcoming girls and women into football fandom.

There’s no doubt about it, whether you like her or not, Swift is a global superstar; she also has a very powerful and loyal fanbase. When Swift began attending KC Cheifs games at the beginning of her and Kelce’s relationship, the Swifties flocked with her. They began watching KC games from home and got more involved in the NFL. Because Swift brought an influx of people into the NFL, the NFL profited highly from it. If you wanted to watch football games, you would have to purchase a subscription to Sunday Ticket, Redzone, YouTube TV, Cabel, ESPN+, and more. This surge in new viewers subscribing to these services led to a significant increase in revenue for the NFL and its broadcasting partners. The NFL profited in other ways as well, apparel sales were at a record high. In September 2023, an NFL spokesperson stated that Kelce’s jersey sales were up 400% throughout the Fanatics network of sites. KC was also able to sell more tickets to their home and away games.

According to Apex Marketing, Taylor Swift's association with the Chiefs and the NFL has increased their combined brand value by $331.5 million (Staff, 2024), highlighting her substantial economic impact on the league. Swift was the number one globally streamed artist of 2023 with over 26.1 billion streams on Spotify. She was also contributing to the NFL's profits, of course, the NFL will show her. When the NFL began showing Taylor more often during KC games, it sparked a backlash among NFL fans who felt she was overly highlighted. Complaints filled social media throughout the season. On average, Swift appeared for just 25 seconds per KC Chiefs game, a small fraction of the average NFL game duration of 3 hours and 12 minutes. Is 25 seconds truly significant in the context of a 3-hour NFL game? No, but that's my opinion.

Also, there are many benefits of Swift attending the games other than profit. Girls all over the world are gaining interest in the NFL. This has allowed dads to share a football bond with their daughters. I grew up in the South, college football was our way of life for 5 months out of the year. My dad explained all the rules to me and my sister, I began genuinely taking an interest. To this day, I’ll still call or text my dad after every Alabama game and we analyze the different plays and talk about the highlights. But this season was different, we were able to talk about pop culture, which is something not usually discussed in the NFL. I remember him being shocked to learn that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were friends with Taylor Swift – my dad loves Ryan Reynolds and his gin.

In addition, young girls have never been the prime audience for the NFL, and many young girls and women who are interested in the NFL have faced backlash or sexist questions. I have been an Alabama fan my entire life, but I have always had to prove it. I have been asked to name players, positions, stats, routes, and so much more. If I ever forget or get something wrong, then I have been told I'm not a real fan, or that I don't understand the game. Contrarily, if I am right and the person I'm debating is wrong, then I just got a "lucky" guess. I've also been told that I watch football because, as a girl, I must think the players are attractive.

Despite Swift bringing in profits and a new fanbase to the NFL, she was constantly ridiculed on popular social media platforms like X, TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. Swift attended her first KC game on September 24th, 2023, and both she and the Swifties faced constant derision on social media until the end of the season in February. One fan was so angry by Swift’s presence in the NFL that he created and posted AI-generated photos of her getting sexually assaulted in the stands on X. X removed all the images off the platform, but 47 million people still saw it and some saved it to their phones. During the 2024 Superbowl between the KC Chiefs and the San Fransisco 49ers, posts were circulating, many saying, “I hope the KC Chiefs lose so I can see Taylor Swift cry.” I could understand being a tad bit frustrated if they were showing her 2-3 minutes every game, but in reality, it was .46% of screen time every KC Chiefs game. The backlash she received was hateful and cruel, for such little time spent on-screen.

Whenever I talk to people about this – typically men – they all say a variation of the same thing. “I’m watching football to watch football, not to watch Taylor Swift,” “Her frequent screen time is annoying,” and, “I’m tired of the commentators talking about Taylor Swift.” Yet, what they overlook is the double standard: when Kelce attends the Eras Tour, he’s seen as a supportive boyfriend; when Swift supports him at NFL games, it’s criticized as detracting from football. Additionally, it’s notable how Swift’s fans treat Kelce compared to how NFL fans perceive Swift.

Taylor Swift's entry into the NFL catalyzed a significant shift towards inclusivity within football fandom, particularly among women and girls. I’m not saying that women can’t like football – I’m a prime example of a woman loving football – but not all women do. Some women find it boring, they don’t understand the rules, or they just don’t have an interest in it because it is a predominantly male sport. However, when Swift began getting involved, I noticed a shift in how women and girls interacted with the sport. I noticed a lot of my female friends – who didn’t watch any football before this – started getting involved. They would come with me to sports bars to watch the games; started hosting NFL Sundays at their homes; asked me questions about football; downloaded the ESPN app on their phones to keep up with what was going on; knew a lot of the players; and started learning the rules. They began to enjoy football and would watch other games besides the KC ones. I enjoyed watching them get excited about football games, which is something I hadn't gotten to share with a lot of my female friends until then. I also noticed new social media trends on TikTok of women talking about their favorite quarterback or other players.

In essence, Swift becoming more involved in the male-dominated realm of the NFL. She not only boosted sales figures and heightened viewer engagement but also symbolized a crucial step towards inclusivity and diversity within the football fandom. Swift attracted a new demographic of female fans and reshaped perceptions within the NFL. I wonder what Swift’s involvement in the NFL will be like in the 2024-2025 season. I believe Swift will continue to bring a more inclusive environment this upcoming season, with girls and women still invested and interested from last season. However, I hope Swift and her fan base will not have to withstand too much ridicule this season. Swift stands as a testament to the transformative power of expanding fan engagement and reshaping the landscape of sports fandom.

Citations:

Staff. "How has the Taylor Swift effect boosted American football?" Al Jazeera, 11 Feb. 2024, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/has-taylor-swift-helped-boost-nfl-popularity-in-the-us.

Jenson, Skyler. "Taylor Swift brings new fans to NFL." Stylus Online, 16 Apr. 2024, www.stylusonline.org/opinion/2024/04/16/taylor-swift-brings-new-fans-to-nfl/.

Associated Press. "Chiefs TE Travis Kelce jersey sales jump nearly 400% following Taylor Swift appearance at Arrowhead." NFL.com, 26 Sep. 2023, www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-te-travis-kelce-jersey-sales-jump-nearly-400-following-taylor-swift-appea/.