From supporting Kamala Harris for president to winning seven trophies at the MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift is totally busy. But she doesn’t want to miss out on her romance novel-turned-reality love story with her boyfriend Travis Kelce. She was there to cheer him on for the season-opening Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens game at Arrowhead Stadium, just as she had reserved her presence at Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The headline-grabbing pop star has had quite an impact on NFL viewership since her spectacular appearance to watch her boyfriend in action in 2023. Now that she’s a regular on the VIP side of the bleachers, it has positively helped the NFL attract female fans by boosting its merchandise using retailers like Victoria’s Secret. According to a report from Apex Marketing Group dated earlier this year by Front Office Sports, there’s no doubt the league is leaning into the Taylor Swift effect, which in turn has boosted “brand value” for the Chiefs and the NFL by $331.5 million.
The same report also stated that the number of female viewers increased by 9% from the previous season to the 2024 season.
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Statistics show: about 20% of Americans’ interest in football increased thanks to TS
Ahead of the start of the 2025 NFL season, officials released a new promo that features more shots of Taylor Swift than several high-profile players in a 28-second clip. Around the same time this “Taylor Swift hype video” hit social media, LendingTree released the findings of a new survey that revealed how the megastar’s connection to the football world has generated an unprecedented level of interest.
The report states that despite not everyone being huge fans of the Taylor Swift/NFL phenomenon, this bad blood clearly came in second place, as 17% of Americans are more interested in the sport this season due to Swift’s involvement. Of those, 22% of men were more in agreement with her influence in making waves in the football world than 13% of women. If that wasn’t all, 14% of Americans also admitted that they would be spending more on football this season because of Swift. However, that number ultimately hit the wall, as 44% said they hate the way she has treated the NFL.
Not everyone loved the new NFL promo featuring Taylor Swift
These negative expressions became apparent when an NFL promo, capitalizing on Swift’s connection to the sport, caused a storm on social media.
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Someone on X/Twitter directly said, “Real question, why is Taylor Swift featured in this video more times than anyone else in your actual league?”
Another user echoed the sentiment: “No CJ Stroud? Offensive Rookie of the Year? But you’re going to show Travis Kelsey’s girl 5 times? OK.”
Similarly, a third NFL fan revisited the league’s name, calling it the “Taylor Swift Football League.”
The survey also highlighted how likely different age-defined demographics are to admit that their interest in sports has grown because of the singer. “Younger generations are also more likely, with 25% of Gen Z’ers agreeing, while 24% of Millennials, 14% of Gen X’ers and 6% of Boomers agree. However, Gen Z’ers are also the most likely to say that Swift makes them Less “Generation Z is most likely to watch football. 24 percent of Generation Z say this, compared to 17% of Millennials and Generation X, and 13% of Boomers.”
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Whatever the numbers, Taylor and Travis undoubtedly have a lot of respect for each other’s craft. The Grammy-winning artist has not only been an unforgettable regular at Kelsea’s games, but has reportedly begun offering ideas and gameplay. Earlier this month, Kelsea said in an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show” that she’s set out to learn the game, and her curiosity has led her to create plays for her boyfriend. For her part, Kelsea already returned the favor in June when she made her stage debut alongside her boyfriend at a London Eras Tour show.
