Taylor Swift: Did She Really ‘Ruin’ Football?
Everything Taylor Swift touches turns to gold. But her presence at NFL games has been a bit triggering to some football fans. Ever since the “Anti-Hero” singer began making appearances at stadiums in support of her Kansas City Chiefs star boyfriend, Travis Kelce, there have been loud criticisms of the NFL’s coverage of her. The cameras would often pan to her to see her reactions during his games. A month after her first appearance, even Travis stated how he wanted the NFL to turn it down a notch with their coverage of Swift. However, as we previously reported, Kelce’s jersey sales spiked nearly 400% since he started dating Swift. His #87 is one of the top five-selling jerseys in the NFL.
Per CBS Sports, StubHub noted nearly three times an increase in ticket sales for Chiefs home games last fall. As Swift showed up to more games, sales kept jumping. Front Office Sports reported the pop star generated more than $330 million for the NFL and the Chiefs. According to a recent survey by LendingTree, 20% of millennials and 24% of Gen Z’ers said the pop icon’s “influence” is making them care about football. Swift’s Super Bowl LVIII appearance marked the pop icon’s 13th NFL appearance, her favorite number.
(By the way, Swift didn’t only help the NFL’s bottom line: small businesses like Wove, which made the tennis friendship bracelet seen on Swift’s wrist after the AFC Championship Game, saw more than 470% increase in sales. One local chocolate shop’s “Love Story #87” Valentine’s Day chocolate box led to its best February sales since the shop opened.)
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In October, even Dallas Cowboys fan Kelly Clarkson expressed how she is so “over” the NFL spotlighting Swelce’s budding romance. She discussed how the couple’s takeover of the NFL spotlight is a little jarring. Admitting it’s hilarious how commentators talk about it, what she didn’t find amusing is how their relationship is “literally taking over the NFL for people that like watching sports now!” She said the discussion of Swelce’s relationship feels like “you’re watching the Housewives. They’re just talking about gossip things — so what about the play? Because they’re taking over!” Meanwhile, Adele came to her defense, saying, “All of you complaining about Taylor being at the games, get a f—ing life. She’s actually made it a bit more enjoyable to watch.”
But Clarkson isn’t the only one thinking Swift’s impact on longtime football fans is annoying. Hall of Fame former coach Tony Dungy said the NFL’s coverage of Swift is what is “disenchanting people with sports now,” adding, “Entertainment value and different things that’s taking away from what really happens on the field.” Shane Gillis joked he can’t even watch football anymore because the cameras pan to her once or twice during games.
But despite the loud, sad, complaints, the numbers don’t lie. Per USA Today, she was shown 12 times during the game, a total of 54 seconds of air time during the live broadcast. That may have “ruined” the game for some. But the numbers don’t lie: it was the most-watched televised event in the US since the 1969 moon landing! It’s tough to prove that the ratings were due to Swift, but she certainly helped.
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4. Bad Bunny
The “WHERE SHE GOES” singer and rapper will be on his Most Wanted tour, with 47 dates. His median ticket price is $661.01, starting in Utah at the end of February. Bad Bunny will also be making stops in nearly every state: Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Minneapolis, Missouri, Illinois, Ontario, Michigan, Washington, D.C., New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and ending in Florida on May 28.
