This past Sunday, America prepared to feast, cheer, and stream one of the most highly anticipated events of the year; the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers matched up for the annual championship game. Both teams have strong, loyal supporters and this creates quite a divide in the industry. Recently, another divide to consider is Taylor Swift’s presence.
Since September, pop sensation Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have been displaying their love story publicly. This has sparked lots of frustration and criticism within the football community. Long time football fans and followers have been complaining about the National Football League’s coverage of Swift. Sophomore Kate Fricke expresses her dislike for Swift’s sway. Fricke admits, “Sure, she’s being supportive but also is taking over the football world.” The unnecessary cuts to Swift’s reactions instead of casting the actual game has led fans to verbally abuse Swift online and in person. Fricke reflects, “If it was a different celebrity than Taylor Swift, I feel like it wouldn’t draw as much attention.”
The truth is, NFL viewership has skyrocketed due to Swift’s dramatic pull of young people, especially women. According to Sports Media Watch’s report, women ages 18 to 24 watching the Super Bowl was up 2.4% this year. Girls ages 12 to 17 increased 11%. Women and men ages 18 to 24 and girls ages 12-17 combined accounted for almost two million more viewers than last year’s Super Bowl. Swift’s association with Kelce has boosted the Kansas City Chiefs swag, game tickets, and streaming subscriptions. “I feel like Travis Kelce has become more of an important player because of Taylor Swift. He wasn’t a big threat previously but now he has been more apparent in the media,” says Fricke.
The Taylor effect is real and consistently portrayed throughout all aspects of pop culture and the American lifestyle. Her music career undoubtedly leads the industry with persistence. Even in movies and politics, Swift has the power of persuasion. However, now Swift has a bit of control over football. “She’s going to be popular if she’s going to be popular. There’s no stopping it,” concludes Fricke.
