The NFL comes with many associations, such as the Super Bowl, football Sunday’s, and drinking beer. One thing I never expected to see on the NFL association list is Taylor Swift. Ever since Swift was seen at a Kansas City Chiefs game cheering on Travis Kelce in late September, the NFL has gone crazy with media coverage of their relationship.
As a Swiftie myself, I was ecstatic to see Taylor be able to have fun while dating someone so publicly, as she has kept her other relationships very private. On the other hand, someone who tunes into Monday Night Football to see their favorite team play might be frustrated with the NFL’s new marketing technique of using Taylor Swift.
This may come as a shock to you, but I am a huge Taylor Swift fan and NOT a huge football fan. I never watch football or keep up with anything, so to get the opinion of an avid football fan, I wanted to interview someone who has a highly sought opinion: Richard Tolbert (AKA, my dad). Being my dad and a football fan is not the only criteria he meets for this interview, he also works at the very popular sports bar, Buffalo Wild Wings as a District Manager around the Midwest. Let me clarify that my dad is just a guy who happens to work there, and he is not a spokesperson or official representative of their brand. Buffalo Wild Wings main clientele matches the NFL’s target audience: men who love sports.
When asked if he noticed any complaints from football fans about Taylor Swift coverage during a game, he said: “A little bit, but it’s really more of them kind of whining about it. Really not a big deal. I don’t think they care that much, it’s certainly not a make or break experience.”
My dad and I agree that the NFL is using Taylor’s name and reputation for one reason – money. According to CBS, ticket prices to Chief’s games go up by 14% when Taylor is rumored to show up. She brings more fans into the stadiums, which generates a lot of revenue alone. The added bonus of more viewers, a surplus of social media attention, and the skyrocketing sales of both Travis and Jason Kelce’s jerseys certainly ensures the NFL will get a nice Christmas bonus.
As a Swiftie, I can even recognize the constant attention on her during games is annoying for football fans. I asked my dad if he would turn a game off due to this obsessive coverage, and he said “Doubtful, I don’t think so. It would have to be really over the top. Maybe if it was a neutral game or a game I didn’t have much interest in, maybe it would have an influence. But if it’s my team that I’m watching, I wouldn’t really care, I’d be a little annoyed, but for the most part I’m really not going to care.”
This answer surprised me, as I thought it likely that viewers would switch off the TV to avoid Swift. I suppose it would be hard to sway a fan to turn away from a game their favorite team is playing. Taylor Swift is great. The NFL is also great. These two things can be great separately, and I do not think it is necessary for the NFL to cling to Swift.
I wonder how much of their primary viewers the NFL is willing to risk just for a PR show and a money grab. The novelty of Swift appearing at games will wear off and Swifties will not be avidly viewing games anymore, which would leave the NFL with a slash to their target audience and a loss of the new fans.
I think my dad summed ir up perfectly when asked how he personally feels about the media coverage on Swift: “I just think it’s way over the top. I understand why they’re doing it, they’re kind of bringing this new fan base into the NFL, leveraging Taylor Swift’s popularity especially with a very well known, popular, NFL player like Travis Kelce. I get it, it doesn’t bother me I just think there are times it gets to be a little over the top and a bit much. The game still needs to be the priority, focusing on the game – not what is going on between Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce and…who’s sitting with Taylor Swift today, and where is she, and blah blah blah.”