BY FRANCESCA PANETTA
Everyone knows that international pop star Taylor Swift has taken over yet another demographic: The NFL. From her debut in 2006, everything has changed in her life and ours as she went from an innocent country girl to a household name. While her fans see her as fearless for risking her reputation by publicly sharing her love story and happiness, this love hits different for some NFL fans who have started to see red.
Due to her relationship with two-time Superbowl champion Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, bad blood has arisen between Swift’s supporters and NFL fans who don’t want to tolerate it. “I feel Taylor’s appearance has caused a lot of controversy between the Swifties and the Travis Kelce fans,” said Dominic Rodriguez. “It’s caused many arguments among friends and is something I hear every week.”
NFL admirers complain that she obtains too much screentime during their games. Swift’s fans argue that haters need to calm down because her presence hardly counts as an illicit affair. The New York Times calculated her overall screentime as only a delicate 24-36 seconds per game. “I don’t think Taylor getting seconds of screen time really takes away from the roughly three-hour long games in comparison,” said Emma Santamaria.
Cynics say she did something bad, but statistics show that ratings skyrocketed upon her arrival. Since her fans started tuning in to watch Chiefs games, viewer metrics and merchandising sales have grown exponentially. Even foolish ones cannot deny the growth in viewership and revenue. “Personally, I think Taylor’s appearance in the NFL has made a positive impact not only on views and ratings, but also in terms of team morale,” said Santamaria.
The recent backlash on Swift’s reputation comes from the phenomenon of her fans solely watching the games for her. “I think it takes away from the game not only for fans, but also for her as always having to be prepared for the spotlight,” said James Mellon. NFL fans who feel strongly about her “disruption” want her exiled from the screens, or even say don’t go to the games altogether.
Her presence has inspired Swift’s fans to have their eyes open and learn about football. “I, for one, did not have a clue about [football] until the media platforms started posting about Taylor Swift at the games. All the TikTok’s explaining how football works and how to understand just because she was spectating,” said Kamila Omirzak. In some ways, Taylor and Travis have revealed an invisible string between Taylor’s fans and a love for football.
The change in ticket prices for the Chiefs’ games since Swift’s very first night at Arrowhead Stadium has brought even more issues. NBA fans, for whom distracting celebrities sitting courtside, from Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson to Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, is nothing new, know this drama all too well. “I feel people are overreacting because things like this happen all the time,” said Rodriguez. “Sometimes celebrities announce major sporting events they’ll be attending, and the ticket prices rise, and they sell out faster.”
Although her style naturally draws attention, people defend her and fault the broadcasters, the true masterminds, for the attention they give her. “I think that she is a human being, and she goes to these games like a normal person. I think people should understand that she isn’t doing this for attention. She’s there for someone and people’s hate on her because it is unreasonable,” stated Omirzak. “She can’t control what people do.” If the fans don’t want to see her, the broadcasters should have said no.
“The NFL is profiting from her presence at games, despite the fact that she is only there to support her significant other. The NFL is to blame for the controversy,” added Mellon. Though no one person deserves bad karma nor the public’s opinions, watching from the private section in the suites hardly counts as Swift parading herself, even in one’s wildest dreams. Call it what you want, but the energy haters put in to detesting her presence feeds into the attention they ironically wish away. Instead, these fans should take Swift’s advice, and shake it off.
If Swift makes the 14-hour flight in time to support Travis at the Superbowl this Sunday, we won’t be out of the woods yet. It will reignite the controversy and observers will see the sparks fly once again. Are you ready for it?
Posted on 2/9/24
Knight Life 