Whether you are happy or sad about it, football season has come to an end. Yes I know that means no more relaxing Sundays spent on the couch rooting for your favorite team and of course the deli shish food that is a part of the culture in itself. However this year we welcomed a new component to football. Yup! You guessed it! International pop-star Taylor Swift made her NFL debut this season in support of her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Throughout the season, many were upset with the presence of Taylor at these games. But I think it’s important to dive deeper into the good that Taylor Swift has done for the NFL this year.
swift brings in the bucks
Regardless of if you like her or not, the numbers don’t lie! According to an article posted to SportingNews.com, the revenue added to the NFL from Taylor Swift alone was a whopping 331.5 million dollars. This came from a combination of print, radio, digital, TV, highlights and social media postings. So even if you hated Taylor, your hate made the NFL money. As far as her boyfriend goes, Travis Kelce’s Jersey sales spiked by 400% after the first game attended by Taylor. All the swifties wanted to support Taylors boyfriend, it even became a trend to do so on social media. Because of Taylors presence at most Chief’s games, the NFL had its highest regular season viewership among women. Although we can’t directly say it’s because of Taylor Swift, I think it’s safe to say she definitely played a role in that.
creating MEANINGFUL relationships
Football is often stereotyped as a “boys” sport. In some cases, not all, young girls have felt a lack of connection between the men present in their lives and the tradition of watching the sport. This can be for many reasons but some common ones are lack of interest, lack of knowledge and the inability to relate to the sometimes violent game. I know for me personally I was never very into watching football. Sometimes I would sit with my dad and brother and try to be interested, but the truth is I had nothing to relate with them about when watching the games. On the other hand, I love Taylor Swift. Her music is always something that I have been enjoyed and I’ve been following her from such a young age its almost impossible for me to not be a fan. Combining these two things is something peopler calling the “spillover” effect. Basically it’s what happens when you mix the swifties with the NFL. Viewership for this seasons games increased 53% for girls ages 12-17, 24% for girls ages 18-24 and 34% for viewers above the age of 35. The combination of this iconic woman and the traditional American sport of football achieved something the NFL has been trying to do for years.
closing thoughts
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this subject. As far as my take on it,I think it’s such a cool idea that the addition of a female pop star to the NFL had so many positive impacts. At the end of the day, Taylor Swift has had lots of positive impacts on the National Football league while making it enjoyable to watch for girls who otherwise wouldn’t have given the sport the time of day. If you aren’t the biggest fan of Taylor, the good news is that the season is over. So we will no longer see the memes, the sometimes cringey celebrations, and her reaction every time her boyfriend held the ball. But there’s always next season! Until next time, RadioRebel2391 out.
song suggestion for today’s post: Getaway Car by Taylor Swift 🙂
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