The NFL is back, and so, in turn, is the organisation’s obsession with Taylor Swift. The sporting brand recently shared a 30-second hype real with five different appearances of Taylor Swift, triggering NFL fans and delighting Swifties.
In case you have been living under a rock, Travis Kelce is a superstar Tight End for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. He has an estimated net worth of over $40 million, two Super Bowl rings, and has been named First-Team All-Pro thrice. However, all of that means very little to the nearly 1.1 million new followers who are just here to see “the guy on the Chiefs,” as he is better known to his girlfriend, international superstar and 12-time Grammy winner, Taylor Swift.
Swift, who was raised a Philadelphia Eagles fan and who has always been an avid supporter of the game, sparked a collective freak-out from females everywhere when she was spotted at the Chiefs game last year with Kelce’s mother. This came just a few weeks after the Tight End went viral when he attended Swift’s concert and spoke on his podcast about how he had wanted to give her a friendship bracelet with his number on it.
While Swift’s presence at the games and dominance over coverage enraged some, the NFL took every opportunity to commoditise the superstar’s popularity with a huge increase in Swift references in social media and broadcast coverage.
And it worked a treat, the organisation received a massive boost after relationship rumours began swirling. Sales for Kelce’s number 87 Chiefs jersey jumped nearly 400 per cent after Swift first appeared at a game last year and have remained steady since. The game has also seen an up to 34 per cent increase in viewership within the 18-24 and 35+ female categories, according to Nielsen data.
Now, with the season set to kick off in just a few days, the NFL has jumped back onboard the Swiftie train, using clips of the singer in its latest promo for the new season.
FOOTBALL IS BACK THIS WEEK 🏈 🚨 pic.twitter.com/YVR8kbZnfm
— NFL (@NFL) September 2, 2024
The new 30-second promo video, which was shared on X, kicks off with a bang, featuring major moments from the league starting September 2023. The clip begins with Aaron Rodgers running onto the field with the New York Jets while waving an American flag, immediately followed by a shot of Swift cheering on Kelce.
Throughout the video, Swift makes a number of cameos, and with rumours swirling that Swift will attend the Chiefs’ home opener against the Baltimore Ravens this week, a number of NFL fans have been triggered by Swift’s appearances throughout the campaign.
“STOP SHOWING TAYLOR SWIFT WE DON’T CARE,” one user commented on the post.
“Genuine question, why is Taylor Swift shown more times in this video than anyone in your actual league?” another asked.
“We don’t fucking care about Taylor Swift. showing her 5 times in a NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE trailer is diabolical🤣” said another.
But with triggered NFL fans, comes mocking Swifties – and boy did they show up in droves!
“Swift is in the hype video. Don’t be mad, guys,” one fan joked.
“AKA grown men are gonna cry seeing Taylor this week,” another commented in response to outraged NFL fans.
But, love it or hate it, with results like the NFL has seen and no signs of the budding romance slowing down, there is little chance that Swift-shaped content will stop invading NFL coverage any time soon.
B&T spoke with Adam Ferrier, consumer psychologist and chief thinker at Thinkerbell, about the matter earlier this year, who said that, with anything Swift touches turning to gold, it would be foolish for brands not to commoditise her relationship with Kelce. “Anything associated with her gets an increase in popularity – she’s pretty incredible and is TIME’s Person of the Year with good reason,” he said. “Brand partnerships, like personal partnerships, expose a brand to a whole new audience. Travis is now being exposed to a whole lot of Swifties and being judged for his fashionista vibes, not just his footy. Brand partnerships are a wonderful way to build your brand”.
