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Television cameras frequently capture Taylor Swift in a press box at Arrowhead Stadium ever since she began her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce last year.
The NFL welcomed the attention the pop singer brought to the sport, even encouraging its broadcast partners to promote Swift's film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, throughout the 2023 season.
The Swift-NFL collaboration was among several topics that The Athletic’s beat writers explored in this year’s poll. A total of 102 players participated, casting votes on the issue. To encourage candid responses, players were given anonymity when discussing matters affecting the league.
The Athletic carried out an anonymous survey to gauge NFL players' opinions on Taylor Swift's presence in the sport. The majority, 72.5%, view her involvement with the Chiefs as beneficial for the league.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about Swift's presence though, as 4.9% of players view it negatively. Meanwhile, 22.5% feel her involvement doesn't make much of a difference, seeing it as neither positive nor negative for the sport.
Most NFL Players view Taylor Swift as a positive for the league
“I think it’s been positive for the league,” said a player.
“I think that at the end of the day, it’s a business and you need to get as many eyes on it as possible. And she brings a lot of eyes, so, you know, if that increases the salary cap, I don’t think anybody’s gonna be too mad about that one.”
“More fans, broader horizon,” another player who voted positive remarked. “She has a worldwide fan base. Non-football fans will become fans or at least viewers in the United States.”
Some players see Taylor Swift as a negative
On the flip side, players who pointed out the “negative” aspects argued that Swift's presence diverted attention away from the game itself.
“I feel like she is getting unnecessary coverage. There was the whole NFL opening season video on Twitter and she was featured five times and our quarterback was featured none. That’s not even right. She is not the NFL,” according to another player who voted negative.
“A lot of people are talking more about that than the football game going on,” said another player.
Some players viewed Swift's presence as both beneficial and overexposed. One player mentioned that while it brings more attention to the game, it seems like they overuse her image during broadcasts, showing her multiple times when she's at a game. The concern was that people might grow tired of seeing the same shots repeatedly, suggesting that finding the right balance is important.
“It’s a positive and negative. The reason I say that is it’s great the impact she’s making on the younger female generation and getting them to learn about the sport. … The negative is all the true football fans who are tired of seeing it. We’re glad it’s raising engagement, but if I’m a Chiefs fan, I’m not trying to see Taylor Swift every commercial break or every timeout. We know she’s there,” said another anonymous player.
No matter how players feel, Swift seems likely to remain a part of the NFL scene as long as her relationship with Kelce continues.
