Taylor Swift made a splash on the NFL stage a little over two years ago. Since then, her impact on the sport and NFL fandom has been undeniable. While Swift is often seen as a fiancée cheering on her man from the stands, her celebrity force goes far beyond that.
Cheryl Cooky, a professor of American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Purdue University, explained that Swift has provided a disruptive force to NFL fandom. “What Taylor Swift did was to really, I think, disrupt how we think about NFL fandom, and to carve out a space for girls and women and those outside of, you know, that sort of stereotype of the NFL fan to engage with the NFL and to find joy and pleasure watching the game for reasons that maybe didn’t have much to do with what was happening on the field, but what was happening off the field, which isn’t necessarily seen as being a ‘legitimate fan,’” Cooky said.
Cooky describes Swift as “a catalyst” for discussing women’s roles within the NFL and how some fans’ reasons for tuning in might differ from simply watching the game. Many Swifties shared with me their reasons for watching NFL games. Multiple fans mentioned they tune in to see what Taylor Swift is wearing at the game.
The first Super Bowl Swift attended drew 58.8 million women viewers, marking the “most ever, and an increase” of 9% from the previous year, according to Rayn Glasspiegel of the New York Post via Sports Business Journal.
“She’s creating revenue for the league,” Cooky said. “She’s creating revenue for the Kansas City team. She’s expanding the fan base for the NFL in ways, I think, that are probably more effective than the NFL itself has done in terms of some of their different campaigns, marketing campaigns to increase or include women into the NFL fan base.”
Following the announcement of Swift’s engagement to Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, sales of Kelce’s jerseys soared. Online sports gear platform Fanatics revealed to TMZ Sports that jersey sales for No. 87 on the Chiefs spiked 200% following the announcement made on a Tuesday morning.
In the Eras Tour documentary series *The End of an Era*, Swift mused that she believes every 12th person in the audience at her shows was wearing one of Kelce’s jerseys.
It’s not just at NFL games where Swift has appeared in a male-dominated sports space. She also made an appearance this year on Kelce’s podcast, *New Heights*, which he records with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. The episode featuring Swift remains the highest-viewed podcast in YouTube history.
“If Taylor is doing something, her fan base is going to follow her to whatever space, because she’s cultivated that kind of relationship with her fans,” Cooky said. “And the fact that this is about her relationship and her romantic life specifically, which has been so central to her music, I think also was drawing fans in as well.”
However, not everyone is necessarily a fan of Swift receiving so much media attention during the games. Some NFL fans see it as a distraction from the sport itself. Swift, however, laughs off the scrutiny with a good-natured nod and shake of the head.
Perry B. Johnson, a professor at the University of Southern California, argues that the NFL and other sports programs would be thrilled to have Swift around to help drive interest and revenue.
“Part of this willingness by the NFL to participate in the presentation of this relationship suggests to us that there is more economic value to be gained from participating in this,” Johnson said.
She also pointed out that this is not the first time a celebrity has been highlighted during a game. “Teams are working with artists, teams do invite certain figures to sit courtside too, because they see the value of, you know, what does it mean to photograph Timothy Chalamet at a Knicks game,” Johnson said. “That is valuable because people are tuning in who may not otherwise tune in because they want to see him sitting courtside.”
With Kelce’s potential retirement looming, Swift’s influence might look a little different in the future, but one thing is clear: her fans will continue to be there. Johnson credits Swift’s passionate fan base for bringing so much interest to the games due to her attendance.
“She has sway,” Johnson said. “She has power, in part because she commands a very loyal, very dedicated, very invested fan base and a fan base that has been with her for decades, a fan base that shows up for her, not just in terms of streaming music, but that shows up, that dresses up for her at these shows, right? That buys merch, that buys tickets, that will go see her show, not only once, but many times over, and will travel the world for her.”
https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2025/12/23/taylor-swift-impact-on-nfl-sports/
