This year’s football season has been unlike any other. The simple reason being because of the overwhelming amount of media attention it has received. Everywhere you look there is a sports commentator talking, a football Tik Tok, or a clip from the most recent Kansas City Chiefs game. Sure, the National Football League (NFL) has always caught the attention of the media. I mean after all; it is a nationally revered sport. However, what sets this season apart from its predecessors is the attendance of one global superstar, Taylor Swift.
Ever since Swift’s first football appearance in Arrowhead Stadium in September 2023, fans of both Swift and Travis Kelce have been in an uproar (some good and some bad). Fans of Swift were surprised to see her with a famous football star since in the past she typically dated artists and actors, but were glad to see her happy. Meanwhile, Kelce and football fans were not as thrilled with the new relationship, and some believed that Swift’s presence at the game was “ruining football.” Now that Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs have qualified for the Super Bowl, some football fans are again complaining about the idea of Swift at football games. Though more specifically, there are fans who are crossing their fingers that she does not show up to the Super Bowl.
Even prior to the Chief’s winning their playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, Tik Tok was in an uproar from diehard football fans saying that the Ravens would save the Super Bowl from the Chiefs and Swift. There were even Tik Tok videos like young men buying Taylor Swift records from Target and smashing them to pieces. There are some fans that simply do not want her there and sometimes see her presence as a threat. When the cameras pan to Swift up in the suite, you can hear the mixed sounds of booing and cheers from the crowd below. Although Swift does not ask for attention or to be filmed, she is blamed anyway.
When the roles are reversed and Kelce is attending one of Swift’s concerts he is seen as “a loving boyfriend that is supporting his girlfriend,” but when Swift attends one of her boyfriend’s games she is seen as, “an attention hog who is destroying the football world.” This double standard is ridiculous. Of course, she would want to go out and support her boyfriend, and why shouldn’t she? Taylor Swift is famous in her own right and does not need the NFL to establish her fame or gain more attention. So, why is Taylor Swift attending the Super Bowl a problem?
The short answer, there is no reason. There is no problem with Swift wanting to sit in the stadium and simply watch her boyfriend compete. In fact, it would be funny if Swift does attend the Super Bowl because of her history with repeatedly turning down the halftime show. The protest her presence at the biggest football game of the season is silly and is an odd thing for people to take offense to. The presence of Taylor Swift at the NFL has been a major benefit if anything. Through Swift, the NFL has garnered a large female audience. I know personally, it has made me more interested in the sport and gave me a way to connect with my own dad. For the first time in my life, I sat down and watched a football game simply because I finally had a reason to be interested. We talked and connected more because our interests were combined into one.
This connection between the NFL and Swift is something that is unique and something we haven’t seen in pop culture. Does Taylor Swift deserve the hate she has received from some members of the football fanbase? Absolutely not. Her attendance at the Super Bowl should be accepted, and her presence in the NFL should be seen as a way to bridge a gap between two groups of people. The same groups of people who often do not have a reason to connect. This year’s Super Bowl can be a time to celebrate the intermingling of two communities, and not as a war between Swifties and football.