Global superstar and international sensation Taylor Swift recently publicized her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs Tight End (TE) Travis Kelce, captivating Swifties and NFL fans across the country.
Taylor Swift began her successful career in 2006 upon releasing her debut album “Taylor Swift.” Since then, her career has taken off, winning multiple awards including 14 Grammys while producing hit after hit.
Travis Kelce, drafted in 2013, is one of the best to ever play the TE position being a seven-time Pro-Bowler, three First-Team All-Pro nominee and three-time Super Bowl Champion.
The two were first spotted as a couple after Swift attended Kelce’s game on Sept. 24 against the Chicago Bears. Swift attended 13 total games this year supporting Kelce and the Chiefs.
Since the announcement of the two, Swift has been the face of Kansas City. Fans couldn’t go a full quarter of a game without her being talked about or shown on TV. She was also later posted on the NFL Instagram, among others, showing her enjoying the game. She took the focus away from the game and the players.
“I’m just trying to watch the game but they always show Taylor Swift reacting to a tackle,” Liam Fitzgerald, junior, said. “I think she’s fake. She acts all excited and happy for other people and I just don’t buy into that.”
Although Swift is considered to be a national treasure and America’s sweetheart, she ruined the 2023-2024 football season by taking TV time away from the real reason people are watching: football.
“Swifties” argue that Taylor Swift is good for the NFL because of the attention and profit she brings to the table. According to Aljazeera, Swift has generated an additional $331.5 million for the Chiefs and NFL.
“People should look at it in a positive way because she’s getting new people interested in the NFL and making them more money,” Mia Barrows, sophomore, said. “Even if people don’t like her, she’s getting [the NFL] more viewers and more people involved.”
The amount of money generated from Swift’s involvement with the games has begun to raise the question of whether or not the Chiefs were rigged to win the 2024 Super Bowl. The Chiefs won 10 of the 13 games Swift attended, including a Super Bowl victory.
During the regular season, the Chiefs were called for offensive holding penalties more than any other team in the NFL. In the playoffs, however, this amount decreased significantly. I feel the Referees had an impact on these games to make sure Kansas City kept winning to keep Taylor Swift in the spotlight which made them more money.
“The NFL just wants to make money. The fact that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are dating and the Chiefs consecutively winning this season with the team they had, shows that there was obviously a script,” Fitzgerald said.
At the end of the day, the NFL’s only priority is to make money. The league is drifting away from real football and authentic gameplay. It seems that they only have interest in making money, not football.
“[The NFL] is a profit industry that generates jobs and a lot of revenue. People are going to be sour. It is just an unfortunate fact but if people are unhappy watching NFL games, they can watch something else. If people don’t want to see Taylor [Swift] at NFL games, they too can do something else,” Scott Selvidge, JHS Athletic Director, said.
