While the National Football League has been eager to capitalize on the public’s current obsession with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, it can hardly claim any of the credit for the extravagant narrative that has developed around the pop sensation and the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The protagonists largely have remained mum about their actual status since Swift began attending Kelce’s games 1½ weeks ago, though Kelce did admit after practice Friday in Kansas City that “everybody is having fun with it.”
But the sport providing the backdrop, and its TV partners, have not been shy about trying to capitalize on the “situationship” and gain new fans, particularly members of Gen Z and more women — although marketing experts are skeptical there will be much of a bump in the long run.
“There is not going to be a ‘Pre-Taylor Swift Era’ and a ‘Post-Taylor Swift Era’ for the NFL. … It’s a momentary fascination,” said Rebecca Brooks, founder and CEO of Alter Agents, a consulting firm.
Naturally, the league wants in on the fun. A team of folks monitoring social media see where it could be part of the phenomenon as various memes and trends took off after Swift watched a game in Kansas City alongside Kelce’s mom on Sept. 24.
“It was a perfect storm of pop culture and sports colliding in a really positive way, with two incredibly passionate fan bases merging together and interacting in ways that they hadn’t before. So for us, it’s fantastic,” said Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior vice president of social, influencer and content marketing.
Not that the NFL thinks there’s a ton of room for improvement: It says 47% of its fans are women, and it’s the No. 1 sport among people ages 8 to 24.
The league has worked for several years to court women, including by promoting flag football or touting female hires for teams’ coaching staffs, as negative developments turned people off: domestic violence cases involving players; misogyny and sexual harassment during former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder’s tenure; an investigation launched in May by New York and California prosecutors into accusations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination at NFL corporate offices.
