Jason Kelce says NFL would be “foolish” not to take advantage of Taylor Swift hype during Travis Kelce’s games
There is no doubt that Taylor Swift is a massive draw for the NFL whenever she arrives at a stadium in a suite. Fans have been split regarding her impact on the games her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, plays in. One fan, in particular, does not doubt Swift's impact: Eagles star and Travis Kelce's older brother, Jason Kelce.
Jason Kelce spoke to reporter Caleb Noe of WPCO 9 at the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando. He advised the league to use the hype around the pop superstar during his brother's games:
“The attention’s there because the audience wants to see it. If the people didn’t wanna see it, they wouldn’t be showing it, I know that. She’s a world star. She’s the quintessential artist right now in the world. Singer-songwriter, immensely talented, unbelievable role model for young women across the globe."
"I think the NFL would be foolish not to show her and show her be a role model for all the young girls out there.”
The "Karma" singer first appeared to support the Chiefs last September and has been a constant presence since. She is a ratings draw, as was seen when Travis Kelce and the Chiefs faced the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium last October. Around 27 million viewers watched the game on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
The game was the most-watched Sunday show since the previous Super Bowl featuring Kelce and the Chiefs in February. A recent report showed the singer has generated a brand value of $331.5 million for the NFL and the Chiefs. Thus, the league should be in the Taylor Swift business as her star power makes her far from the anti-hero.
Exploring the numbers behind Taylor Swift's appearance on NFL broadcasts
Swift has appeared at 12 NFL games, including the playoffs this season. Some fans think that the 12-time Grammy winner is taking away the games she attends. According to the New York Times, that is far from the case. Below is a chart of the last five games Swift has attended, with the times shown during the game and total TV time:
Swift was on camera 20 times for 158 seconds or two minutes and 38 seconds over those five games. Digging deeper, she was shown less than one percent of the time during the AFC championship game telecast on CBS.
Swift's star power showed in the ratings. Around 55.5 million tuned to the game, making it the most-watched AFC championship game of all time.