The Taylor Swift backlash in the NFL has gotten so dumb

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

You need to calm down …

Taylor Swift might be dating Travis Kelce. That’s not something you need to personally care about, but judging by outrage by NFL fans you’d think high ranking ISIS members were sitting in the owner’s box.

We’re two weeks into Swift being an off-field focal point of the Chiefs and some people are losing their damn minds over it. We have reporters pissed that she’s being shown, a fanbase outraged the NFL would support it, and now editorial cartoons mocking it all.

Ah yes, Taylor Swift — how did I not realize the NFL was obsessed with money prior to this moment? Imagine my shock and horror that the league might be enjoying having the biggest pop star on the planet regularly attend their games.

Did we all just forget how much time-filling crap is shown in games every single week? A couple of weeks back during the 49ers vs. Giants game they cut to Brock Purdy’s parents no fewer than five times during the broadcast to discuss how they were watching their son, how he grew up idolizing Dan Marino, and how proud they must be to see their son play. We just went through an entire Super Bowl cycle where Donna Kelce was elevated to cultural icon because her two sons were playing in the game.

This isn’t anything new. The NFL has done exactly this for DECADES, and not gonna lie, Taylor Swift is a damn sight more interesting to be at an NFL game than a player’s parents randomly sitting in the seats with their team apparel on.

Football is inherently a stop-and-go sport. It’s what makes it the king of TV. A viewer can take in all of the action while still having the time to carry on conversations with friends, submerge a chip in some dip and not feel like they have to be glued to the screen every single second for fear of missing something. The innately means filling time in between downs, and sometimes we don’t need three slow motion angles of a four yard running play.

That’s what makes this backlash against Swift from loyal NFL viewers so bizarre. Why does anyone really care? Seriously, what are you missing out on by having the camera cut to Swift in the box for a few seconds between plays? Is the sanctity of the Chicago Bears so important we’d rather see Matt Eberflus look like he’s shit his pants on the sideline because he has no idea what he’s doing over Swift having fun?

Are we pretending this didn’t happen when Tom Brady and Gisele got together? They’d show her 10 times a game and there were no gripes. If we’re going to clutch pearls about this being a blatant grab for money and attention then why don’t we discuss the NFL getting federal tax funding from the military budget to hold their “Salute to Service.” I promise you that partnership is a whole lot more money-centric than Tay Tay being in the stands.

Is the issue here Swift, or is it that a woman is being made a focal point by the NFL? It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that there’s a significant chunk of the traditional NFL audience who would rather see Bruce Springsteen perform every halftime show at the Super Bowl, while loudly complaining when Rihanna, Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez get the nod. There’s a reason there’s an entire TikTok trend of men getting FURIOUS at the suggestion that Taylor is turning Travis Kelce into a household name, and not the other way around.

Swift is interesting to a huge number of people who would never watch an NFL game. It’s a new market to try and tap into. Will they continue to watch football when Swift stops going to games? Probably not, but for now why not capitalize on the moment? It’s a fun aside. The league would be stupid to pretend this isn’t happening.

It’s not like Swift fans get pissed at her for wearing NFL jerseys while on tour.

Is so much attention being put on this a little wild? Absolutely — but celebrity worship wasn’t invented by Taylor Swift. There’s absolutely nothing she’s doing to draw attention to herself, and the league is operating the same way it always has, albeit with a little extra gusto because they’re dying to have Taylor perform a Super Bowl halftime show.

If this is all too much for you. If seeing Swift during an NFL game makes your blood boil, then you really don’t need to watch. If you’re a Chiefs fan I suppose you do if you want to see what your team does, and if you’re an opposing fan then you can probably just go outside and touch grass instead. Just check the score later and see how much the Chiefs beat you by. It’ll save you a lot of frustration.