An NFL player poll conducted by The Athletic revealed the true feelings of players around the league about Taylor Swift’s presence.
A majority of NFL players polled see the press coverage of Taylor Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as positive for the league.
According to The Athletic’s Mike Jones, 74 of 102 players who answered the question described the attention surrounding her attendance at games as positive. Five were ranked as negative, and 23 gave neutral responses.
- Positive – 72.5%
- Negative 4.9%
- Neither 22.5 %
One player told The Athletic: “I think it’s been positive for the league. I think that at the end of the day, it’s a business, and you need to get as many eyes on it as possible. And she brings a lot of eyes, so, you know, if that increases the salary cap, I don’t think anybody’s gonna be too mad about that one.”
Another player countered, “I feel like she is getting unnecessary coverage. There was the whole NFL opening season video on Twitter, and she was featured five times, and our quarterback was featured none. That’s not even right. She is not the NFL.”
The NFL loves her so much that they pushed its broadcasting network partners to promote Swift’s movie, “Taylor Swift: The Era Tours,” during the 2023 season.
The players’ overwhelmingly positive vibe about Taylor Swift is much different from how fans react to her online, as there are always constant reactions of negativity about her being shown during broadcasts.
A third anonymous player with a neutral view of the situation: “I’ll jam to some Taylor Swift, but I don’t give a s— if she’s at the game or not.”
Taylor Swift Has Been Absent During The Past Two Weeks
Taylor Swift’s attendance at NFL games drew major attention and often resulted in increased interest in the NFL and viewership boosts.
Front Office Sports’ Margaret Fleming reported earlier this year that Swift generated an estimated brand value equivalent of $331.5 million for the Chiefs during the 2023 season.
Swift attended the Chiefs’ first two home games this season. However, she was not present to watch Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and the team when they played the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
It remains to be seen if she plans to return during Week Five at Arrowhead Stadium, when the team plays the Saints on Monday Night Football.
