It is time for what we have spent all season looking forward to. The culmination of a year long effort to reach the highest peaks of your profession. Obviously, I am talking about Taylor Swift and her fans (a.k.a. Swifties) vs the NFL and Super Bowl LVIII.
The Background
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard of this news: Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift. After talking about giving her a friendship bracelet with his number on it during a recording of the New Heights podcast, the two seemingly got together. Or they got together months earlier and this was a soft launch. I really do not know, it is all confusing and the Swifties have a lot of theories about it. Since then, Taylor has been a mainstay at Chiefs games, and Travis even went to her concert in Buenos Aires. While some have enjoyed seeing this blossoming love, others have been downright furious about it.
The Drama*
Embed from Getty ImagesSome NFL fans are upset by the amount of screen time Taylor has been getting at Chiefs games. However, a lot of these people supposedly stopped watching the NFL after Kaepernick, but I digress.
Really, it comes down to “I want to watch football, not some pop star in the stands,” so let’s take a look at that argument.
*I do know the AI generated images of Taylor Swift that were circulated around social media during the playoffs. However, that is absolutely disgusting, and I do not know a way to adequately cover that without showing the images, which I refuse to do. It is a legal/corporate responsibility matter that people much smarter than me have and will deal with. Moving on.
“I Watch NFL Games for football, not a pop star”
The easiest point to debunk. The average NFL broadcast ranges from three to three and a half hours. Surely those 180+ minutes are action packed with no downtime, right? Except, the generally accepted average action time is 18 minutes. Yes, those include up to 100 plays, which is impressive. However, that is still 10% of broadcast time including game action. Commercials, moving the sticks, and huddles take up the rest (mostly commercials, let’s be honest.)
You may be thinking, “But Kevin, if Taylor is shown for 20 minutes, then that beats out the action which is also inexcusable.” Which would be correct, look at you knowing what numbers are bigger than others. However, that is not correct. These playoffs, Taylor has been on the screen for less than five minutes. Total.
Cry more. Taylor Swift has only accounted for 0.46% screen time during NFL games this season. pic.twitter.com/1MAybGXH7q
— Alex Clark (@yoalexrapz) January 28, 2024
Taylor Swift was shown on TV for a total of 44 seconds during Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 30, 2024
Based on a 3-hour and 9-minute game, she was shown 0.39% of the time, receiving roughly the same screen time as people making, serving, and eating crab cakes.
(Reddit: u/JPAnalyst) pic.twitter.com/Rz7lCuOlQW
Ok, so she isn’t shown that much, but I still don’t want to watch people not involved with the game.
We Are Still Shown Celebrities
Taylor Swift isn’t the first celebrity shown at a sporting event. It is a common practice in the NBA, but if someone noteworthy is at a game, the TV crew will find them. And don’t get me started on NFL owners. If you would rather to look at Jerry Jones’ decrepit ass after every single Cowboys TD, that’s fine. I am not going to kink shame. But in the same breath, why do you care so much if a conventionally attractive woman is shown? Especially when they are the biggest pop star in the world? There is only one way to fix this issue.
The Solution for Those Upset About Taylor Swift
Really, I am genuinely curious: why do you care? Sure, some Swifties might be annoying. Yes, the NFL is a game, and maybe you want to just watch the big, sweaty men trying to get their hands on each other. That is fine. But, the NFL is an entertainment product first and foremost. The NFL wants to make money, and this is how they do it. Why are we getting so upset about someone living their life and having fun?
In All Seriousness, This is Good for the NFL
I’ve made a lot of jokes here, but I am going to speak directly to the people that upset about this. You do realize this is good for the NFL, right? You have to. It is growing the sport. The countless fathers who have told stories about their daughters wanting to spend time with them watching the Chiefs play, and they love it. I know I have painted a caricature of those who actually are mad about this, but a lot of them fall into the group that cares about the nuclear family and America being great. Those same people don’t want families to spend time together, and have an issue with the All-American, midwestern football player dating the pretty blonde girl. If you still care that much, you need to calm down.
Follow me on Twitter. I am not a Swiftie, but sometimes I’m funny. Also, check out some other football blogs on Belly Up Sports.
Also, be sure to check out the Belly Up Super Bowl Super Show Saturday, February 10th at 9:30.
