Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl 2024 appearance is causing outrage but is helping the NFL make hundreds of millions of dollars. Her relationship with Travis Kelce is also boosting sales.
After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, USA), newspapers and social networks were flooded with images of Taylor Swift hugging and kissing her boyfriend Travis Kelce to congratulate him. Very quickly, keywords related to them became the top trending on X.
The media’s over-focus on Swift at the Super Bowl – the most anticipated sporting event of the year – is frustrating, but worth discussing. Because, not only did she come to cheer on her boyfriend, her presence in the stands also indirectly helped the NFL solve its lucrative economic problem.
According to Vanity Fair, the Super Bowl LVIII final attracted more than 123.4 million live viewers, becoming the most watched live program in American history since Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
The record-breaking viewership was partly due to Taylor Swift being in the stands. Although the official figures have not been released, The Things estimates that the Blank Space singer helped the NFL earn hundreds of millions of dollars by the time the dramatic game ended on February 12.
Before the Super Bowl, Front Office Sports released statistics showing that the NFL “pocketed” $331.5 million thanks to Swift’s appearances at the tournament, as well as her passionate relationship with Travis Kelce. The profits came from social media effects, news highlights, TV, radio, digital and print.
Many people who are not football fans are willing to pay a lot of money for Super Bowl tickets just to see Swift. Adam Budelli, a spokesman for ticketing company StubHub, explained to Reuters : “The week before the tournament, demand for tickets skyrocketed despite the high prices. The average ticket price is $8,600, which is higher than the Super Bowl two years ago.”
According to CBS News , the cheapest tickets to this year’s game were $6,500 (purchased on Ticketmaster), $2,000 (purchased from the NFL), $45,000 (the most expensive ticket from a reseller), and $8,600 purchased from StubHub right before game time. Of the more than 65,000 people who showed up at Allegiant Stadium, many were members of Swifties – Swift’s fan community.
Consumer research firm Numerator estimates that 20% of viewers will tune in to the 2024 Super Bowl because of Kelce’s relationship with Swift. And Paramount CEO Bob Bakish told CNBC that Swift is a “special magnet” that the NFL will find hard to ignore.
Swiftâs romance with the Kansas City Chiefs star has also boosted NFL merchandise sales. In September 2023, the New York Post reported that sales of Kelce-themed products, including T-shirts, keychains, and memorabilia, increased by 400%. The NFL earned an additional $30 million as fans scrambled to buy Kelceâs No. 87 jersey.
“If the Chiefs win, there’s more than $150 million generated by Swift’s presence, and clearly, Kelce and the entire Kansas City Chiefs team will increase their influence not only in the US but around the world,” a TV network executive analyzed on The US Sun.
Not only did Swift not pay for her appearance, the NFL made a fortune advertising when the singer came to support her boyfriend Kelce. Swift’s 53 seconds on live TV were worth $12.4 million. That figure comes from the fact that brands pay $7 million for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial, according to Business Insider.
In reality, not everyone wants to see Taylor Swift smiling brightly, looking nervous, or screaming from the VIP box. Football fans complain that the camera focuses on the billionaire singer too much, making the Super Bowl less of a game.
“CBS showed Taylor Swift 12 times for a total of 53 seconds. I don’t know what I’m watching anymore”, “I was extremely annoyed when I was watching the action and the camera turned to the singer with ridiculous expressions”, “The Super Bowl’s appeal was reduced by a few degrees because of Taylor”… are a series of comments from netizens.
Anti-alcohol campaigner James Swanwick also criticised Swift for being “stupid and wrong” to drink on national television, insisting that the world’s top star was promoting a toxic message.
Swanwick’s harsh comments about the Bad Blood hitmaker have been met with strong backlash from the Swifties community. According to Yahoo , the Swift fanatics are ready to confront anyone who makes negative comments about their idol.
Amid the never-ending controversy, the NFL is of course comfortable because Swift brings them huge profits.
In an interview with CBS Mornings , NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “Somehow, Taylor’s fans connect with NFL fans, to see that they now have a deep connection. It’s great when football leagues receive the attention of music fans and vice versa. So we welcome Taylor.”
Rob Gronkowski, a former member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots, said Swift’s presence was positive. “Taylor and Travis are a perfect match for each other and for the business of the NFL,” Gronkowski said.
Speaking to Variety , former quarterback Drew Bledsoe expressed his admiration for the way Swift has inspired people to pay attention to football. He stated: “Because of Taylor, people who have never watched football are getting involved in the game. Young girls who have never been interested in sports are suddenly sitting down with their dads and little brothers to watch the Super Bowl. It’s amazing.”
Of the thousands of people surveyed by Adtaxi in November 2023, 45% said Swift influenced their interest in football, and the 2024 Super Bowl is set to have the highest female viewership since 2000.
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