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NFL Defends 'Leaning Into' Taylor Swift Coverage After Travis Kelce Says They're 'Overdoing It'
Whether or not we feel the same way about all the coverage Taylor Swift has been getting during Kansas City Chiefs games, we can definitely all agree she's been getting a lot of it.
And the reason behind her attendance—her rumored beau Travis Kelce—feels the NFL is "overdoing it a little bit."
On a recent episode of his and his brother Jason's podcast New Heights, the KC tight end shared that he does think "it's fun" when celebrities who attend games are shown on TV, especially during celebrations, but he also noted:
“At the same time, they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”
You can watch below.
The NFL acknowledged that they have, in fact, "leaned into" this "pop cultural moment."
In a statement to Deadline, The NFL said:
“We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what’s happening in and around our games, as well as culturally."
“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport.”
They also added that the focus is still on the game.
“The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives, including our 'Toy Story Funday Football' alt-cast, the international games and more."
People on social media seem to agree with Kelce's stance on the situation.
@HODLRecruiter @NFL_DovKleiman What happened to respect for the individuals themselves no? Like the league would be nothing without the players and now travis is saying it\u2019s getting out of hand but they are ignoring how he feels personally just for the business of the nfl. Not saying they\u2019re in the wrong— Snipey ClampZ (@Snipey ClampZ) 1696484610
@NFL_DovKleiman NFL has no shame— gooni (@gooni) 1696446078
@NFL_DovKleiman It's out of control and the Chiefs will miss the playoffs because of it— drone (@drone) 1696446250
@NFL_DovKleiman The guy involved in the relationship: \u201cit\u2019s too much.\u201d\n\nThe NFL: \u201cWe will continue to push your relationship onto people who don't care."— Pats Buzz (@Pats Buzz) 1696445577
@NFL_DovKleiman If Kelce is saying they're overdoing it, then maybe everyone else should probably listen and adjust their behavior accordingly.— Eric Hovland (@Eric Hovland) 1696446220
@NFL_DovKleiman The fact that they had to release a statement just goes to show they\u2019re overdoing it— \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude0e\ud835\ude15 \ud83d\udd5b (@\ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude0e\ud835\ude15 \ud83d\udd5b) 1696445815
And many believe the NFL is merely maximizing their business under the guise of "giving the people what they want."
@NFL_DovKleiman I disagree. Controversy sells. More views, more clicks, more ad revenue. NFL is a business and business is good.— HODL Recruiter (@HODL Recruiter) 1696446056
@NFL_DovKleiman basically \u201cwe are going to soak every single view and penny we can from this\u201d— TodRod (@TodRod) 1696445710
@NFL_DovKleiman Correction: \u201cWe\u2019ve seen an incredible amount of revenue coming in due to Taylor Swift fans who don\u2019t care about the sport tuning in.\u201d It\u2019s a business and they\u2019re leaning into what\u2019s bring them the most revenue. I don\u2019t hold it against them.— KeepingItReal (@KeepingItReal) 1696445704
@NFL_DovKleiman Translation \n\n\u201cTaylor swift opened a new demographic to us and created a massive spike in viewership, thus allowing us to make an untold amount of money in the billions. Her partnership with the NFL has made us even more rich than we could\u2019ve imagined\u201d— Alexander Ruiz (@Alexander Ruiz) 1696446120
@NFL_DovKleiman In other words, \u201cwe know whoever is complaining will still watch and we see a chance to capitalize on a pop star for more money, so shut up because we own you\u201d.— ERaider25 (@ERaider25) 1696447313
@NFL_DovKleiman In other words the money we get from this is crazy easy!— Scott Roberts (@Scott Roberts) 1696446260
Well, coincidence or not, Sunday's game between Kansas City and the New York Jets—with Swift in attendance—had 27 million viewers, making it the most-viewed game since the Super Bowl.