The Kansas City Chiefs made program history this past Sunday winning Super Bowl 58, and being the previous victors of Super Bowl 57. Annually the Super Bowl is a sporting event that divides America between teams, but this year the big game wasn’t the only thing leaving fans torn.

In September 2023, dating rumors sparked between international pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. What started as innocent rumors quickly escalated into a worldwide debate on the celebrity relationship.  When the NFL realized how much of an impact Swift had on viewership within its franchise, they quickly began to capitalize on her involvement with Kelce.

Throughout the season, the Kansas City Chiefs games saw more female viewers than the NFL has ever had before, and merchandise representing Kelce saw a 400 percent rise in sales after Swift’s first appearance at a Chiefs game. In response to this, Taylor Swift saw on average 0.46% of the total screen time per game she attended. Swift’s involvement in the NFL has left many fans upset, as they believe she is taking away from the game.

“I don’t understand the hype around her…who cares if she is at a football game?” said Marin Young. It appears as if featuring Taylor in the games has become more hurtful to the NFL than beneficial as more and more fans are becoming annoyed with her constant appearances. It is unbiased to say Taylor has been a leading strategy of marketing for the NFL in the past season; but is this something to be considered as bad for football?

Swift has brought in a completely new market of fans that football has never seen before. “I never have been a football fan, but I will admit I watched the Superbowl to see Taylor Swift because I heard people say they thought Travis Kelce would propose to her after the game,” said Chloe Davis.

The unexpected link between Taylor Swift and Football has sparked a common interest between the two fan bases. “It is funny because I was able to watch and see Taylor Swift on the screen between plays, and my dad was able to watch the actual game… and we both were satisfied,” said Jacey Phillips.

The involvement of Taylor with Kelce has brought a new way for dads and daughters to bond over football, in a pretty unexpected way. Whether or not you are on board the Swift-Kelce train it is undeniable she changed the trajectory of football in ways that the nation could have never imagined.