Pop star Taylor Swift is back making headlines for her appearance in this year’s Super Bowl in support of her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s participation in the games. Kelce played for the Kansas City Chiefs who won the Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers. Swift has been seen at many NFL games in the past year in support of Kelce.
Swift’s appearance in the NFL games has sparked both positive and negative comments online, with many accusing the NFL of giving the pop star more spotlight during the games. However, actor, politician, and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger has come out in support of the Love Story singer and has credited her for increasing the fanbase of the NFL.
Taylor Swift’s Appearance At The NFL Has Sparked Controversy
Taylor Swift has been in the headlines many times this past week. Apart from accusations of carbon emissions due to her private jet usage and winning the Grammys, Swift made news due to her appearance at the Super Bowl XLIX to support her partner and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.
Swift has appeared multiplied times at NFL games in the past year ever since her relationship with the Chiefs’ tight end was rumored. Her appearances reportedly drastically increased NFL viewership, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, ticket and jersey sales went up massively. Fox’s NFL broadcast reportedly averaged up to 24.32 million viewers when Taylor Swift attended the first game of the season.
However, despite all the advantages, NFL fans accused the league of prioritizing Swift over the on-field action. They reportedly accused the league of showing Swift more when she attended the games in order to boost ratings and ticket sales rather than spend time on the game itself.
Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s chief VP for social, influencer, and content marketing defended their strategy and told The Hollywood Reporter,
“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce-specific content accounted for less than 3 percent of our total volume. As we go forward, we’re always listening to our fans and watching the engagement numbers, and we pivot accordingly.”
Swift’s appearance in the games has also reportedly increased female viewership and has increased the follower count for the Chiefs as well as Travis Kelce.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Defends Taylor Swift’s NFL Appearances
Taylor Swift’s NFL appearances became headlines again when she attended the Super Bowl to support Travis Kelce, who won along with the Kansas City Chiefs. The singer and footballer were filmed sharing a kiss after celebrating the win in the grounds, which made considerable news.
Despite all the attention and hate that Swift was getting for her NFL appearances, action star Arnold Schwarzenegger surprisingly came out to support the pop star. He appreciated her for increasing the viewership of football and credited her with bringing a whole new demographic of fans to the game. He said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment,
“Football itself draws the hugest crowd because it’s the most popular sport. But then to have someone like her be there and watch the game adds another kind of a thing that [attracts] a different audience. Especially younger girls are now more into football, they know the rules and all of that stuff, so it’s really amazing.”
Many other celebrities have also come in support of the pop star for her appearance. Fellow singer Adele reportedly called out the haters for criticizing the Love Story singer and mentioned that she made the game more entertaining. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also appreciated Swift for attending the games.
