Chiefs play Ravens on Thursday night
The NFL was far from delicate when it released its hype video for the upcoming 2024 season.
The video showcased superstars like New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and, of course, Taylor Swift.
Swift was featured five times in the video, which was more than the aforementioned NFL figures and other players like quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen and Daniel Jones.
The Swift effect was in full force during the NFL season as the pop star and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s romance really took off. Swift started to appear at Arrowhead Stadium when the Chiefs took on the Chicago Bears early in the season and quickly became a mainstay.
Former New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh told Fox News Digital that having Swift associated with the league was good for everyone, especially when it came to cashing the checks.
“Taylor Swift brought new eyeballs, new apparel. You look at (Kristin Juszczyk) she helped put her clothing brand online. Now she has a licensing deal,” he said. “The business of sports, the business in the NFL in particular, [the NFL gets] 48.23% of every dollar that comes into that funnel. The more dollars that come into that funnel, the more that can go into our salary cap, come into our benefits and provide for players. So, who wouldn’t want that?
Show her more times [in] the NFL. Let’s get every person in America watching it. It’s good for our bank accounts.”
Not only that, Swift opened up the NFL to an entirely new fan base in 2023.
MarketWatch reported in February that the NFL benefited from having Swift around the Chiefs, saying the brand’s value increased to $122 million in just a few months and that NFL viewership rose 53% in the 12-17 demographic.
CBS Sports announced that female viewership for Super Bowl LVIII was also up 9% from Super Bowl LVII.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even commented on the trend before the Super Bowl.
“Having the Taylor Swift effect is also a positive,” Goodell said, per FOX Sports. “Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people, and they seem very happy. She knows great entertainment, and I think that’s why she loves NFL football.”
Goodell also theorized that Swift’s presence at games helped create an even bigger “buzz” for the league.
“I think it’s great to have her a part of it. Obviously, it creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, that are interested in seeing why she is going to this game, why she is interested in this game. Besides [her relationship with] Travis, she is a football fan, and I think that’s great for us.”