Thanks to an anonymous poll of players done by The Athletic, we know how the league’s players actually feel about the colleague Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, pop megastar Taylor Swift.]
Swift has been one of the league’s most popular figures since she started attending Kansas City Chiefs games to support Kelce. She’s also been one of the league’s most polarizing, with many fans feeling like the league has devoted far too much attention to the famous singer instead of focusing on the product on the field.
Thanks to the anonymous poll, we know that most are fans of Swift’s presence at their games. 74 out of the 102 players who answered said that Swift’s presence was a positive for the league.
“I think it’s been positive for the league,” a player. “I think that at the end of the day, it’s a business and you need to get as many eyes on it as possible. And she brings a lot of eyes, so, you know, if that increases the salary cap, I don’t think anybody’s gonna be too mad about that one.”
“I feel like she is getting unnecessary coverage,” another player offered. “There was the whole NFL opening season video on Twitter and she was featured five times and our quarterback was featured none. That’s not even right. She is not the NFL.”
“It’s bringing more attention to the game,” said a player who see both sides, “but I feel like they’ve been using her face. If she’s at a game, they probably show her like six, seven times. People get … sick of it if they keep doing it over and over again. So I think they’ve got to find a balance.”
“I’ll jam to some Taylor Swift, but I don’t give a s— if she’s at the game or not,” said a player who really couldn’t care less.
It’s hard to argue Swift’s presence is a bad thing, considering all the new fans she is bringing to the sport.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.