The NFL has fully embraced the Taylor Swift phenomenon. The man who is responsible for the NFL’s Taylor Swift phenomenon would prefer that the NFL back off, a bit.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked this week on the New Heights podcast by his brother, Jason, whether the NFL is overdoing the Taylor Swift angle.
“I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game,” Travis Kelce said, via Variety.com. “I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you’re watching. But at the same time, they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure . . . especially my situation. I think they’re trying to have fun with it.”
Travis Kelce also said that celebrities attending football games “aren’t there to be thrown on the TV.” (It’s odd that Travis doesn’t know how celebrity works, given that he is one.)
Amazingly, the league defended itself. By sending a statement to People.com.
“We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what’s happening in and around our games, as well as culturally,” the league said, regarding the full embrace of Swiftmania on the NFL’s X/Twitter and Instagram bios. “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. 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.”
The problem with the NFL’s decision to lean into the Swift dynamic is that it has caused some to think the league has a bias for the Chiefs, that the story is better if the Chiefs keep winning. True or not, that’s what people will believe when the league wraps its arms around the moment — and when the Chiefs’ opponent is on the wrong end of multiple questionable calls and non-calls.
That’s the real problem. By leaning into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, some will think the league is leaning onto the scales, in favor of Kelce’s team.
At all times, the NFL must remain neutral — and the NFL must appear to be neutral. The league’s handling of the Swift situation has undermined the appearance of neutrality.
