NFL fans are speaking with their attention, and it seems they are getting tired of the over-communicated romance between music superstar Taylor Swift and two-time Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
Last night, the Chiefs took on the New York Jets in the MetLife Stadium telecast of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, fetched 20.31 million viewers for the matchup. While the number overall was the largest viewership on television Sunday night this, it is 4 million fewer viewers than the previous Sunday’s Chiefs game, which drew 24.32 million in an afternoon slot.
The Sept. 24 game versus the Chicago Bears, which yielded the 41-10 victory for the team, was home at Arrowhead Stadium and the first appearance of Taylor Swift at a Chiefs game with rumors of her dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Since then, Swift has been believed to be a new totem for increased football cachet and economic development.
Swiftie Or Football?
Swift’s appearance in the Arrowhead suite put her as part of the show, with the television broadcast of the game even replaying Swift’s celebrations in slow motion after good Chiefs plays. As a result, Swift’s appearance came before an almost three-fold increase in sales in 24 hours for Chiefs home games on StubHub.
Digital streaming company Roku told Reuters that the “largest demographic increase for the Chiefs-Bears game was among women ages 18-49, jumping 63% week-over-week, even as the NFL has long enjoyed a roughly 50% female audience.”
Fast-forward to last Sunday, and the ticket sales went off, according to StubHub, with single-day sales more than doubling the previous record for this season, rivaling only the team’s opening game debut of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Swift’s appearance also preceded an almost three-time increase in sales in 24 hours for Chiefs home games on the StubHub platform.
Swiftly Exhausted
Swift’s endless presence across football was felt from the daytime sports debate shows to the live game and even crept into the commentator talk as her presence at the Meadowlands and the previous weekend’s home game was the show.
Commercials for her tour or any Taylor Swift marketing that happened during the game led to an unspoken feeling of exhaustion over Kelce’s dating life. The NFL understands the convergence of culture and sports, but when it comes to Taylor and Travis, it might be time to stop the romance hype and focus back on what brings fans to the tube: the game.
