Some NFL fans have been upset with how much coverage Taylor Swift has received during Kansas City Chiefs games this season as the pop star cheers on boyfriend Travis Kelce.
While it’s been proven that the pop sensation isn’t actually shown very much during games, it hasn’t stopped critics from complaining and even saying it makes them not want to watch Super Bowl LVIII where she will presumably be featured (if she makes it).
While CBS and other networks repeatedly showed Swift cheering on the Chiefs from her luxury box, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz admitted that those kinds of decisions happen on the fly and aren’t planned.
Nantz appeared this week on The Dan Patrick Show, which was held on Super Bowl Radio Row in Las Vegas. While there, the CBS announcer discussed the Kelce-Swift mania and what goes into what CBS shows (or doesn’t show).
"There's not a single word said about we're going to show her here, here and here."
-Jim Nantz on whether the coverage of Taylor Swift at #Chiefs games is discussed during production meetings@FBLasVegas pic.twitter.com/ya6RyaEog1
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 7, 2024
“How much say do you have in how often you’re going to show Taylor Swift?” Patrick asked Nantz.
“Zero. I react,” Nantz said. “I don’t tell our director how to do his job.”
Patrick asked him about the balance between doing too much and too little.
“It’s gotta be a feel thing. You know, Kelce makes a big play; he’s gonna cut to her for a second or two. That doesn’t mean it needs commentary with that shot. It just blends in with the replay, another crowd shot. But I’ve never said on the comm switch, ‘Give me a shot of Taylor right now!'” Nantz said.
"Seven words I thought would never leave my lips in my career: Taylor Swift is not at the game… She was questionable all week, but it looks like it's officially inactive. "- Jim Nantz pic.twitter.com/En7iKAoBjb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023
Nantz also commented on the controversy around how often Swift is shown, something that has been proven to be overblown.
“There’s been this uproar about how much we’re showing her, and I don’t get it,” said Nantz. “In the AFC Championship Game, Travis had a huge part in their win. And they cut to her a number of times, but in the end, someone did this study on it. It was 44 seconds was how long she was on our 3-hour, 15-minute broadcast. So he has great judgment, our director, and so does our producer. They’ll figure it out. There’s not a single word said about, ‘We’re gonna show her here, here, and here.’ And I’ve probably, 99 percent of the time, ’cause I’ve had eight games with her present. I don’t even reference the fact, ‘Well, there’s Taylor!'”
“Tony’s had a few times where he’s jokingly said, ‘Well, there’s his wife!’ I said, ‘What? Not yet! Do you know something we don’t know? But it’s all part of the shtick.'”
Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, there’s been speculation on whether or not Swift will be able to attend the game. She has a show in Tokyo, Japan, the day before and it could be a tight squeeze to make it to Vegas in time. Whatever happens, if she does make the game, what’s shown won’t be predetermined in the CBS production meeting.
