Whether Mike Tirico was being coy to get 40 more seconds of screen time for Taylor Swift is anyone’s guess. However, NBC’s lead play-by-play voice claimed he didn’t know where the pop sensation was seated inside Arrowhead Stadium, and for all intents and purposes, it’s not exactly his job to know.
Tirico makes a humorous observation about fans mistakenly pointing their cameras at the broadcast booth, thinking they were capturing images of Jason Garrett, only to later realize they were actually trying to capture moments of Taylor Swift.
“So I’m not exactly sure where in the stadium Taylor Swift is, right? Because we’re just sitting here watching the game,” said Tirico. “There she is. So, the last quarter and a half, there have been people (looking) up here, and I’m like, ‘Man, they must love Jason Garrett.’ Everybody’s pointing their camera up at our booth to take a picture of Jason. And then, about 10 minutes ago, it was like, ‘Hey, dummy, they’re taking a picture of Taylor.'”
It took Mike Tirico until the fourth quarter to realize that Taylor Swift was located in a suite underneath the broadcast booth. pic.twitter.com/bj0wS4iTsv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 14, 2024
The former Dallas Cowboys head coach and New York Giants offensive coordinator said the worst part of the ordeal is he’d been waving the entire time. And that admission came with just over five minutes remaining in the Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Wild Card game.
Tirico realized that if he got his camera out, he could probably take a picture of Swift himself from their vantage point in the broadcast booth. Garrett joked he didn’t want to lose him out the open window there, and we’re not quite sure NFL fans would love a solo broadcast of just Garrett.
Whether Tirico’s coy act was a calculated bid for more Swift airtime or a genuine moment of surprise, it ultimately served as a delightful detour in the midst of a lopsided 26-7 playoff win for Kansas City. His playful observation on his own confusion not only showcased his wit but also offered a glimpse into the captivating allure of celebrities like Swift, whose presence can electrify a stadium even amidst the fourth-coldest recorded game in league history.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.