As Taylor Swift attempts to make it to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl from her concert in Tokyo next weekend, Boomer Esiason has a theory on who might be covering her expenses.
Swift’s Eras Tour takes her to Tokyo on Saturday, Feb. 10, while significant other Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs will be kicking off the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers in Vegas the next day. No big deal, Swift has a lot of money and a private jet to warm the planet with by emitting carbon dioxide whenever she needs to get somewhere promptly. To be fair, no one expects Swift to travel from Tokyo to Vegas via coach. But they probably expect her to foot the bill.
Esiason, however, isn’t so sure.
Broadcasting their WFAN morning radio show from Radio Row in Vegas this week, Esiason speculated to co-host Gregg Giannotti that Swift might be attempting to negotiate her Super Bowl travel expenses with the NFL.
Boomer Esiason sounds like he’s starting to waver on Taylor Swift. pic.twitter.com/X3mD9A6xip
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2024
“Because of all these stories coming out that she has raised the level of the NFL,” Esiason began noting that Swift’s newfound football fandom has generated upwards of $350 million for the NFL. “The NFL is going to be here after she’s done. It was here before she got started.
“You gotta know that her people are in touch with the NFL. And her people are probably saying, ‘If you want her at the game you gotta pay for the jet coming back from Tokyo. And she needs her own suite.’ I’m telling you, man. This is all about business. How many times are we, CBS, going to show her? And are we going to show an arrival shot?”
Esiason continued by explaining CBS and the NFL might be negotiating more access to Swift at the Super Bowl in exchange for covering her travel expenses. Giannotti asked Esiason whether this was all just a “guess” or based on something he’s hearing from CBS or the NFL.
“I think it’s my guess,” Esiason said.
He thinks? Something doesn’t seem right here. That’s quite the guess for the radio host and CBS’ NFL Today analyst to craft and broadcast without receiving a tip first.
The notion only sounds crazy because Swift is a billionaire who can afford to take her private jet to the Super Bowl without any sort of compensation from the NFL. But from a business standpoint, someone from Swift’s camp deciding against allowing the NFL to benefit from her platform for free isn’t crazy at all.
Surely, CBS is already planning for Swift to be in attendance and holding discussions on the best way to maximize her presence without going overboard. And with Swift in Tokyo the day before the Super Bowl, what would CBS and the NFL do if she decided it wasn’t worth rushing to Vegas for the event? Her expected presence at the Super Bowl is garnering more attention than Usher as the game’s halftime show performer. So, if the NFL will cover Usher’s production costs and expenses, it’s not absurd to think Swift might attempt to get the league to do the same for her.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com