After hearing Tony Dungy criticize Taylor Swift’s newfound NFL fandom, Stephen A. Smith seems like he’s heard enough of the slander.
Last week, Dungy spoke with Fox News and shared his concern that young people may be “disenchanted” with the NFL. Dungy was then asked about “The Taylor Swift Effect” on the NFL, which the former Super Bowl-winning head coach attempted to use as proof that younger people are disenchanted with football.
“That’s the thing that’s disenchanting people with sports now,” said Dungy. “There’s so much on the outside coming in. Entertainment value and different things. Taking away from what really happens on the field.”
If you’re confused by the criticism of Swift’s fandom, so is Smith. On the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the boisterous host rebuked Dungy and anyone else who might have an issue with Swift’s recent interest in the NFL.
“It’s getting ridiculous how she’s being criticized by some, insulted by others, blamed by many. Grow up. And in the case of Tony Dungy,” Smith ranted, “it’s like, come on man, can we stop this, sir? Please. Respectfully, please.”
“You’re blaming Taylor Swift for disinterest in NFL action? Really?” Smith continued. “What are you talking about? First of all, there are people who want to come to NFL games because of the entertainment value. They want to watch NFL games because of the entertainment value. Super Bowl weekend, what do you think? You think people ain’t interested in the halftime show?”
The NFL season is always tough to predict, but who had Stephen A. Smith defending Taylor Swift from Tony Dungy on their bingo card this year? In case you spent the last four months on a darkness retreat, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are dating, which has led to the music icon regularly attending Kansas City Chiefs games this season. While everyone initially relished watching the sports and entertainment worlds collide, contrarians eventually made their voice heard. But as most critics, like Skip Bayless, laughably fault Swift every time Kelce drops a touchdown, Dungy attempted to take things a step further by essentially claiming she’s a detriment to the success of the sport.
Dungy may have had some semblance of an argument if Swift and Kelce started dating in 2020, when NFL ratings were dipping because of the pandemic. But Dungy made his “disenchanted” claim days after headlines about the NFL’s record ratings in 2023, which saw the league score 96 of the year’s top-100 watched TV programs.
“What are you talking about?” Smith asked Dungy again. “I think sometimes, we look at somebody like Taylor Swift, we look at her popularity and we say, ‘Hey, that’s not about football, that’s not about the X’s and O’s.’ Who cares?”
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