Two years into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s highly publicized relationship, we can all agree that she’s been good for the National Football League. Well, maybe not all of us, but the NFL and the league’s broadcast partners certainly aren’t complaining.
She is objectively a net positive for the NFL, whether the Kansas City Chiefs win or lose.
Yes, the traditionalists still grumble that football should stay about football. But when ratings are what they are, networks will lean into showing Swift. And truthfully, they’ve been measured about it. Despite what you might hear, Swift appeared on screen for just seven seconds during this past year’s Super Bowl, where she was met with some boos. The year before? 54 seconds of airtime, even if Chris Russo spent nearly twice that long ranting about it.
If you’re going to take issue with Swift’s presence, it’s probably best not to direct that energy toward people partnered with the league. Nate Burleson has told the lingering complainers to crawl out of their mom’s basement. Troy Aikman went so far as to say he wouldn’t mind seeing Swift in ESPN’s Monday Night Football booth.
But the most direct and perhaps most meaningful endorsement came from Michael Strahan on Tuesday. The Hall of Famer and longtime NFL on Fox broadcaster called Taylor Swift “one of the best things to happen to the NFL.”
It’s not that Strahan is the league’s moral compass, nor is he the most powerful voice in NFL media. But he uniquely straddles the two worlds of sports and pop culture. A fixture on Fox NFL Sunday and Good Morning America, the man who recently pitched himself as the next 007 lives at the intersection of the rubber meets the road.
“Sports have leaked into pop culture,” Strahan said via Sports Business Journal. “Taylor Swift is one of the best things to happen to the NFL.”
While at #4SE, Pro Football Hall of Famer @michaelstrahan said it best: sports have leaked into pop culture—and it’s a win for everyone 🏈🎤
From Hallmark storylines to Swifties tuning into NFL games, the crossover is real. pic.twitter.com/9kXp1g5mUj
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) May 20, 2025
Strahan’s not wrong. Despite what you might hear on Fox News, Swift isn’t hijacking your beloved sport. Her presence is only highlighting what the NFL already is: a media behemoth chasing the widest possible audience. And in that pursuit, Swift’s presence has been nothing but additive. The league didn’t change for her; it just figured out how to capitalize on the moment. That’s what the NFL does best.
You don’t have to be a Swiftie to admit the obvious. Football was never just football. It’s a business, it’s a brand, and yes, it’s entertainment. And if Travis Kelce dating the most famous woman in the world helped bring in a new wave of casual viewers without alienating the diehards, then what exactly is the downside?
The NFL hasn’t found one yet.
