- The competition decided to lean further on its appreciation for the pop singer
- But soon after, the bios were changed to read differently following online backlash
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After a game that left many fans feeling some “Bad Blood” between themselves and the NFL, the league decided to reinforce the fact that Taylor Swift was in attendance at the game between the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs.
On the league’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts, the NFL decided to change their bio to include references to the pop singer — who, in case you haven’t heard, is now dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The Instagram account read ‘chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties’, while the Twitter account read ‘we had the best day with you today’ – a reference to Swift’s song ‘Best Day Ever’.
On Twitter, the account also changed the headline photo to three images of Swift reacting to the game.
But once they were posted, they were removed after many fans complained that the league relied too heavily on the pop star’s performances during matches.
The NFL decided to lean further into the wave of interest they’ve received from Taylor Swift
Both the NFL’s Instagram and Twitter accounts changed to reference Swift on Monday
But soon after, the bio line was removed, leaving an ’empty space’ there for some time
Instead, the Instagram account was replaced with a ‘blank space’ as no words appeared in the bio.
Eventually both were changed again – with the Twitter account saying ‘Turning up in Tottenham’ and the Instagram bio saying ‘CMC 4 MVP?’
The first is a reference to next Sunday’s NFL game in London between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills. The other refers to the great play by San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery.
But those rapid changes did not go unnoticed: many football fans were divided over the decision.
Some fans were upset with the change, saying it felt like rubbing it in after a poorly managed match. Others felt the response was unnecessary and exaggerated.
ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini called the situation a “bad look” — something echoed by NFL Twitter reporter Dov Kleiman who said, “You might as well bet on KC winning the Super Bowl this year… then can already be decided.’
But others believed that such opposition was unwarranted. One user wrote, “People are saying, ‘Taylor Swift is ruining this NFL season,’ as if the sanctity of football rests on a Twitter banner, an Instagram bio, and what the broadcast of a game takes away when there’s no play.” ‘
Athletic’s College Football reporter Nicole Auerbach wrote, “1) No one ever cared what the NFL biography said before. 2) Some of us really like football *and* really like Taylor Swift! 3) It’s actually funny how angry it has made people that the NFL pulled off a fun pop culture crossover moment that could attract new fans.”