The “Brads, Chads and Dads” may have taken issue with Taylor Swift gracing the stands of NFL stadiums last year, but the league’s own players disagree.
The pop superstar dominated headlines last season when she traded her sequined bodysuits for the red and gold Chiefs gear to cheer on her toned boyfriend Travis Kelce at several games during Kansas City’s run to the Super Bowl.
The singer’s three-second glimpse on the big screen and network coverage infuriated a segment of the NFL fanbase, while others couldn’t get enough of her in VIP suites.
Her high-profile appearance at matches even attracted a whole new target group to the league’s fan base, but what do the players themselves think about the new spotlight on the sport? Apparently extremely positive.
72.5 percent of 102 players surveyed by The Athletic said the “Fortnight” singer and the coverage of her presence were positive for the NFL.
NFL players have given their thoughts on Taylor Swift (pictured) attending Chiefs games
The pop superstar dominated headlines last season when she started dating Travis Kelce
Only five felt her participation in the sport was negative, while 23 straddled the fence, claiming it was ‘somewhere in the middle’.
“I think it’s been positive for the league,” one player told the outlet. “I think at the end of the day it’s a business and you have to put as many eyes on it as possible. And she brings a lot of eyes with her, so you know, if that raises the salary cap, I don’t think anyone’s going to be that upset about that.”
Another admitted that Swift’s presence had both pros and cons, claiming the extra attention was a bonus, but perhaps overstated.
“It brings more attention to the game,” he said, “but I feel like they used her face. If she’s at a game, they probably show her six or seven times.
‘It makes people sick if they keep doing it over and over again. So I think they have to find a balance.”
However, another, believed to be one of the five naysayers, denounced the reporting and insisted it was exaggerated.
“I feel like she’s getting unnecessary coverage,” the player said. “There was the entire video of the NFL’s inaugural season on Twitter and she was featured five times and our quarterback wasn’t in it. That’s not even right. She is not the NFL.”
Meanwhile, her boyfriend Kelce was also the subject of debate, with the three-time Super Bowl winner named by his peers as one of the most annoying players in the NFL.
The ‘Fortnight’ singer has been regularly attending Chiefs games to cheer on her toned boyfriend
A young NFL fan holds up a sign that reads “Go Taylor’s boyfriend” during a game in Kansas City
The tight end tied for fifth in the poll with 4.5 percent of the vote, while CJ Gardner-Johnson took home the unwanted title.
It seems like Kelce’s inclusion in the mix was partly due to the presence of his famous girlfriend, with one player annoyed that the “camera pans to Taylor Swift every time he catches a pass.”
The cameras couldn’t watch Swift this weekend as she missed a second consecutive Chiefs game this season.
The singer opted to skip the Chiefs’ win over the Los Angeles Charges at SoFi Stadium amid Kelce’s struggles in a slow start to the season.