The Super Bowl is not just the single biggest football game of the season. It is also one of the biggest cultural events in the United States and will have a significant portion of the country tuning in whether they are football fans or not.
The halftime show, commercials and celebrities make it an event that even the most casual of viewers want to watch. When it comes to the latter point, it is hard to ignore the presence of pop icon Taylor Swift and what will surely be another appearance as she continues to support Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
While her presence at Chiefs games may be polarizing among football fans, there is plenty of evidence to suggest her presence has been a massive win for the NFL.
A recent survey from Lending Tree found that Swift has not only driven more people to watching football — and by extension the Super Bowl — but to also spend more money on the league and the game.
From the survey:
“Swift isn’t just leading people to watch games, though. She’s driving spending, too. One in 5 (20%) Americans say Swift has influenced their spending on football. Among Gen Zers and millennials, that rate rises to 39% and 31%, respectively. Interestingly, 26% of men say she influenced their spending on football, versus 14% of women.”
While the survey also found that 17% of fans “hate” what she has done to the NFL, that does not outweigh the positive gains. It also has not likely influenced their willingness to watch.
The bottom line is the NFL is the most popular sport in the country and Swift is the most popular pop-music icon in the country. It is understandable that the two forces colliding and coming together would lead to an increase in viewership and spending. Especially if she is bringing in new people to the sport that will start spending money that pre-existing football fans already spent.