Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are filling a blank space between young girls and their dads.
Yes, the high profile romance between the pop star and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has helped fathers and daughters connect, even while Swift has faced backlash about how much she is shown when she attends a game.
Connecticut dad Keith Stoeckeler said his daughter Emme, 7, has become a football fan because of Swift, who has turned out for multiple games this season.
I actually feel bad for the Brads, Chads and Angry Dads who spent the year complaining about Taylor Swift interrupting their football because I spent the season trading Swift/Kelce memes with my 14-year-old daughter (who previously didn't care about football) and now it's like a… https://t.co/re4UHwvKE2
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) January 17, 2024
“For me, it felt like the Super Bowl, which would be the only other time that anybody would remotely want to sit down and watch football with me,” he told TODAY in a story that aired Jan. 19.
“It was appointment viewing. It was not just ‘Oh, OK, football’s on. We’ll watch it with you. We want to watch that,’” he added.
When it comes to watching football, the Swift effect seems real, going even beyond dads and daughters bonding.
NBC Sports reports that viewership among teen girls jumped 53% when the singer attended the Chiefs-New York Jets game on “Sunday Night Football” last October.
“I think that the Taylor Swift relationship with the NFL is she’s just there to have fun. And what’s been exciting is she’s bringing a whole new set of eyes to this game,” USA Today Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West told TODAY.
Even Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said he’s seen an uptick in a new demographic rooting on his team.
“Our female audience has grown by leaps and bounds,” he told CNBC’s Jim Cramer.
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