Sorry, Brads, Chads and dads — NFL players are in support of Taylor Swift at games!
Out of 102 NFL players anonymously polled in a new survey conducted by The Athletic, 72.5% of them said they believed Swift’s presence and the “coverage that stemmed from it” is positive for the league amid her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
According to the outlet, only five players viewed the singer’s inclusion as a negative for the NFL, while 23 were “somewhere in the middle” on the matter.
One of the anonymous players who participated in the voting told The Athletic, “I think it’s been positive for the league. I think that at the end of the day, it’s a business and you need to get as many eyes on it as possible.”
The player also suggested that the new “eyes” Swift is bringing to the NFL could mean more money in players’ pockets as well. “So, you know, if that increases the salary cap, I don’t think anybody’s gonna be too mad about that one.”
Another NFL athlete said that he enjoys the “Fortnight” singer’s music, but ultimately doesn’t care if she’s at games. “I’ll jam to some Taylor Swift, but I don’t give a s— if she’s at the game or not,” the player said.
For the side that sees Swift’s presence as a negative, one player said that Kelce’s girlfriend is “getting unnecessary coverage” when she attends games, and referenced the NFL’s season-opener video, which includes more sightings of Swift than it does some of the league’s quarterbacks.
“There was the whole NFL opening season video on Twitter and she was featured five times and our quarterback was featured none,” the anonymous player griped. “That’s not even right. She is not the NFL.”
That player went on to add that while she brings “more attention to the game,” he feels that the NFL have “been using her face” too much on broadcasts. “If she’s at a game, they probably show her like six, seven times. People get … sick of it if they keep doing it over and over again,” he said, suggesting that the league finds “a balance” with Swift coverage.
Swift was also mentioned by a player who voted for Kelce, 34, as the most “annoying” player in the league. “It’s because the camera pans over to Taylor Swift every time he catches a pass,” the player said of his reasoning for voting for the Chiefs tight end, adding, “It’s so annoying. That’s annoying.”
Swift has already attended two Chiefs games since the new season kicked off on Sept. 5 in Kansas City. The superstar singer missed Kelce’s last two games on the road, however, as Kansas City advanced to a perfect 4-0 record on the season.