Editorial: Dads, Brads & Chads, Let Taylor Swift Be!
By • February 14, 2024 0 630
The Super Bowl may be over, but there’s a lasting argument popping up on the internet: does Taylor Swift detract from NFL games?
We believe the answer to be absolutely not. Now that Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, the mega pop star singer/songwriter made it to about a dozen of his games this season as the Chiefs looked to repeat their league championship. The newly crowned billionaire Swift was arguably the highest-profile fan at any NFL game this year. While some men have voiced frustrations and concerns about how often Swift is shown at games, the reality is, she’s actually minimally shown. According to a report from the New York Times writer Benjamin Hoffman, Swift received less than 1 percent (just .46 percent to be exact) of screen time during the games she attended.
Most of the men who complain about her admit they don’t know much about who Taylor Swift is. They see her as a powerful, successful woman who doesn’t care about any criticism she receives. She told Time magazine in her “Person of the Year” interview in December 2023 that, “she’s just there to support Travis,” and she “has no awareness of if she’s being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”
So, to the men who grumble about a few seconds of a woman cheering on her partner, think about your own wives, daughters, sisters and friends. By complaining about Swift cheering for her boyfriend, you’re essentially telling women they should be pretty little things who are quiet and shouldn’t be interested in attending a football game. You’re telling them it’s just “for the guys.”
Swift has led to a spike in NFL interest among younger females. In fact, ESPN’s Chris Berman mentioned that he’s had conversations with women who found out they actually enjoyed football after initially watching just to see Swift. In such a divisive time, it’s quite refreshing to see Swift unite people. So, to the dads, Brads, and Chads out there, all we have to say is “you need to calm down!”
