The NFL on Wednesday defended its recent coverage of pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs slotback Travis Kelce.
Kelce himself said the league was “doing too much” with its focus on the alleged romance between the duo and the star.
Swift attended the Chiefs’ last two games, including their 23-20 victory over the Jets on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, which was the most-watched Sunday broadcast since the Super Bowl, averaging 27 million viewers.
The show featured commercials for the upcoming concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and, on several occasions, footage of Swift enthusiastically cheering on the Chiefs from her luxurious dressing room while commentators made references to his song’s lyrics. The NFL played along, particularly on its social media accounts. After the Chiefs’ win over the Jets, the NFL’s Instagram bio read, “Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties,” while the bio on X read “NFL (Taylor’s Version).” »
“We frequently change our bios and profile pictures based on what’s happening in and around our games and culturally,” the NFL wrote in a statement Wednesday. The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news was a pop culture moment that we could relate to in real time because it’s an intersection between sports and entertainment and we saw an incredible amount of positivity surrounding sports. »
The league added: “The majority of our content continues to focus on the game, our players and a variety of other initiatives.” »
On the latest episode of his podcast, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” Kelce shared his thoughts on NFL media coverage and said we need to “calm down.”
When asked about the league’s attention to him and Swift, Kelce said, “I think it’s funny when they show who was at the game. “I think it adds a little more to the atmosphere, to what you’re seeing. But at the same time I think…”
His brother then intervened: “You’re doing too much.”
Kelce agreed: “You’re exaggerating, that’s for sure, especially when it comes to my situation. »