Taylor Swift’s presence at NFL video games is optimistic for the league, gamers say in ballot

Taylor Swift has drawn tons of commentary from NFL followers — together with each reward and ire — since she started courting Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce final yr and have become a fixture within the stands. However followers aren’t the one ones with opinions on Swift’s presence at video games.

The overwhelming majority of gamers included in The Athletic’s 2024 nameless NFL participant ballot — 72.5 % to be actual — mentioned they seen the pop star’s curiosity within the sport (and the protection that stemmed from it) as optimistic for the league. Solely 4.9 % of gamers polled seen it as a unfavorable, and 22.5 % seen it as neither unfavorable nor optimistic.

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The Swift-NFL partnership was one of many many topics The Athletic’s beat writers surveyed gamers about to incorporate on this yr’s ballot, with 102 votes forged on the subject. Gamers have been granted anonymity to talk freely about issues impacting the league.

“I believe it’s been optimistic for the league,” one participant mentioned. “I believe that on the finish of the day, it’s a enterprise and you want to get as many eyes on it as doable. And he or she brings a variety of eyes, so, , if that will increase the wage cap, I don’t assume anyone’s gonna be too mad about that one.”

One other participant who voted “optimistic” famous that “a variety of Swifties who don’t watch soccer at the moment are watching it.”

“Bringing extra individuals to the sport of soccer is at all times good,” that participant mentioned.

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“Extra followers, broader horizon,” mentioned one other participant within the “optimistic” vote camp. “She has a worldwide fan base. Non-football followers will turn out to be followers or no less than viewers in america.”

Conversely, gamers who highlighted the “unfavorable” parts recommended it distracted viewers from the game.

“I really feel like she is getting pointless protection,” mentioned one participant who voted for the “unfavorable” aspect. “There was the entire NFL opening season video on Twitter and she or he was featured 5 occasions and our quarterback was featured none. That’s not even proper. She just isn’t the NFL.”

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One other participant who voted “unfavorable” mentioned it was as a result of he felt like “lots of people are speaking extra about that than the soccer sport occurring.”

Others seen Swift’s presence on the video games as each optimistic and unfavorable.

“It’s bringing extra consideration to the sport,” one participant mentioned, “however I really feel like they’ve been utilizing her face. If she’s at a sport, they most likely present her like six, seven occasions. Folks get … sick of it in the event that they hold doing it over and over. So I believe they’ve received to discover a stability.”

“It’s a optimistic and unfavorable,” mentioned one other participant. “The explanation I say that’s it’s nice the impression she’s making on the youthful feminine technology and getting them to study in regards to the sport. … The unfavorable is all of the true soccer followers who’re bored with seeing it. We’re glad it’s elevating engagement, but when I’m a Chiefs fan, I’m not making an attempt to see Taylor Swift each industrial break or each timeout. We all know she’s there.”

Like some followers, different gamers didn’t care, with one saying, “I’ll jam to some Taylor Swift, however I don’t give a s— if she’s on the sport or not.”