The Taylor Swift Effect: How Her Appearance at the Chiefs-Bears Game Impacted the NFL

The Taylor Swift Effect: How Her Appearance at the Chiefs-Bears Game Impacted the NFL

On September 25, 2023, Taylor Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears NFL matchup at Arrowhead Stadium. Her appearance at the game had a significant impact on the NFL, both in terms of viewership for the game and jersey sales for Travis Kelce.

Viewership

The Chiefs-Bears game was the most-watched NFL game of the week, with over 24 million viewers. This was a significant increase from the previous week's most-watched game, which had 20 million viewers.

The increase in viewership is due to Taylor Swift's attendance at the game, as there was a 63% jump in viewership from the female demographic aged 18-49. She is one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and her fans are known for being passionate and engaged - aka ‘Swifties’. Many of her fans likely tuned in to the game to see her support her rumored boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' tight end.

The term ‘Chiefs’ had a 3x increase in searches on the internet, and Chiefs’ tickets had a 3x increase in sales on StubHub, the popular ticket sale app/website. In fact, the Chiefs sold more tickets in a single day than they had the entirety of the NFL season so far.

Jersey sales

Taylor Swift's attendance at the game also led to an increase in jersey sales for Travis Kelce. In the days following the game, Kelce's jersey sales increased by over 400%.

Her fans are known for being fashion-forward, and they are often seen wearing merchandise from their favorite celebrities. Many of her fans likely purchased Kelce's jersey to show their support for Taylor Swift and her relationship with him.

Kelce also gained 383K additional instagram followers, and his podcast ‘New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce’ is the current #1 sports podcast on Apple.

Impact on the NFL

The impact of Taylor Swift's attendance at the Chiefs-Bears game is significant. It shows that she is a global superstar with a massive following. It also shows that her fans are taking an interest in the NFL, even if they are not normally football fans.

The NFL is likely to take notice of Taylor Swift's impact on the game. They may try to attract more female fans by partnering with her or other celebrities. They may also try to make the game more accessible to international fans by playing more games in Europe.

Taylor Swift's attendance at the game also had a number of other impacts on the NFL. For example, it led to a significant increase in social media engagement for the NFL. The NFL's Twitter account gained over 100,000 new followers in the days following the game.

Taylor Swift's attendance also helped to raise awareness of the NFL among younger people. Many of her fans are millennials and Gen Z, who are two of the most important demographics for the NFL.