KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: Taylor Swift’s influence in the NFL world is sparking mixed reactions, especially with her frequent appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games to support her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce.
The Lover’ singer has attended all three of the Chiefs’ home games at Arrowhead so far this season. She has missed all of the team’s away games because of conflicts with her busy tour schedule.
While fans look forward to her appearance at the Arrowhead Stadium during Chiefs games, not everyone is thrilled with the extra attention the 14-time Grammy winner is receiving.
Tavia Hunt accused of giving preferential treatment to Taylor Swift
Recently, Tavia Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt shared some photos from the team’s thrilling 30-24 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, November 4.
In the post, she included an image of a Kelce-themed gift wrapped specially for Swift. But this gesture was not well-received by all. A social media user reportedly questioning why Swift was seemingly getting special treatment.
“I’m curious if you treat all of the players’ spouses/girlfriends equally, with the same level of gifts, suite tickets, and attention?” the commenter asked, according to Athlon Sports.
“Because if not, then this is giving major suck-up vibes. I’m just saying what I know a lot of your players’ wives and girlfriends are thinking but not saying out loud.”
Tavia decided to respond to this accusation of giving Swift special treatment. She clarified that all the players’ wives and girlfriends were given equal treatment and had been hosted in the owner’s suite during the game.
“We actually hosted all the players’ wives and girlfriends in our box last night for the game,” Tavia replied.
“We serve the community together every other week and have gifting and special events as well.”
Taylor Swift’s presence skyrockets Chiefs’ revenue despite fan complaints
The NFL, however, appears to have embraced Taylor Swift’s massive fan base, which has been beneficial for the league’s visibility and revenue.
According to Livemint, in August, Clark Hunt noted that the Swift phenomenon surrounding the team’s Super Bowl-winning season played a significant role in boosting their fan base by 30%.
“I always want to point out how happy I am for Taylor and Travis in the relationship. I’ve seen them together and they make a make a fantastic couple,” Hunt said in an interview at his office in Dallas.
He further said that “the knock-on effect has been amazing, the growth in our female fan base has been amazing over the last year”.
Although some viewers grumble about the frequent cutaways to Swift during Chiefs games and her appearances in league promotional content, it’s clear the NFL has no plans to dial it back as long as she’s part of the Kelce cheer squad.
This new level of attention has some die-hard NFL fans feeling that Swift’s presence is infringing on their territory.
The league and the Chiefs have allegedly faced accusations of pandering to Swift’s fans, with detractors expressing frustration that Swifties are receiving more attention than traditional football fans.