The “Swift Effect” that turned thousands of young girls into singer-songwriters crooning about breakups has now come to the NFL as Taylor dating Travis Kelce has boosted sales of his jersey and NFL viewership.
The “Swift Effect” boosts NFL viewership and more
On Sunday, September 24, 2023, 12-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift made an appearance at Arrowhead Stadium to see her current beau, Travis Kelce, All-Pro tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Swift was seated in one of Arrowhead Stadium’s glass-enclosed suites alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna. Swift’s presence sent her fans into a frenzy, lighting up social media as they dissected Taylor’s every behavior.
Fans dished on the sauces Swift paired with a mid-game chicken finger snack, Reuters reported. They commented on her banter with Kelce’s mom, as well as when Taylor cheered wildly when Travis caught a three-yard touchdown pass.
NFL sees boost and female viewership
On Tuesday, Fox Sports announced the Swift Effect’s impact on the television ratings, attributing the spike to Taylor’s attendance. The game drew 24.3 million viewers, making it the weekend’s most-watched NFL contest, as the Chiefs routed the Chicago Bears 41-10.
Further, even though overall ratings were down roughly 8% from the same time window the year prior, one demographic showed a significant boost: Females. Viewership of females between the ages of 12-17 grew by nearly 8%. The broadcast also saw a boost in the female audience in every major demographic.
The league will be watching to see if the “Swift Effect” has an impact again when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs travel to New York on Sunday to take on the Jets.
Travis Kelce jersey sales spike nearly 400%
According to sportswear and fan merchandise company Fanatics, sales of Kelce’s jersey became one of the top five selling for the NFL that Sunday.
“[Kelce] saw a nearly 400% spike in sales throughout the Fanatics network of sites, including NFLShop.com,” a spokesperson for Fanatics told The Associated Press, ESPN reported.
What is the “Swift Effect?”
Taylor Swift exploded on the Country Music scene with her self-titled debut album in 2006. Swift was 16 years old at the time, and when her fans learned that she had written or co-written all the songs on her album, it inspired other young girls to do the same.
At the same time, every recording studio in Nashville will tell you that, based on Swift’s success, scores of pro and aspiring songwriters alike were trying to emulate her style and find teenage singers to sing their songs.
Urban Dictionary defines the “Swift Effect” as: “Upon hearing this [debut] album, every girl between the ages of 11-20 who knew a few chords on an acoustic guitar declared themselves a singer-songwriter began to write billions of generic songs about breakups and jealousy, even if they had no singing ability or talent whatsoever.”
