The love affair between Taylor Swift and player Travis Kelce not only draws audiences to rugby but also creates profits for businesses, brands, tourism and the economy in general.
Taylor Swift is dating football player Travis Kelce. The American star couple first announced their relationship in September 2023 when the female singer went to watch a Kansas City Chiefs football match to cheer her boyfriend. In an interview with TIME, Taylor admitted that at this public time, the couple had been courting and dating for a while.
The female singer is not afraid to show her happiness when she is with her boyfriend, fans can easily see that the idol is immersed in sweet love. The two have a great possibility of going home together in the future. Not only did the love story bring positivity in both of their lives, but the fact that Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce fell in love had a strong impact on the rugby world, stimulating consumer demand and increasing revenue in many industries in the US.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship of the NFL, America’s largest sporting event. This season, taking place on February 12, Kansas City Chiefs – Taylor Swift’s boyfriend’s team – defeated rival San Francisco 49ers, w.inning the championship with a score of 25 – 22. The match attracted more than 120 million views across all platforms, breaking the record of 115 million views in 2023. According to Daily Mail , this live event has a number of followers second only to the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.
According to experts, Taylor Swift helped the Kansas City Chiefs team reach new heights, bringing the team a profit of up to 331.5 million USD. Before that, the rugby tournament was only of interest to a portion of Americans. When the love story between billionaire singer and football player Travis Kelce began, everything was different.
“If we take the base of 7 billion people in the world, they can name athletes from Formula 1, or the English Premier League, but the NFL is not sure. Until Taylor Swift dated a Kansas City Chiefs player, it happened. That motivates audience interest and brings Travis Kelce’s name to the next level,” said Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group.
According to a Lending Tree survey, 13% of Americans are more interested in football thanks to Taylor Swift.
Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged the positive impact the singer brought to the football industry. “Their love story helps Swift fans get to know the NFL. It’s great that the league is receiving so much attention. We welcome that,” Goodell said.
Following the Taylor effect, the football team sees benefits from selling merchandise, calling for sponsorship, selling tickets and increasing the number of followers on social networks. The NFL witnessed a sudden increase in viewership, especially female audiences watching matches increased significantly.
According to survey results from market research company Numerator, 20% of people follow the tournament because they support the relationship of players Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. About 48% of people support Travis Kelce’s team, 37% for the 49ers.
The two’s relationship also stimulates consumer demand and boosts the economy of Kansas (USA) – where Travis Kelce lives and plays. Tim Cowden – chairman of the city’s economic development council – said: “We cannot estimate specific numbers. Taylor has brought a great opportunity to this place.”
A representative of ticket agency StubHub said that thanks to Taylor Swift, the number of people buying tickets to see Travis Kelce and the Chicago Bears’ football team play increased three times in just 24 hours. Visits to Kansas City Chiefs information on the website increased three times compared to normal days, and the number of people searching for Taylor Swift on StubHub increased by 20%.
