The world has been taken aback by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce hinting at the fact that they are dating. The two were seen holding hands as they were arriving at SNL, with this, it can be assumed that they are entering a relationship. Taylor Swift, who is a twelve-time Grammy Award winner, has amassed many millions of followers (Swifties). Swift is currently regarded as one of the most famous people in the world. 

Travis Kelce is a current NFL player. Kelce plays the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Travis also hosts a podcast with his brother, Jason, who plays for the Eagles. Travis is very clearly a fan favorite regarding NFL players. He is also very talented, as he has won two Superbowls and made eight Pro Bowls. With this being said, it is obvious that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dating shocked NFL fans and Swifties around the world. However, there has been some controversy surrounding the new couple because of how their relationship has negatively affected the NFL.

Taylor Swift is negatively affecting the NFL in multiple ways. The first way is that there have been too many posts all over social media about her attending Chiefs games. Although there is no issue with her attending games, there is an issue with the fact that high-profile social media accounts like ESPN are posting more about Taylor Swift than the actual game. 

Luis Mattos ‘26 says, “I feel like every post that the NFL makes on Instagram is about Taylor Swift rather than the actual Chief games.”

 It is clear that many fans are frustrated with the amount of recognition Swift has received from the NFL; however, it is also more than just social media. Fans have verbally expressed their anger about how many times these broadcasts have shown Swift during actual games. 

“They show her even though they have no reason to, it is pretty obvious that they are just trying to get more female viewers. It is just really frustrating because I am trying to watch the game and listen to the announcers talk about the game but instead, they are talking about Taylor Swift and her reactions to the game,” said Charles Long ‘26

Even when it is not Travis Kelce who is scoring, they are still showing Taylor Swift. It is very annoying as she has nothing to do with the game, yet they continue to show her for absolutely no reason. 

Even with all of this, there is still an even more inexcusable way Taylor Swift is negatively affecting the NFL. Chief games are supposedly being rigged in order to appease Taylor Swift fans. There have been numerous controversial no-calls in tight games that the Chiefs have been in. For example, in the Chiefs games against the Jets and then the Vikings, both came down to the wire and were decided by the referees. There were multiple missed calls in both games that heavily favored the Chiefs. Both of these games resulted in victories for the Chiefs. The NFL wants Swifties to be happy, and by making Swift’s boyfriend’s team win, they are doing just that. If the Chiefs win, Swift fans are happy and will watch more games, giving the NFL more profit.

“The missed holding call in the Jets vs Chiefs game was one of the worst no-calls I have ever seen,” said Vedaant Vasandani ‘26.

Taylor Swift and her fans have quite literally compelled the NFL to start favoring the Chiefs and in the process are infuriating NFL fans all over the country.