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Patrick Mahomes reveals the ‘biggest’ change to NFL games since Taylor Swift influence
Football season is officially underway, which means that Swifties – beloved fans of Taylor Swift – are gearing up to see their favorite pop star in the stands.
In honor of the upcoming season, the National Football League shared a TikTok video from the Kansas City Chiefs about the 14-time Grammy winner’s influence on the beloved American sport. For those who are unaware, Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which helped increase both NFL viewership and jersey sales.
The clip, which was posted on Wednesday, began with Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones telling the camera: “The Swifties came in. It was like a whole new level of fandom. And the Swifties are real. It’s a real thing.”
Andy Reid – the Chiefs’ coach and a three-time Super Bowl champion – explained how Swift helped expose the NFL to a newer, younger, and mostly female fanbase. “I think it got a lot of young ladies interested and probably some older ones too, that maybe hadn’t watched quite as religiously as maybe they were when she was there,” he said.
It was then that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is also close friends with Kelce, revealed the “biggest” change the NFL has experienced since the “Cruel Summer” singer became a Chiefs fan.
“I think the biggest thing that I noticed during the season was just that the kids were becoming more and more fans, and you would see it through social media, you’d see it – there were games that we traveled to,” the 28-year-old football star said. “You would see more younger girls that were fans of the Chiefs and wanted to really embrace football and I thought that was cool to see.”
The father of two went on to share how Swift’s influence on the sport touched close to home for him, considering he shares three-year-old daughter Sterling Skye with wife Brittany Mahomes. “Me, having a daughter, to see these young girls with their dads at football games and being able to enjoy that. It definitely expanded our fanbase,” Mahomes said. “But I think it was all for the better, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
The “Anti-Hero” singer made her first appearance at her then-rumored boyfriend’s NFL game in September last year, when Kelce’s team faced off against the Chicago Bears. Since then, she’s cheered on Kelce at 13 NFL games – including Super Bowl LVIII, where the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.
In fact, her appearance at the Chiefs-Jets game last October ranked as the most-watched Sunday NFL show since Super Bowl 2023 at the time. Jersey sales for the Chiefs tight end also spiked by 400 percent, according to a report from the NFL’s e-commerce partner, Fanatics. And the NFL even changed the header on its official X account to a picture of Swift cheering on Kelce, as well as updated its bio to read: “We had the best day with you today” – a nod to the singer’s song “The Best Day” from her 2008 album, Fearless.
The 2024/2025 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 5, with the Chiefs playing against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Swift will be cheering on Kelce at the game. While it’s unclear if the “Shake It Off” singer will be in attendance, Swift is currently on a break from her record-breaking Eras Tour – meaning she’s available to watch Kelce’s first game from the stands.
