NFL explains Taylor Swift decision after being forced into embarrassing U-turn
After removing Taylor Swift content from their social media bio, the NFL has explained their decision to celebrate the singer and the Kansas City Chiefs after heavy criticism.
Sunday Night Football saw the New York Jets host the Chiefs, and they narrowly lost 23-20 as a Harrison Butker field goal in the fourth quarter was enough to put the Super Bowl champions 3-1 for the season. But Sunday night at MetLife Stadium was all about Travis Kelce and Swift, who was watching the tight end in the crowd for the second successive game.
The cameras kept cutting to Swift during the prime-time broadcast, and her reported romance with Kelce has been one of the biggest stories of the season so far. Swift has brought a whole new demographic of fans to the NFL, and Kelce shirt sales spiked by 400 percent, according to official merchandise partner Fanatics.
READ MORE: NFL forced into embarrassing Taylor Swift U-turn after backlash from fans
If you're a fan of the NFL then you can't escape the narrative, but fans thought it went too far on Sunday night when the NFL changed their Instagram bio to: "Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties." Their win over the Jets was controversial due to some unpopular decisions by the officials, and the NFL have now explained themselves for hailing Swift and the Chiefs after being slammed online.
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
"We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what’s happening in and around our games, as well as culturally," the NFL said in a statement issued to The New York Post. "The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport.
Kelce has become one of the most relevant names in the NFL (Getty Images)"The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives." The Jets were unhappy with the result on Sunday as they fought back against the Chiefs to force a tie game despite trailing 17-0.
The game was 20-20 heading into the fourth, and the Jets thought they'd picked off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes before a flag was thrown. An interception would have put them in a great position to potentially win the game, but a holding call on Sauce Gardner gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs.
Patrick Mahomes executed a win against the Jets in controversial circumstances (2023 Getty Images)The call was very controversial, so fans were unhappy to see the NFL celebrate the Chiefs' success due to their relevance with Swift at this time. They also had Swift as their header photo on Twitter /X, but quickly changed that too as they advertised the NFL London Games.
Swift's new found love for the NFL is having a positive impact on the sport and the league, bringing new fans in and giving it huge exposure. But core fans are still keen to keep the NFL in check.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
