Taylor Swift wasn't around for Travis Kelce's game last Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Despite her absence, the NFL continued to hit season-high ratings, adding another wrinkle to the discussion of whether Swift is truly boosting the NFL and Kelce.
Ratings for the Oct. 8 'Sunday Night Football' game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers that ended in a blowout were comparable to the Sunday primetime game of the week prior that saw Swift attend a close victory of the Chiefs over the New York Jets.
But Joe Favorito, a longtime strategic media consultant and professor for sports management at Columbia University, offered a different perspective, one that goes beyond just television and streaming viewership.
"I think it will became kind of a perfect storm played out really well," Favorito told TheStreet. "I don't know anybody who hasn't benefited from this."
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Favorito pointed out that even though the NFL has a stronghold on American eyes, the league has put an emphasis on growing internationally. Swift's presence has exposed the league to many people outside of the United States.
"The place where the NFL benefits is globally," Favorito told TheStreet. "The casual fans knew about it, but how many fans who are Taylor Swift fans in Sweden and China, and South Africa — who had no interest in the NFL at all — suddenly found out about this guy named Travis Kelce. That's where the value came into the NFL."
The NFL has clearly pushed for more international exposure in recent years. The league is playing five regular season games this season in London and Germany, and it has also publicly expressed interest in potentially playing games in Brazil and Spain.
The league also announced last month that it's adding an extra roster spot starting 2024 for all 32 teams to include an international player. Leagues like the NBA and English Premiere League have benefitted in adding an international audience through its diverse player pool.
"(If) playing football goes into the Olympics, which it sounds like it's going to next week and, you know, you hear the commissioner talking more and more about global markets that they want to go play and outside of Germany and the UK."
Kelce is also undeniably a beneficiary of the exposure from Swift, and his social media and jersey sale boost has been well-documented. Favorito said that it's clear that Kelce — whose podcast was already topping charts prior to his rumored romance with Swift — was already trying to build his brand. This has simply put him on another level.
"Travis Kelce's team was building his image for years. I mean, I remember 2016 Superbowl where he had a whole crew there and nobody knew who Travis Kelce was," Favorito said.
Related: The NFL is exploring another crucial growth opportunity
But Favorito said that Swift, despite her already massive fanbase, still received a positive "bounce" from associating with the NFL. The timing was almost perfect given that her two public appearances combined for over 50 million viewers just as her film 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' releases on Oct. 13.
Favorito said he can't speculate as to whether the romance is authentic, but regardless, he thinks it's harmless and ultimately positive for everyone.
"It's been great fun. I don't think it's too much," Favorito said.
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