Is Taylor Swift Saving The NFL?

Welcome to The Level Ups, modern business news for future business leaders (in plain-Jane English).

Taylor Swift is the biggest celebrity in the world, and if you don’t believe me, ask the NFL. She’s making them millions and helping them look good.

Today, we cover:

• Taylor Swift and the NFL: the context.

• The business of fandom.

• Why the NFL has never been happier.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes & 55 seconds.

Let’s get into it.

The Red Era:

Taylor Swift’s Era tour is projected to earn upwards of $2.2B (with a “B”). That’s before taking in all expenses, but it's still an absurdly successful tour.

For perspective, Aritzia made about $1.6B gross in 2023 (adjusted to USD). For more context, MrBeast makes about $54M annually (the tour will do 40x this).

The numbers are wild, but that’s not the best part.

This is all just ticket sales. No merchandise sales, streaming revenue, ad deals, etc. We’re talking huge numbers.

So, she’s a big deal. But what does this have to do with the NFL?

Rumours are that she’s dating Travis Kelce, arguably one of the greatest tight ends in American Football.

He’s a 2-time Super Bowl champ, eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro. He holds NFL records and is another “big deal” (though not as big as Taylor).

Of course, people have opinions. Is this another relationship before a breakup song? Even Donald Trump added his thoughts on this.

Either way, we have a power couple, but with a different dynamic. A major third party (the NFL) is seriously involved.

They’re the benefactors.

The Business of Fandom:

Taylor Swift’s fans, the ”Swifties,” are known for their zealous love of the artist.

A lot has happened since she started going to games.

For example:

• Kelce had a 122% increase in bets on him to score a touchdown. 

• His jersey sales are up 400%.

• Major brands are acting on the viral trend.

• The average ticket price shot up 35% to $380 after announcing she’d be at the game.

• Approximately 26 million people tuned in to watch the game. The only game with more viewers was the Super Bowl.

When I say the Swifties love her, this is why.

She’s not performing, speaking, or doing anything but watching the game.

After all those years of trying to engage younger fans and a female audience, all they had to do was get Taylor Swift to show up.

I hope the NFL thanks her because it’s not just about the money anymore.

Why the NFL has never been happier:

It gets more interesting when looking at the viewership.

• Viewership among teen girls aged 12-17 spiked 53% from the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of Sunday Night Football,

• The audience among Women aged 18-24 was up 24%,

• Women 35 and older increased by 34%.

This is not just about money, it’s about image.

The NFL has a few unfortunate cases that ruin it for everyone.

Some players are wrapped up in cases of alleged sexual assault. One player has 20 allegations against him.

You can see why some women aren’t fans of the game, at least not anymore.

Watching games, buying jerseys, and purchasing tickets support the players (including the accused) and the teams allegedly protecting them.

Taylor Swift is a big part of changing all this for the NFL and among younger women, where viewership has increased the most.

They owe her big. I’d bet they're praying it keeps going, but that’s where speculation starts.

Wrapping up:

This is a lesson for every major male-dominated industry, not just football.

One major influencer that can improve an image and be a game changer (pun intended) in so many ways.

While Taylor Swift is not very accessible (she’s the biggest star of our time, in my opinion), the playbook is the same.

Expect to see more female influencers in male-dominated industries. Mark my words, fortunes will be spent.

We’re all thinking the same thing, and I said it earlier. Is this a PR stunt for Taylor’s next song/album, or will they try and make it work (for real)?

Time will tell, but for now, let’s watch it play out.

Thanks for reading.