– I am amazed at how much the attention around the league has increased. Now father and daughter can watch the same game, says Jarle Magnus Henriksen, NFL expert and former Norwegian national team coach.
During Sunday’s NFL semifinals, artist Taylor Swift was on hand to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce. He is a star player on the Kansas City Chiefs and played Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl.
A LOT OF ATTENTION: After Sunday’s game, there has been a lot of attention around this photo.
Photo: AFP
Kelce and the Chiefs emerged victorious, but it’s Swift who steals the spotlight. The media is reporting on “Swift-mania” in American football at the moment.
Since September 2023, the artist has often been observed in the stands to watch Kelce’s matches. Recently, they were also able to confirm that the two were a couple.
– When I went to the first game, we were a couple, Swift said New York Times in December.
American CNN recently presented figures on how many times the TV producers have cut in Swift during recent Chiefs games. When Kelce’s team met the New York Jets in October, Swift was in the TV box 17 times.
In last week’s showdown between the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, she was shown seven times, according to CNN. Among other things, she was pictured in the VIP stand next to Kelce’s older brother, Jason Kelce, who received a lot of attention after posing shirtless.
At the same time, the channel reports that the aforementioned matchup is the most watched NFL game in the divisional playoffs in history – with an incredible 50 million viewers.
LOVE STORY: “Love story” is one of Taylor Swift’s most famous songs, and now she is embarking on a new love story with Travis Kelce.
Photo: AFP
– Can be the most watched
Mattis Holt is VG’s NFL commentator. He doesn’t think it’s deserved that the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. During the team’s mediocre performances, there has been the most focus on Swift, he says.
– If you look at the whole season as one, it is not deserved by the Chiefs being in the Super Bowl. They have really turned it up in the playoffs, while it has been a Taylor Swift show for them all season, Holt tells NRK.
The commentator believes that the increasing attention to the sport is only positive, and that it helps to have the 34-year-old superstar in the stands.
SWIFT SHOW: Mattis Holt notices the growing attention surrounding Taylor Swift at the matches.
Photo: Private
– It probably has something to say for people in Norway who have considered putting on a match that Taylor Swift is in the stands.
According to Holt, Kelce had a bad start to the season before Swift started showing up in the stands. With his girlfriend present, both he and Chiefs have found their flow.
Holt believes the artist has been a breath of fresh air for the American media, and that it is no longer just ordinary articles about American football that reach the biggest TV channels and newspapers.
– This year’s Super Bowl could quickly become the most watched. The NFL is by far the biggest sport in the US, but it is likely that the viewership record will be broken this year, says Holt.
The Super Bowl final in 2023 was seen by over 100 million people.
This year’s final will be played on Sunday 11 February and will be broadcast on VG+ Sport. Swift is playing a concert in Japan the night before, but Fox Sports have sources that the artist still manages to get to the final city of Las Vegas in time.
– Rarely with such big stars in the sport
Jarle Magnus Henriksen is passionate about American football and thinks it is nice to have more attention around the sport.
– It is not a negative thing that Taylor Swift increases the attention, and it is rare that there are stars as big as her in the sport, Henriksen tells NRK.
He points out that the NFL is an entertainment circus anyway.
FINAL: Travis Kelce with the ball in hand is ready for the Super Bowl after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens.
Photo: AFP
– It is a league that has an enormous amount of viewers from before. I think this year’s Super Bowl will be able to break some records.
– Can it make American football more popular in Norway?
– It might lead to the occasional soul noticing the sport because of Taylor Swift. It’s also rare that a tight end (Travis Kelce’s position) gets this much attention.
Disagree about who wins
The final in the Super Bowl is between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Henriksen believes the latter are small favourites.
– Even though the 49ers haven’t won the Super Bowl in quite some time, I hope they make it this year. They are slight favourites, but it can go either way, says Henriksen.
Holt, for his part, thinks it favors the Chiefs against the 49ers.
– The Chiefs have more experienced players in Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and they have more players who have played in more Finals. The team from Kansas City won last year.
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