NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Says 'Taylor Swift Effect' Is Good for League Viewership
“She‘s the best of the best," Goodell said in a press conference Monday
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Taylor Swift; Roger GoodellThe NFL is happy to have Taylor Swift around!
On Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell professed his appreciation for the Midnights singer, 34, and her love for football. He said in a press conference before the 2024 Super Bowl that she has had a “wonderful” effect on viewership since she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce last year.
“I think it's great to have her a part of it,” Goodell, 64, said. “It creates a buzz, it creates another group of young fans — particularly young women — that are interested in seeing, ‘Why is she going to this game? Why is she interested in this game?’”
“Besides Travis, she is a football fan, and I think that's great for us," he continued.
Goodell also noted that more people are tuning in because of the “great competition” among teams this year. He said 70% of NFL games have “been within one score in the fourth quarter.”
Nonetheless, he said he can’t deny that the “Taylor Swift Effect” has boosted ratings.
“Having the ‘Taylor Swift Effect’ is also positive,” he admitted. “Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people and they seem very happy. She knows great entertainment, and that's why she loves NFL football.”
Related: Ratings Soared for Chiefs Game as Taylor Swift Cheered on Travis Kelce
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When asked about rumors that Swift’s involvement at the games are “scripted,” Goodell laughed it off and denied anything was set-up.
“There's no way that I could have scripted that one,” he said.
Goodell added that he sees where fans’ passion for Swift comes from, having attended two of the pop superstar’s Eras Tour shows with his daughters and wife.
“She is a remarkable performer, she knows great entertainment,” he said, adding, “She‘s the best of the best so having her come to NFL games, having her part of that, is nothing but a positive.”
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Goodell isn’t the only one who is happy about Swift’s impact on the NFL since she began dating Kelce, 34. FOX Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews recently told PEOPLE that the Grammy winner is broadening the audience and encouraging women to become invested in the sport.
"I've been very passionate and emotional about it. I think it's amazing," Andrews, 45, said during an interview for her clothing line, WEAR by Erin Andrews, on Monday. "I feel so bad for people who are having any sort of issue with it."
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