According to Market Watch, Swift is estimated to have brought nearly $1 billion in brand value to the league since she started dating Kelce, and has elevated other women in the NFL in the process. As I wrote last year, interest in the wives and girlfriends of NFL players has also become a huge part of the sport (one which the league, by the way, enthusiastically embraces), and several WAGs like Chanen Johnson and Chariah Gordon have become bonafide internet stars. In fact, the entire reason I traveled to the Super Bowl in the first place was to cover the WAGs and Swift for Glamour and YouTube, from the game day fashion to the cultural moments during the game and the surrounding events (I, honestly, could have cared less about the actual game play from a journalistic standpoint).
Taylor Swift at Super Bowl LIX, therefore, is a representation of a new NFL — one that isn’t just for men. This NFL is one that’s about the entire experiences of the league, one that anyone can enjoy whether or not they care about the sport. In this new, inclusive NFL, both the men and the women by their side are the stars. Those interested in football and those interested in fashion can enjoy the league together. In this sense, Swift is a true NFL star—one that’s certainly worthy of being shown during the game.
Of course, there are those who hate this.
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When Swift was first being embraced by many in the NFL, a large and vocal contingent of the league’s (male) fans came out in fierce opposition. They complained online that Swift was “ruining football” and was a “distraction.” The backlash grew so big during Swift’s first season as a WAG in 2023 that the NFL put out a statement defending their choice to capitalise on the insanely good marketing opportunity of having one of the most famous women in the world at their events. I know, what a concept!
In the stands last night, though, it felt like the bros were winning. As they jeered and booed, I could hear the undercurrent of hatred and felt the real-life manifestation of the trolling I had previously only seen virtually. Trump is president, they seemed to say, and the era of inclusivity in the NFL is over. Swift, and all of us who have had fun watching her in her WAG era, need to be put in our place. It felt gross and mean. It also felt significant.
In an era where Trump is singlehandedly dismantling decades of diversity, equity, and inclusion that generations of women, people of colour, and queer people have fought for, the Super Bowl felt like a microcosm of a larger problem. Not only does it feel like Trump and his ilk want Swift out of football, it’s like they want to return our entire country to a time when they were in control, had all the power, and could say whatever they wanted without repercussions.
And if it seems scary online, it’s even more chilling when you’re forced to confront it face to face.
This article originally appeared on GLAMOUR (US).