Taylor Swift has not performed at MetLife Stadium since the spring of 2023, but she made a return to East Rutherford that October, when the Kansas City Chiefs visited the New York Jets.
Fans hoping to get another glimpse of Swift in the Meadowlands might have a chance on Sept. 21, when the Chiefs come to town to play the New York Giants. Supporting her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Swift has made a loud entrance into die-hard football fandom, cheering from suites around the league and celebrating on the field as confetti rains down.
As always, where Swift goes, her fans follow. And when she began making weekly appearances at Chiefs games, she single-handedly shifted the demographics of the NFL’s audience.
The league has reacted accordingly, hinting at her attendance in promos and featuring her in cutaway clips to make her presence known. Some have taken offense, their days ruined by three-second snapshots of a celebrity they don’t care for. Others have embraced the planet’s most famous pop star.
Giants legend Michael Strahan revealed his take on the NFL’s Taylor Swift takeover in a quote from Sports Business Journal.
"Sports have leaked into pop culture —and it's a win for everyone," Strahan said. "Taylor Swift is one of the best things to happen to the NFL."
Women have long loved the game of football. But Swift’s gravity absorbs a market the league has never truly explored. Swift’s presence massively increased the popularity of Chiefs games and made Kelce the sport’s most famous player – even as he caught passes from the NFL’s best quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Sure, some fans tuning in are happy to leave football behind whenever Swift is away from the action. However, millions of fans following her lead means a fraction of them will fall in love with the sport. The game is bigger with Swift in it. The league makes more money. And the sport becomes something to be shared with more people than ever before. Like
New York will welcome Kansas City back to MetLife Stadium for Week 3’s edition of Sunday Night Football. Whether Swift is in attendance or watching from home, she will have already made an impact, and the NFL is better for it.