{"id":73262,"date":"2024-02-03T20:45:31","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T20:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/03\/pro-athletes-defend-taylor-swift-attending-travis-kelces-nfl-games\/"},"modified":"2024-02-03T20:45:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T20:45:31","slug":"pro-athletes-defend-taylor-swift-attending-travis-kelces-nfl-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/03\/pro-athletes-defend-taylor-swift-attending-travis-kelces-nfl-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Athletes Defend Taylor Swift Attending Travis Kelce’s NFL Games"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Many professional athletes do not agree with the \u201cdads, Brads and Chads\u201d hating on Taylor Swift<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s attendance at NFL games.<\/p>\n

Swift has been a fixture at boyfriend Travis Kelce<\/strong>\u2019s Kansas City Chiefs games since September 2023<\/a>, with the NFL occasionally showing her on the Jumbotron and on the broadcast when Kelce has a big play. The coverage outraged some diehard football supporters, lamenting that Swift is prioritized onscreen over the actual game. Swift and Kelce, meanwhile, haven\u2019t let the haters faze them (and reports have confirmed the league has toned down<\/a> how often they show the pop star).<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how they know what suite I\u2019m in. There\u2019s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don\u2019t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m being shown 17 times or once,\u201d Swift told TIME <\/i>i<\/a>n a December 2023 profile. \u201cI\u2019m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I\u2019m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelce later marveled at how his \u201camazing\u201d girlfriend handled the backlash<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ll say this, they showed Taylor at the game and you don\u2019t see an entire home team fanbase go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team\u2019s colors,\u201d he said during an episode of his \u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast that month. \u201cJust shows you how amazing that girl is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Travis Kelce Isn’t the Only Taylor Swift Fan in the NFL: Football Swifties<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tTaylor Swift is sparking the interest of the NFL\u2019s biggest stars \u2014 and we\u2019re not just talking about Travis Kelce. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, for one, attended multiple dates of Swift\u2019s Eras Tour when the show came through East Rutherford, NJ in May 2023. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of my dancing skills finally being [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He added at the time, \u201cThey went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on the screen. \u2026 Might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was f\u2014king screaming at Taylor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swift and Kelce, a tight end for the Chiefs since 2013, aren\u2019t the only ones in favor of her game day attendance. Keep scrolling to see what the stars have said in defense of Swift joining Chiefs Kingdom:<\/p>\n

Patrick Mahomes<\/b><\/h3>\n

Mahomes, the Chiefs starting quarterback, is a close friend of Kelce\u2019s and doesn\u2019t see Swift as a game day distraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it feels any different. People see the whole Taylor Swift and Travis [thing] and they make it a huge deal because it is a huge deal,\u201d Mahomes said in an ESPN sit-down<\/a> in November 2023. \u201cI think it becomes a bigger deal to the fanbases than it does to the guys who are actually in the building. \u2026 I think you can understand why it\u2019s not become a distraction or anything like that because everybody cares about being the best they can be every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Kelce<\/b><\/h3>\n

Travis\u2019 older brother, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, is all-in on the NFL\u2019s coverage of Swift since she\u2019s an \u201cunbelievable role model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attention\u2019s there because the audience wants to see it. If people didn\u2019t want to see it, they wouldn\u2019t be showing it, I know that,\u201d Jason quipped during an interview<\/span><\/a> with Cincinnati\u2019s ABC affiliate WCPO 9 in February 2024. \u201cShe\u2019s a world star and the quintessential artist right now in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201c[She\u2019s] immensely talented, an unbelievable role model for young women across the globe, so I think that the NFL would probably be foolish not to show her and show her be a role model for all the young girls out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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J.J. Watt<\/b><\/h3>\n

The retired football star confessed to <\/a>Us Weekly<\/a> <\/i>that he \u201ccan\u2019t understand\u201d why football fans have been \u201cso upset\u201d about Swift supporting Kelce\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, they show celebrities at games all the time. Don\u2019t act like we don\u2019t show male celebrities at games all the time,\u201d he exclusively told Us <\/i>in January 2024. \u201cI don\u2019t really understand why it\u2019s caused such an uproar. I mean, she\u2019s literally there supporting her significant other, and that\u2019s what you should do as a significant other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shannon Sharpe<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThey lose a game, [some will say] it\u2019s because of her. And they win a game, [some will ask], \u2018Why [are] the cameras on her?\u2019 But I like it,\u201d Sharpe, a retired tight end, exclusively told Us <\/i><\/a>in January 2024. \u201cI like it for him. I like her being at the game. She brings a different set of eyeballs to the game. There are a lot of young girls and women that are watching the NFL football that could care less about that. And so the NFL\u2019s, like, \u2018Hey, if we get new eyeballs, we get new customers, we\u2019re onboard.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>MLB Stars Love Taylor Swift Too \u2014 Who Are the Biggest Baseball Swifties?<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tTaylor Swift\u2019s romance with Travis Kelce has made her the talk of the NFL, but football players aren\u2019t the only athletes to show the singer love. New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo changed his walk-up song to Swift\u2019s Reputation hit \u201cReady for It?\u201d during a July 2023 game, instantly reversing his batting slump. Rizzo [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dan Marino<\/b><\/h3>\n

The retired Miami Dolphins quarterback told Us <\/i>in January 2024 that Swift \u201chasn\u2019t affected any games\u201d<\/a> from her perch in the stadium crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe might as well have fun and enjoy it while she\u2019s dating one of the stars in the NFL. And what\u2019s wrong with that? Nothing,\u201d Marino quipped.<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins<\/strong> also sees Swift\u2019s presence as a \u201cpositive for the league\u201d<\/a> despite certain fans booing her whenever the Chiefs lost a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, fans are going to be fans [and] maybe they blame her,\u201d Cousins told Us<\/i> in January 2024. \u201cI don\u2019t know if the blame is well placed, but I think a lot of the games she\u2019s attended, they played really well and they won.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Charles Barkley\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re screaming at Taylor Swift saying she ruined [football], you\u2019re just a loser,\u201d the retired NBA All Star quipped during a February 2024 episode of his King Charles <\/i>show. \u201cYou\u2019re just a loser or a jackass<\/a>. You\u2019re either A or B. You\u2019re one of the two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drue Tranquill<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got really, really something going and we enjoy having her<\/a> at our games,\u201d the Chiefs linebacker said on the \u201cZach Gelb Show\u201d in January 2024. \u201cIt brings a lot of energy and a lot of fun to our fans. And so that\u2019s good for business, good for football and good for the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Every Time Taylor Swift Attended Travis Kelce’s NFL Games<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tTaylor Swift has loved being the girl in the bleachers amid her blossoming romance with Travis Kelce. The \u201cAnti-Hero\u201d singer made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September 2023, watching them defeat the Chicago Bears from the Kelce family\u2019s private suite. After cheering alongside the tight end\u2019s mom, Donna Kelce, she [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Christian Okoye<\/b><\/h3>\n

The retired Chiefs running back stressed to TMZ Sports<\/a> in December 2023 that Swift has \u201cnothing to do\u201d with the team\u2019s game record.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaylor Swift is not on the field. Travis is playing like he always plays,\u201d Okoye said. \u201cTeams are just doubling up on him now knowing that our receivers are dropping the balls. When you\u2019re doing bad, people have to find excuses and they have to point fingers. Especially those who don\u2019t like the situation about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eli Manning<\/b><\/h3>\n

After news broke that Kelce was planning to spend his November 2023 bye week in Argentina to see Swift on her Eras Tour<\/i>, the former Giants quarterback defended the vacation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the bye week is a great time to get away from football and I think that\u2019s the idea,\u201d Manning told People<\/i> <\/a>at the time. \u201cIt is the time to rest the body, rest the mind a little bit, recharge yourself to get ready for that second half of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cI think for him to travel, there\u2019s nothing wrong with traveling, going somewhere. Hey, if he wants to go and support his girlfriend and see her play a concert, I\u2019ve got no problem with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carl Banks<\/h3>\n

The retired linebacker dismissed the backlash during a February 2024 interview with Page Six<\/i><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not down with the negative energy. I\u2019m loving all of what they\u2019re doing. I\u2019m here for it,\u201d Banks said. \u201c[Their relationship] is one of the great moments of this NFL season and anybody that\u2019s got a problem with it, they need to cope harder. If you can show my good friend Spike Lee <\/b>at every Knicks game and every opponent\u2019s game, then why not Taylor?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Stephen A. Smith<\/b><\/h3>\n

The sportscaster has become one of the most vocal members of Tayvis Nation (the fan-appointed nickname for Swift and Kelce\u2019s supporters) \u2014 and frequently defends the Grammy winner\u2019s game day outings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift,\u201d Smith said during a January 2024 ESPN broadcast<\/a>. \u201cEverybody\u2019s sitting up there and acting like she\u2019s some kind of impediment. \u2026 She\u2019s going to support her dude. To show up at a football game and the cameras are on her \u2014 that ain\u2019t her fault! And excuse me, by the way, she went to the games after the concerts. It\u2019s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Cowherd<\/b><\/h3>\n

Cowherd went on an impassioned rant<\/a> about the \u201creally weird, lonely, insecure men\u201d hating on Swift\u2019s NFL presence during a January 2024 episode of his The Herd <\/i>radio show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that a pop star \u2014 the world\u2019s biggest pop star \u2014 [is] dating a star tight end, who had one of his greatest games ever, and the network puts them on the air briefly, that bothers you. What does that say about your life?\u201d Cowherd, a sportscaster, quipped. \u201cDid you know, statistically, in a three-hour NFL broadcast \u2026 just 18 minutes are actual football, and we have the data, you don\u2019t turn away. There\u2019s coach cutaways, they show fans in Buffalo on fire, commercials, reviews. [It\u2019s] 18 minutes of real football, [which] for the record [is] about the length of five Taylor Swift songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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