This NFL season, we saw something that we have never seen before: how an influencer can take professional sports to new heights by expanding viewership and adding more value to the game.
In 2023, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce began dating global pop star Taylor Swift. Little did we know this would take the league by storm and greatly benefit the NFL, whether that be through viewership or revenue.
Influencers such as Swift are helping professional sports because they increase viewership and help expand the game to new audiences who wouldn’t have previously been interested. According to Business Insider, the NFL’s ratings increased by 7% after Swift attended her first game. Not only did her attendance improve the ratings, but it also expanded the NFL’s audience to a wider range of women and girls all across the United States. This is huge for the NFL, as Swift helped attract a demographic of individuals that wouldn’t have been drawn in without her presence.
The influence celebrities have on society is undeniable. They are role models for people all around the world, and their fans are intrigued to see what they are up to. This is evident as the addition of Swift being shown at games contributed to this year’s Super Bowl success.
This year’s Super Bowl had the largest recorded TV audience in U.S. history, according to ESPN, and this is partly credited to Swift. The impact Swift had on the audience contributed to the NFL’s success because she helped get other people to look into the sport.
Although I believe influencers are helping professional sports by increasing viewership, I dislike when they take away the main focus of why people are watching. It can get aggravating when I am watching a game and it pans to a shot of an influencer when I want to see what is going on with the game.
An example of this was present this year in the NFL when a lot of fans were getting sick of seeing shots of Swift multiple times during the game.
Influencers can also be a positive factor to the league by making the league or teams grow financially in many different ways. Because of Swift’s appearances in Chiefs media, the team added an estimated $331.5 million in revenue between print, digital, radio, TV, highlights and social media, according to Sporting News. Also, with all the buzz, tickets were selling faster and more were sold, ultimately helping the Chiefs increase the price of tickets.
Another influencer who helped their team sell more tickets was Eminem: he was present at Detroit Lions games and said it was going to be a special year for the Lions, which helped the team sell more tickets, according to People Magazine. This proves that influencers can help teams and the league earn money by simply rooting on their favorite teams in the stands.
Overall, influencers add to the entertainment factor of the game, and while they’re having fun watching and cheering their team on, they do not only benefit their brand, but the league and team as well.
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