Jason Kelce has bravely stated the obvious — which, given the scrutiny applied to all comments on this topic, is harder than it might sound.
In an interview during Pro Bowl week, Kelce asserted that he knows the NFL — a finely tuned media ratings machine that has completely dominated North American sports — would not show Taylor Swift as much as it does if people didn't want to see her.
"The NFL would be foolish not to show (Taylor Swift)."
Jason Kelce was asked about the NFL's attention toward Taylor Swift (his brother's girlfriend) this season.
"(She is) an unbelievable role model for young women across the globe."@WCPO pic.twitter.com/NBhRwuPiGv
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) February 3, 2024
Kelce is correct, of course, as he so often tends to be. Swift is shown for anywhere between 30 seconds and a minute of airtime each week; so the NFL sinks about as much time into showing her as it does to air a couple of commercials. Considering that we're talking about the Time Person of the Year, the highest-earning musical performer of this era (if not ever) and (as of Sunday night) the only four-time Grammy winner for Album of the Year, that's a worthwhile time investment.
Some NFL fans have lashed out regarding the league's "incessant" pushing of Swift, who is dating Kelce's brother Travis, the Chiefs' star tight end. They have even concocted conspiracy theories that Travis and the Chiefs have been pushed to the Super Bowl to ensure Swift brings her audience with her. But Jason, who knows that Taylor and Travis have not asked for any of the coverage, stood by his brother and his new sweetheart, calling her "an unbelievable role model to young women across the globe."
This all amounts to a powerful statement coming from someone who is not only a father of three daughters but also a seven-time Pro Bowler, a six-time first-team All-Pro, a Super Bowl champion and likely Hall of Famer. If Jason believes that Taylor being on screen for a few seconds per game is the right thing for the NFL and the game of football, he's probably correct. The game and its audience are growing, and that's certainly worth a few seconds taken away from close-up sideline footage of Chiefs coach Andy Reid and signal-caller Patrick Mahomes.
