NFL hits back at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce coverage criticism
New York, New York - After Travis Kelce called out the NFL's over-the-top coverage of his relationship with Taylor Swift, the league has defended its promotion of the viral pair.
On Wednesday, the 34-year-old athlete admitted that he felt the NFL was "overdoing it" when it came to its coverage of the 33-year-old singer's recent visits to his Kansas City Chiefs games.
With many fans also criticizing the league's apparent decision to capitalize on the gossip, the NFL defended the choice to ESPN, calling the rumored romance a "pop cultural moment."
"The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we've leaned into in real time, as it's an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we've seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport," the league said.
In response to backlash from both Swifties and football fans over their decision to use the Grammy winner's photos in their X header and update their Instagram bio to "chiefs are 2-0 as swifties," the NFL clarified that updating these features is par for the course.
"We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what's happening in and around our games, as well as culturally," they said on Wednesday.
Shortly after plugging Swift on their pages after her appearance at MetLife on Sunday, the NFL pages have now updated to promote the upcoming Jaguars-Bills game in England.
Will the NFL pull back in its coverage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?
Along with coverage of Swift's attendance at the games, networks have also run commercials featuring both the Karma songstress and her rumored beau.
According to the New York Post, the NFL reportedly asked networks to promote Swift's upcoming Eras Tour concert film during the league's games.
Kelce, meanwhile, appeared in three different commercials during Sunday's broadcast.
Ahead of Sunday's Chiefs-Jets game, NBC leaned into the social media buzz with a pregame package that featured a compilation of TikTok videos, news headlines, and more about Swift and Kelce's alleged romance, giving the program the tagline, "Taylor-made for Sunday night."
The Anti-Hero artist likely approved the use of her song, Welcome to New York, which appears to be the re-recorded version from 1989 (Taylor's Version), which drops on October 27.
Without any clear involvement of Swift or Kelce, several brands outside of football have capitalized on the gossip with new products, such as Heinz releasing a "seemingly ranch" limited-edition ketchup inspired by a viral photo of Swift at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite the concerns, the crossover's apparent success in boosting viewership likely means that, at least for now, the NFL has no plans to slow things down.
Cover photo: Collage: Dimitrios Kambouris & EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP