NFL Commissioner Says Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Romance Is “Great for the League”
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Roger Goodell thinks the flurry of attention Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship is bringing to the Kansas City Chiefs and the larger league is “great” for the game.
The NFL commissioner shared his feelings on the duo’s impact on broadcast viewership and league interest — particularly about Swift’s fans — during an interview on Wednesday with CBS Mornings, in which he also addressed previously announced plans to expand into Spain and Brazil, and offered newer comments about his stance on sports betting by NFL league players and employees and the league’s approach to protecting players in the collision and contact-driven sport.
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When asked about Swift, Goodell called the Grammy winner an “unbelievable artist,” while also noting that Kelce is an “unbelievable player.”
“Listen, they’re happy. They seem to be enjoying their relationship. That’s great in and of itself,” Goodell said. But it has connected more fans of Taylor’s and more fans of the NFL in some ways.”
The NFL commissioner, who at the top of the interview also discussed how expanding the league’s Thanksgiving week and weekend game schedule this year is part of a strategy to expand the NFL’s audience, said that the duo’s relationship is a positive for connecting more people to the sport.
“To see that they have a connection, now they have a connection to our game and to Taylor…” he said. “I think it’s great for the league to have that kind of attention. So we welcome it.”
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Alex Weprin for a September cover story, Goodell and other NFL officials outlined an ambitious strategy for not only moving the NFL into the streaming era, but also expanding the league’s audience through new TV and media deals.
In addition to simulcasts and new rights deals with streamers like Peacock, Paramount+ and ESPN+, the league is also offering exclusive games to reach streaming audiences outside local markets. Amazon, in many ways, has paved the way. They are also expanding their presence in Hollywood, finding studio partners and considering the kinds of creatives they can partner with to produce more documentary project, as well as scripted films and TV series, like a potential project about Vince Lombardi and kids’ series.
“We’re trying to bring as many people into that ecosystem and to that NFL fandom as possible and non-game content is a very effective way to do that,” Goodell says. “Interestingly enough, Hard Knocks has always done incredibly well with women because I think they like to see the story, they like to see the struggle, they like to see the challenges, they like to see where these players came from, they like to get to know them on a more personal basis.”
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