I remember what it felt like as a little girl to go to football games with my dad. The blazing stadium lights, the roar of the crowd when the Bruin fight-song came on in the Rose Bowl, and how my dad yelled when our team fumbled the ball. Sometimes when I think back to those games they’re some of the best family memories I have from my childhood. But as I entered young adulthood, I stopped caring about football, focusing on other interests, like reading, and pop music.
I would be lying if Syracuse football didn’t have an influence on my college decision. My mom always tells a story about her first year at UCSB before she transferred to UCLA, where she met my dad and graduated with her bachelors degree.
She says, “When I found out they didn’t have a football team I didn’t want to go there anymore.”
Like my mom, I knew I would hate my college experience if football wasn’t a part of it.
My freshman year at Syracuse I went to almost every game. Drunk frat boys would scream beside me, and I remember noticing their behavior in contrast to my girlfriends, who seemed disconnected, mostly on their phones.
Then last year when Taylor Swift started attending Chiefs’ games, football found itself in my life again. Suddenly when my favorite artist was at games, I found myself wanting to tune in, despite never even having watched NFL football before.
As I consumed Taylor and football content on social media, I began to wonder; Why are people so outraged that the NFL posts Taylor?
Although the situation itself is complex, the answer is not.
Men think women don’t have a place in football.
With the kickoff of the 2024 football season last weekend, and Taylor Swift’s return to the stands, so too came a revitalization of the anger and resentment people feel toward Taylor and the NFL for its focus on her.
In a TikTok post from last weekend’s Chiefs’ game on the NFL TikTok account, the top shown comment says, “Can we get a football post” with 17k likes and almost 4k replies.
Screenshot from @NFL TikTok, 9/6/2024
The sentiment in this comment and ones like it is clear. Content that focuses on Taylor Swift feels like a distraction from content about the game itself.
Yet for every comment complaining about the NFL’s posts focusing on Taylor, there are 50 more from mothers and women who Taylor has inspired to start enjoying football.
One mother says, "My daughter and her dad have been excited for this game all day”, with the NFL account replying with loving emojis.
That comment alone has 19.7k likes, two thousand more than the man’s comment above it.
Screenshot from NFL TikTok, 9/6/2024
While it's clear the official NFL social media accounts, including @NFL and @Chiefs on TikTok, have put a significant effort into showcasing Taylor at games, the critique that it takes away from the point of the game itself falls flat.
The focus on bringing Taylor Swift into the NFL universe through social media has brought millions of more fans to the game, making it feel accessible, as opposed to being an exclusive club that only men get to enjoy.
The same girls I sat with at Syracuse games on their phones three short years ago, watched the Super Bowl this year, yelling at the TV and crying when the Chiefs won.
As the 2024 football season commences, I think it's important to ask ourselves why people are so bothered by Taylor Swift on their screen. Is it really because it's distracting? Or because they don’t like the female fan base that comes along with her.
Banner photo provided by @taylorswift on Instagram
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