Women belong in all places… including football stadiums.[2]
It’s a Love Story, NFL Said Yes
On September 24, 2023, Taylor Swift’s appearance in a Kansas City Chiefs box at Arrowhead Stadium sent social media into a frenzy.[3] Her attendance followed Travis Kelce’s public admiration after attending her Eras Tour concert in St. Louis. On the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce, Travis expressed disappointment that he was unable to give Swift a handmade friendship bracelet featuring his number.[4] Since then, Swift has attended numerous Chiefs games to support Kelce, including the last two Super Bowls.[5]
During the 2024-2025 season, Swift’s presence at games continued to correlate with a sharp rise in female viewership and merchandise sales, prompting increased sponsorship deals and marketing campaigns aimed at women. Networks expanded their coverage to include more female analysts and commentators, acknowledging the shifting demographics of their audience. Even the Chiefs themselves have seen increased fan engagement across all demographics in the last two years Swift’s been in regular attendance, solidifying the “Taylor Swift effect” as an enduring cultural and economic phenomenon.
Haters Gonna Hate, Hate, Hate, The NFL Gonna Shake It Off Amid Spike in Viewership and Revenue
Celebrities attending sporting events is nothing new. When an athlete is dating a high-profile celebrity or is in the media spotlight, increased attention follows.[6][7] However, the reaction to Swift’s appearances over the past two seasons has been unprecedented, compelling people to publicly berate her.[8] Dramatic comments such as “Taylor Swift is ruining football,” and “Football as we know it is over” were shouted at Swift leaving the 2024 NFC Championship game.[9] Posts on X (formerly Twitter) complained, “The wall-to-wall coverage is annoying AF, I don't even like football, and I agree it's destroying football. Just enough.” Another post captioned "Me every time they mention Taylor Swift" featured a clip from Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia yelling "Shut Up!”[10]
Yet, compared to Swift’s actual airtime at the games, the criticism is nothing short of an exaggeration.[11] During the 2024 NFC Championship, Swift was shown seven times for a total of 44 seconds, amounting to just 0.39% of the three-hour broadcast, with similar numbers during the 2025 Championship game.[12] In fact, the only broadcast where she was shown for over a minute was the 2023 Chiefs v. Dolphins game, and her average airtime per game she attended coming in under 30 seconds.[13]
Economically, Swift’s attendance has been a goldmine for the NFL. Compared to the prior 2023 season, female viewership increased by 12%, leading to the highest-ever regular-season female audience.[14] That same season, Kelce’s Instagram grown by 3.5 million followers in less than two months, and his podcast, New Heights, dominated, ranking #1 on Apple’s charts.[15]
Now, a year later, her sustained engagement at games and ability to mobilize a dedicated fan base have translated directly into long-term viewership increases and record-breaking merchandise sales. Since 2023, her influence has added $400 million in brand value, driven a 500% increase in Kelce’s jersey sales, and attracted Swift’s fans to the sport––17% of her followers admitted she inspired them to spend on football.
This Is Why We [Women] Can’t Have Nice Things, Darling
Perhaps the most troubling criticism came from a clumsy analogy in which one audacious man compared the NFL’s interest in Swift to a 9-year-old little girl, saying that this hypothetical girl, perpetually singing and dancing to Swift is “cute at first” but eventually became "annoying.”[16]
These misogynist comments, some more politely veiled than others, illustrate how Taylor Swift’s presence in the box at an NFL game is another instance of the systematic policing of women’s public presence–a long-standing narrative of looking at a woman and saying, “you can’t do that.”[17]
Feminist legal theorist, Catherine McKinnon, has explored the concept of gendered spaces, arguing that men dominate the public sphere while women are relegated to the private sphere.[18] The divide between private and public spaces is deeply rooted in stereotypical gender roles, making laws that that reinforce gender-based spatial segregation vulnerable to challenge under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[19]
No One Likes a Mad Woman / You Made Her Like That
The male-dominated world of sports provides clear examples of how women’s presence is policed in the public sphere.[20] In 2020, Saints’ cheerleader, Jacalyn Davis, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), alleging gender discrimination because of the anti-fraternization policy.[21] According to her complaint, the Saints’ anti-fraternization policy constrains the cheerleaders' behaviors––both during and outside of work––while imposing no such restrictions on NFL players.[22]
Davis was fired from her role with the Saints for allegedly violating the policy through in-person contact with NFL players and posting pictures of herself on social media in a one-piece outfit.[23][24] Even if there were sufficient justification for the anti-fraternization policy, the fact that the policy places the burden to comply solely on the cheerleaders creates a censorship issue concerning how women are allowed to act and behave in the public sphere.[25]
Similarly, in Schreiner v. Caterpillar, Inc, a female machinist sued after men in her division were promoted more quickly and her supervisor repeatedly made sexist remarks, such as saying that the department was not a “women’s area.” [26][27] Men have historically weaponized the historical divide between the private and public to dictate where women belong, revealing their belief that women are somehow too inferior to occupy the same space as them.[28]
Don’t Treat [Her] Like Some Situation That Needs to Be Handled
During the Chiefs 2024 playoff win over the Buffalo Bills, Jason Kelce, Eagles’ former center and Travis Kelce’s brother, was seen chugging beers shirtless, unsurprising to Eagles’ teammates who called him “Truly the captain.”[29] Fans hailed shirtless Jason Kelce after a clip emerged of him lifting up a young girl to help show Taylor Swift her homemade sign, praising him, with one fan noting: “How can you not love him?” another added that he was “a true man of the people“ while elsewhere he was called “Awesome.”[30]
In fact, shirtless Jason Kelce holding a beer is now a Funko Pop collectible, with Funko saying in its product description, “Kelce’s shirtless celebration has made waves throughout pop culture, no matter which team you’re rooting for, every football fan understands the raw excitement of supporting a loved one at a big game.”[31] If people understand the raw excitement of a man publicly supporting a loved one, why not a woman?
With the Chiefs Super Bowl LIX loss on Sunday and heightened scrutiny over Swift and Kelce’s relationship, we can expect to see the same tired criticisms about her daring to take up one seat in an arena despite an undeniable surge of new fans and the wave of economic growth she has ushered into the sport. Yet, even in taking up just one seat, she’s proving that women’s presence isn’t a disruption—it’s letting her enjoy the excitement of supporting a loved one at a big game.
Madeline Maday (Managing Editor) is a 3L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law from Clarkston, Michigan. She graduated from Emory University where she competed on their softball team. Upon graduation, she will be joining the Global Sports Advocates team in Portland, Maine
References:
[1] Photo Source: jv394587, Taylor -, Flickr (Sept. 25, 2023) (All rights reserved).
[2] See Mary Cate Cary, Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Experience Shows the Supreme Court Needs More Women, U.S. News (May 20. 2019), https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/mary-kate-cary/2009/05/20/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-experience-shows-the-supreme-court-needs-more-women (quoting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in part).
[3] See Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears: Taylor supports Travis Kelce at game amid dating rumors. Here’s what happened, The Economic Times (Sep. 25, 2023 6:43 AM), https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/kansas-city-chiefs-vs-chicago-bears-taylor-swift-supports-travis-kelce-at-game-amid-dating-rumors-heres-what-happened/articleshow/103941840.cms (stating multiple TV broadcasts showing Swift’s reactions during the game).The NFL social media accounts joined in the excitement, sharing clips of Swift and posted a video of Swift and Kelce leaving the stadium. See id. (stating the way the NFL contributed to the social media frenzy). Reporters at the post-game conference prioritized asking about Swift’s presence, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes even expressing his desire to meet Swift in the future. See id. (acknowledging the pressure Mahomes felt to get Kelce a touchdown with Swift in the stadium). See also, Taylor Swift: The record-breaking artist in numbers, BBC (Mar. 2, 2020), https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51711128 (highlighting Taylor Swift’s accomplishments). Taylor Swift is a singer, songwriter who is the most-awarded artist of the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the most Album of the Year wins at the Grammy Awards, the most Video of the Year wins at the MTV Video Music Awards, the most times awarded the Global Recording Artist of the Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, being included in the Time 100 three times (2009, 2015, 2019), registering 118 Guinness World Records as of December 2023, having the most awarded album in country music history, in total, being nominated for 1,251 awards and winning 641 times. See id. (listing Taylor Swift’s career accomplishments).
[4] See Ingrid Vasquez, Travis Kelce Reveals Exactly When His and Taylor Swift’s ‘Crazy Ride’ of a Romance First Began, People (Feb. 1, 2024 1:10 PM), https://people.com/travis-kelce-reveals-when-he-taylor-swift-romance-first-began-8557241 (stating that Kelce and Swift had known each other for about a month before her appearance at his game in September). See also, Did Taylor Swift put Travis Kelce on the map? A social-media expert weighs in, Fox Sports (Oct. 6, 2023 8:00 AM), https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/did-taylor-swift-actually-help-put-travis-kelce-on-the-map-a-social-media-expert-weighs-in (comparing Kelce’s fame to Swift’s). Kelce is a nine-time pro bowler, four time first-team All-pro Tight end for the Chiefs, holds the nfl record for most consecutive and most overall season by a tight end, record for most receiving yards by a tight end with a single season, and was a two time superbowl champion. See id. (stating Travis Kelce’s accomplishments).
[5] See S P Jones and Andrew Gamble, Travis Kelce breaks Silence on Taylor Swift relationship and her NFL appearances, Mirror (Feb. 2, 2024), https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/american-sports/travis-kelce-taylor-swift-nfl-32026632 (listing Swift’s appearances at Chiefs games).
[6] See ETonline Staff, Celeb Sports Fans Get Their Cheer On, ET (Jan. 18, 2024 7:12 AM), https://www.etonline.com/gallery/celeb-sports-fans-get-their-cheer-on-in-2019-117089/selena-gomez-and-benny-blanco-95186 (highlighting celebrity appearances at professional sports games).
[7] See supra note 3 (describing the social media phenomenon that has continued since Swift attended Kelce’s first NFL game).
[8] See Jay Stahl, ‘The View’ co-hosts clap back at men who criticize Taylor Swift’s NFL game appearances, USA Today (Jan. 31, 2024). https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/01/31/the-view-hosts-defend-taylor-swift-male-nfl-fans/72426775007/ (interviewing view hosts Joy Behar who slammed men for critizing Swift because women are making gains in American culture).
[9] See Bobby Burack, The NFL’s Taylor Swift Obsession is Officially Too Much, OutKick (Oct. 2, 2023). https://www.outkick.com/nfls-taylor-swift-obsession/ (stating that showing Taylor Swift in the box during the New York Jets game was “cringe”). Additionally, sportscaster Dan Patrick requested that there be one less Taylor Swift question, regarding interviews with the Chiefs, and more questions about the ankle of “the best player in the world,” Patrick Mahomes. See Id. (stating that the coverage of Swift came at the expense of “actual” reporting. [Quotation added]).
[10] See Ryan Smith, The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Backlash Has Begun, Newsweek (Oct. 2, 2023). https://www.newsweek.com/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-dating-backlash-has-begun-nfl-1831282 (stating that media coverage of Taylor Swift cheering on Travis Kelce sparked social media backlash). Some fans even went so far as to accuse the referees of being biased in the Chiefs favor to keep the team on a winning streak and boost income. See id. (explaining that some fans see Swift’s appearance as being part of a conspiracy to increase revenue).
[11] See id. (contrasting public backlash over Swift’s television appearances with how much airtime she actually captured).
[12] See Mike McDaniel, Taylor Swift’s Actual Amount of Airtime During NFL Games Will Shock Critics, SI (Jan. 30, 2024). https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/01/30/taylor-swift-actual-amount-airtime-nfl-games-will-shock-critics-kansas-city-chiefs (revealing that Swift was not shown on television as much as critics thing she was). Additionally, during that same broadcast, the cameras showed the “making, serving and eating of crab cakes,” which accounted for 27 seconds of air time; well over half of the total time that Swift was shown during the entire game. See id. (comparing the amount of time Swift was shown versus other non-game moments shown as part of the broadcast).
[13] See How Often Is Taylor Swift Actually Shown at N.F.L. Games, NY Times (Jan. 30, 2024). https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/style/taylor-swift-nfl-broadcasts.html (noting that chefs beat the dolphin’s 26-7 in an arguably uninteresting game).
[14] See Kellar Ellsworth, Taylor Swift has reportedly generated ‘over $300 million’ in revenue for NFL, GIVEMESPORT (Jan. 31, 2024) https://www.givemesport.com/taylor-swift-has-generated-over-300-million-in-revenue-for-nfl/#:~:text=Taylor%20Swift%20attending%20Chiefs%20games,six%20percent%20increase%20in%20males. (breaking down the effect Taylor Swift has had on the NFL). Specifically with a 53% increase among women aged 12-17, a 34% rise in those over 35 and 24% in the 18-24 demographic. See also Ariana Cohen, Super Bowl or Swiftie Bowl?, CBS (Feb. 2, 2024) https://www.cbs8.com/article/sports/nfl/superbowl/inside-taylor-swifts-impact-on-the-nfl/509-92ca5bef-4cd8-45dd-8ced-edac383bae46#:~:text=Marketwatch%20reports%20that%20Swift's%20association,in%20the%2018%2D24%20demographic. (stating that Swift’s association with the NFL has boosted the leagues brand value by millions).
[15] See id. (stating that Kelce’s personal and podcast following has skyrocketed since his relationship with Swift became public).
[16] See Burack, supra note 8 (stating that the NFL needs to “chill out” with showing Swift on television).
[17] See Enrique Galeana, Policing women’s bodies is unacceptable, Wolfpack Times (Mar. 20, 2021). https://wolfpacktimes.net/2659/opinion/policing-womens-bodies-is-unacceptable/ (defining what it means to police women’s bodies).
[18] See infra note 20 (introducing Catherine McKinnen as one of the predominant feminist theorists of the time).
[19] See Tracy E. Higgins, Reviving the Public/Private Distinction in Feminist Theorizing, 75 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 543 (2000) (discussing the feminist discourse surrounding women’s presence in the private versus public sphere). See alsoUCLA Women's Law Journal, Ronnie Cohen & Shannon O'Byrne, Can You Hear me Now...Good! Feminism(s), the Public/Private Divide, and Citizens United v. FEC, 20 UCLA Women's L.J. 1 (2013), https://escholarship.org/uc/item/57j10924, doi:10.5070/L3201018046 (stating that important goals by early feminist was to challenge the distinction between the public and private spheres). See also Margaret A. Baldwin, Public Women and the Feminist State, 20 Harv. Women's L.J. 47 (1997) (stating that common law was based on the divide between the different spheres men and women occupy).
[20] See infra note 22 (stating that sports provides inherent opportunities for studying gender discrimination).
[21] See Francine Eichhorn, HOW THE NFL "PROTECTS" CHEERLEADERS WITH DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES, 34 ABA J. Lab. & Emp. L. 289 (2020). (filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging gender discrimination by the Saint’s NFL team). Davis alleged that cheerleaders were instructed to follow discriminatory rules including: blocking NFL players on social media, not contacting NFLl players, not liking their social media posts, not responding to messages with NFL players, following NFL players or coaches on social media platforms, avoiding contact with over 200 players in the NFL, removing their last names from instagram accounts to avoid NFL players from finding them online, avoiding making eye contact with NFL players, and, if they encounter a NFL player in public, they have to leave the location immediately even if the player show up after the cheerleader arrived; none of these instructions were given to the NFL players in return. See id. (stating that the Saint’s anti-fraternization policy is sexist because it only applied to the cheerleaders).
[22] See id. (alleging gender discrimination based on the policy).
[23] See id. (detailing why Davis was allegedly fired from the Saints’ organization).
[24] See id. (stating the inequality is sufficient grounds for a gender discrimination suit). The Saints replied to Davis’ complaints of gender discrimination by saying the anti-fraternization policy is designed to protect the cheerleaders from NFL “players preying on them.” See id. (stating the reason provided by the Saint’s for the existence of the anti-fraternization policy).
[25] See id. (stating that the purpose of the policy is irrelevant to the discussion about whether it constitutes gender discrimination, but rather the way the policy is being applied equally between a women held position and a male one).
[26] See Schreiner v. Caterpillar, Inc., 250 F.3d 1096 (7th Cir. 2001) (holding that there must be a nexus between the person making the discriminatory comments and the employment power that person has over the plaintiff).
[27] See id. (holding that the statements were not permitted to be entered as evidence because the statement was not on the issue of liability because that supervisor was not making her employment decisions).
[28] See id. (explaining the statements used by Schriner’s supervisor that contributed to the lawsuit). See also Jessica A. Clarke, ARTICLE: EXPLICIT BIAS, 113 Nw. U.L. Rev. 505 (2018) (highlighting the way gender discrimination can look in the workplace).
[29] See David Harrison, Eagles Teammates Not Surprised by Jason Kelce’s Shirtless Antics: ‘The Captain!’, Eagles Today (Feb. 2, 2024), https://www.si.com/nfl/eagles/news/philadelphia-eagles-jason-kelce-shirtless-aj-brown-devonta-smith-travis-kelce-super-bowl (describing Jason Kelce’s behavior as delighting to fans in attendance and those at home).
[30] See Ben Nagle, Fans hail shirtless Jason Kelce after an adorable clip emerges of him lifting up a young girl to help show Taylor Swift her homemade sign at Chiefs-Bills game: ‘How can you not love him?’ dailymail. (Jan. 22, 2024) (describing fan reaction to Jason Kelce’s appearance at the chiefs game).
[31] See TMX, Shirtless Jason Kelce holding a beer is now a Funko Pop collectible, WAFB (Feb. 2, 2024). (stating that Jason Kelce’s viral shirtless celebration has been immortalized in the form of a Funko Pop figurine).