KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 24: Taylor Swift reacts during a game between the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift mania is set to enter its third NFL season as the 35-year-old’s connection to the most popular major U.S. professional sports league continues in Brazil.
Swift, who is now engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is reportedly expected to be in São Paulo next Friday when the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers at Corinthians Arena. To date, Kansas City is 19-4 with Swift in attendance since Sept. 2023.
“It’s been a whirlwind, I would say, for the organization over the last two years since Taylor literally stepped into our lives,” said Chiefs owner Clark Hunt during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” in mid-August.
From Sept. 2023 through Jan. 2025, the football buzz around Swift generated nearly $1 billion in overall equivalent brand value through her connection with the Chiefs and NFL, according to an analysis provided by Apex Marketing Group. That figured included mentions across television, radio, print, digital and social media.
The frenzy has only continued ahead of the upcoming NFL campaign. Swift’s recent podcast appearance on “New Heights” — which is co-hosted by Travis and brother Jason — produced a half billion video views across the brand’s social media channels.
Following the podcast appearance, Hunt said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Kansas City’s fan base, which previously had a 50-50 split between male and female, is now skewed 57% female, making it “probably the highest” in the NFL. Ahead of Super Bowl LIX in Feb., Hunt also credited Swift, in part, for a 30% growth in the NFL franchise’s fan base.
He added, “There’s absolutely been a Taylor Swift effect.”
Meanwhile, Kelce, who experienced an immediate halo effect after Swift’s first official sighting at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in 2023, has also benefitted from the media buzz over the past tw0 years. The 35-year-old is currently the No. 2 most popular contemporary NFL player as of Q2 2025, per data from market research firm YouGov. The three-time Super Bowl champion — who reportedly signed a $100 million podcast deal in 2024 — also finished the most recent season as the No. 11 top-selling NFL player for officially licensed products.
YouTube will soon realize the Taylor Swift mania effect, too, as the tech behemoth exclusively airs the Sept. 5 game in Brazil, marking the platform’s first-ever live NFL game.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjburns/2025/08/26/taylor-swift-mania-with-the-nfl-enters-year-3/
