Certified “girl dad” Patrick Mahomes thanks Taylor Swift for attracting girls and teenagers to the NFL

Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce attracted a very different audience to NFL games.

t’s hard to question Patrick Mahomes’ star status. His charisma and talent on the field have made him one of the faces of the NFL in recent years. So when the Chiefs quarterback thanks Taylor Swift for the boost she has given the league, you better pay attention.

Swift burst into the NFL like a tsunami last season when she announced her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. With the so-called “Swifties” in tow, the music icon not only turned the league and its fans upside down but opened the doors to a new world of advertising and sports possibilities.

The numbers are more than eloquent. According to statistics from Apex Marketing, since Swift began attending Chiefs games, NFL sponsorships have increased by 20%. “Taylor Swift has effectively generated an additional $331.5 million in brand value for the Chiefs and NFL,” the agency said in a recent report.

Much of that increase came from the league’s rising popularity among young girls and teenagers. “Among teenage girls, NFL viewership has increased by 53 percent. Among the 18-24 age demographic, there has been an increase of 24 percent,” said Apex Marketing, and no one better than Mahomes to attest to that.

Mahomes and the “Swift Effect”
Mahomes, it’s worth remembering, shares two children with his wife Brittany, Sterling Skye, three, and Patrick “Bronze” Lavon, one. As a certified father of a girl, the Chief’s signal caller said he marveled at how Swift has sparked a new love of football among young girls and young women.

“I think it’s been cool to see the girls and the women that have really embraced watching football,” Mahomes said in a recent chat with Chris Simms on Sunday Night Football.

The three-time Super Bowl winner said the union of Swift and the NFL has brought fathers and daughters together. “And I know, being a girl dad, how cool it is for me, I mean to see like these little girls, these daughters, and how much they’re loving and spending time with their dad watching football.”

In terms of marketing, Goodell recalled that Swift “Creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, who are interested in seeing why she is going to this game, why she is interested in this game besides Travis. She [Swift] is a football fan.”

With the 2024 season kicking off today and Swift back in North America to continue her successful Eras Tour, her presence at some games is almost certain. Aside from the delight of young fans who will enjoy more images of their idol, the NFL is already preparing for the increase in revenue that this represents.