Chiefs in their Taylor Swift era: Owner says majority of fans are women

USA Today

12 hours ago

Who knew that the beginning of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour would kick off another new era in a totally different part of American culture?
Since she made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game nearly two years ago, the team has been reaping the benefits of its own Taylor Swift era.
Chiefs principal owner Clark Hunt joined the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Aug. 15, and spoke on the effects that Swift's relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have had on the team.
"It's been a whirlwind for the organization over the last two years since Taylor literally stepped into our lives," Hunt said. "She's done an amazing job, unintentionally, of increasing our female fanbase. We used to be about a 50/50 ratio, male to female fanbase, and now 57% of our fans are female, which I think is probably the highest in the National Football League.
"So there's absolutely been a Taylor Swift effect."
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The Chiefs' Swiftie era can trace its roots back to the pop superstar's concert at Arrowhead Stadium in July 2023, with two concerts making up one of the earliest stops on her 149-show Eras Tour. Weeks after the tour stop in Kansas City, Kelce lamented on his and his brother's "New Heights" podcast that he wasn't able to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.
Roughly two months later, Swift was spotted on the broadcast cheering on Kelce from a suite at her first Chiefs game. (Hunt said Friday she insisted on getting a "normal fan" experience at that first game with no additional security – "she literally walked through the front door," he said. With fans largely expecting her to attend the Chiefs' home games, she has received heightened security from the team in the time since.)
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According to analysis by marketing firm Apex Marketing, from September 2023 – when Swift attended that first game – through this past February – the date of the most recent Super Bowl – Swift brought in nearly $1 billion worth of publicity to the NFL.
Swift's connection to the Chiefs means that Kansas City has undoubtedly gotten one of the largest pieces of that metaphorical pie – and the demographic shift that Hunt pointed out Friday certainly suggests that.
To that end, Kelce's jersey sales spiked 400% overnight after Swift's first appearance at a Chiefs game, according to Fanatics, and Kelce, Swift and the Chiefs have not looked back in the time since that first outing. The singer has attended 23 Chiefs games – including five playoff games and two Super Bowls – since the two began their relationship.
On Wednesday, Swift made her first-ever podcast appearance on "New Heights" and spoke about her relationship with Kelce and her experience as a new Chiefs fan. The episode had a record-setting 1.3 million concurrent viewers during its YouTube premiere and now has 15 million views (and counting) on the video streaming site as of Friday afternoon.