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Pop music’s biggest superstar, having already elevated the NFL, has entered the hockey universe, and the NHL is eagerly looking to take advantage.
Taylor Swift attended Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida on Thursday with her boyfriend, Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce, and spent time during the game with hockey icon and TNT Sports commentator Wayne Gretzky. Swift and Kelce were featured several times during the game on the game broadcast and on digital and social media, and with the championship series between the Oilers and Panthers now tied at two games each, the NHL would like to see its own version of a Swift effect.
“Calling all Swifties … hockey is awesome and so are you,” NHL CMO Heidi Browning said in a social media post early Friday. “If you’ve never watched hockey before, now is the time! The series is tied, the matchup is tight, and hockey is a master class in athleticism. Check out Game 5 on Saturday.”
While plenty of celebrities, such as actors Will Ferrell and Steve Carell and pop star Justin Bieber, are noted hockey fans, the NHL has never had the kind of lift that Swift, one of the most popular and recognizable figures on the planet, can provide. Her fame and power are such that she has created a broad-based business boost to the NFL, the world’s most dominant sports league, over the past two years as her relationship with Kelce has blossomed.
During the 2023 NFL season, Swift generated more than $331 million in brand value for the Chiefs and the NFL, and she was credited for an extended series of increases to television viewership, merchandise sales, and social media consumption for the league, particularly among female fans. While Swift was on tour for a sizable chunk of the 2024 season, her impact on turning many of her fans into lasting football fans remained. The effect has been so great that even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has taken notice.
Swift attending NFL games has been “nothing but a blessing,” Goodell said early last year. “She loves great entertainment, and I think that’s why she loves NFL football.”
Big Emotions
Far from just a casual night out with Kelce, Swift appeared to be drawn heavily into the drama of Thursday’s game in which the Oilers rebounded from an early 3–0 deficit to defeat the Panthers in overtime. After a late, game-tying goal by Florida to force the extra period, she was spotted saying to Kelce, “That was so crazy!” Minutes later, she repeatedly tapped her chest, signaling how much her pulse was pounding, and told him, “My heart!”
Through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL had a predictably mixed result in viewership. U.S. audiences have declined so far, particularly as this year’s broadcast is back on the cable-based TNT Sports in the annual rights rotation with ESPN and ABC parent Disney. Canadian audiences, however, have grown with the presence of the Oilers in the series.
With the series now guaranteed to go at least six games, stronger numbers on both sides of the border are likely for the upcoming contests—figures that could be boosted further by Swift’s ability to draw in additional fans.
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