• Loading stock data...
Saturday, December 27, 2025

NFL, Kelce At Odds On Taylor Swift Coverage

  • Travis Kelce says the NFL is overdoing the hype around his relationship with Taylor Swift.
  • Chiefs-Jets drew 27 million viewers on NBC with Swift in attendance.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Is there no such thing as too much publicity?

The relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift has turned the NFL into a pop culture media circus since the pop superstar first attended the Kansas City Chiefs-Chicago Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium two weeks ago.

But after NBC cut away to Taylor Swift 17 times during the Chiefs-Jets “Sunday Night Football” broadcast and showed two commercials for her new movie, the man at the center of it all believes the hype may be getting too big.

“They’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation,” Kelce said on “New Heights,” the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. 

The Chiefs-Jets game drew 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday broadcast since Super Bowl LVII in February. NBC drew about 2 million more female viewers than its season average so far for “SNF.”

The Chiefs play at Minnesota on Sunday, then two more home games, and finally a matchup at Denver before Swift begins the international leg of The Eras Tour on Nov. 9. It remains to be seen whether she will attend any more of Kelce’s games this season.

Musical Chairs

The Swift-Kelce hype has already gotten so big that the NFL has had to defend its promotion of the relationship.

“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport,” the league said in a statement.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (left) and head coach Nick Sirianni celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome

From Record Super Bowl Ratings to WNBA CBA Talks: 2025 in Charts

Seven data visualizations that defined the business of sports in 2025.

3 Teams That Got Big Stadium Subsidies Before The Chiefs

Economists say teams, not taxpayers, win when stadiums are publicly funded.
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA Christmas Day logo during the second half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center.

NBA Has Superior Slate Entering Christmas Face-Off With NFL

The NFL has scheduled Christmas games for six consecutive seasons.

Featured Today

Heated Rivalry (L to R) - Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in Episode 104 of Heated Rivalry. Cr. Sabrina Lantos © 2025

Hockey Needed Some Virality. Then Came ‘Heated Rivalry’

No one was prepared for the Canadian show’s smash success.
Rob Manfred
exclusive
December 23, 2025

MLB Teams Fear League Will Pick Winners and Losers in Tech

One company under consideration was founded by a top MLB exec’s uncle.
December 23, 2025

What It Takes to Pull Off Florida’s First Outdoor NHL Game

The Rangers will face the Panthers in Miami’s first NHL Winter Classic.
December 14, 2025

How Pickleball Became One Massive Private-Equity Rollup

Pickleball roads lead back to billionaire Tom Dundon.

How Tom Brady Has Improved in Year 2 on Fox

A veteran Fox NFL producer told FOS what has improved.
Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Pat McAfee reacts prior to the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Texas A&M Aggies during the first round of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field.
December 23, 2025

Say It Ain’t So, Pat: Is McAfee Ending Kicking Contest?

The College GameDay star hinted it was the last kick on Saturday.
Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NBA on Amazon announcers (from left) Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin and Udonis Haslem during the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals at T-Mobile Arena.
December 23, 2025

Biggest Sports Media Talent Moves of 2025

Netflix jumped into the sports podcast business.
Sponsored

The Hidden Tech Behind Every Touchdown

Nearly two-thirds of NFL stadiums already rely on Cisco networks, and the Super Bowl will showcase the full scale of the partnership.
December 22, 2025

NFL Streaming Record Still Stands Nearly a Year Later

A year-old league streaming record remains intact.
Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at Lumen Field.
December 22, 2025

Amazon Averaging Nearly 15M Viewers for ‘Thursday Night Football’

The Seahawks-Rams overtime thriller averaged more than 15 million viewers.
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts.
December 22, 2025

Dozens of MLB, NBA RSNs Could Collapse Without DAZN Deal

Main Street Sports could fold if a deal with DAZN doesn’t happen.
Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) poses for a television camera after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium
December 22, 2025

Biggest Sports Media Stories of 2025

A rollercoaster year saw huge deals for major networks and streamers alike.