How the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance has impacted the NFL: 'Honestly unlike anything we've seen'

"I knew that it would definitely create a stir, but I don't think any of us realized just the extent of how far and wide this would go," Ian Trombetta, the NFL's SVP of Social, Influencer & Content Marketing, told CBS Sports this week. "Another thing that's been a little surprising is that it really hasn't slowed down. It's continued to build in this momentum of conversation."

[Taylor is in New Jersey tonight for Travis’s game against the Fast Planes.]

Swift's presence last week at Arrowhead Stadium boosted TV ratings. The associated content across social channels has set regular-season records for the league. …

"It's been honestly unlike anything we've seen from a regular season perspective in the sense that we have celebrities and influencers and big creators that are at games every single week," Trombetta says. "And while it drives interest and discussion online, this was something we've never seen before."

… the Chiefs' followers still grew by more than 200,000. And Kelce's follower count went up by more than 400,000, according to the NFL.

"It's also having fun. So I think that that's what's so cool about Travis is that his personality really leans into having fun," Trombetta says. 

A huge plus for the league has been getting more eyeballs on their product. By Friday morning, the NFL had posted about Swift 34 times across all their social channels. That generated 170 million impressions with a watch-time of more than 23 years. Years, I said!

Last week's game between the Bears and Chiefs saw a 63% jump in viewership among women age 18 to 49. 

“What is new is just the rapid speed and sort of the landslide effect that Taylor Swift has had. And obviously she's at a level of celebrity that I don't think we've seen in the last 20 or 30 years. I mean, probably, you'd be really hard pressed to find someone that's at this level of not only celebrity, but just the passion her fans have for Swifties."

The passion for Swift is undeniable. User-generated content across all social channels have taken over the conversation.

"It's really authentic," Trombetta says. "You can tell the Swift fans they really care about her. And it's amazing.”

At game in Kansas City:

After-game party:

At “Chiefs”-Fast Planes game tonight:

 

I am SURE I know what Travis and his opponent are talking about here:

You know what? It’s just fucking adorable. The only comparable I can think of was Joe DiMaggio-Marilyn Monroe.