There is no uproar when male celebrities make appearances at sporting events, but when Taylor Swift shows up at NFL games, some people go crazy.
Before the big game on Saturday, the Grammy award-winning artist was everywhere on social media, even on the NFL’s official pages. They were also prominently featured during the game, as NBC’s cameras captured them in a suite, celebrating exciting plays. When the singer appeared on the stadium’s Jumbotron, the crowd went wild with excitement.
However, while Eminem attended the Detroit Lions playoff game last weekend, the reactions were not as passionate as those seen when Taylor Swift appears at Kansas City Chiefs games.
“This is the issue that is turning people off from sports nowadays,” complained Tony Dungy, a Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster. “There’s too much emphasis on entertainment and external factors, taking away from the true essence of the game.” It’s interesting how a prominent female fan can be seen as disrupting the game, while the presence of male celebrities or team owners is celebrated without question. Jerry Jones, for example, is always in the spotlight, even during his team’s defeats. Matthew McConaughey’s support for the University of Texas is seen as charming and enjoyable. Jack Nicholson was just as much a part of the Lakers’ success during the Showtime era as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
However, Swift sparks controversy when she becomes involved with the NFL, causing a certain group of individuals to react overwhelmingly. Some have compared her to “Yoko Ono,” claiming that she has a detrimental effect on her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs. Others have labeled her as a fair-weather fan. And the most ridiculous critique of all is the insinuation that she is leveraging her relationship with Kelce and the NFL to enhance her own image.
Of course, even someone as famous as the world’s most well-known woman, whose successful Eras Tour last year contributed to boosting consumer spending in the U.S. by over $1 billion, could use a little support. According to Cheryl Cooky, a professor at Purdue University who specializes in gender, sports, and culture studies, there is still a part of society where football serves as a refuge from anything associated with femininity. It’s a space where men feel like they can truly be themselves. Cooky suggests that Taylor Swift has become a target for male frustrations with the changing dynamics of gender roles in the NFL and society as a whole. In essence, this is not just a story about Taylor Swift, but rather a reflection of the insecurities surrounding masculinity within sports fans and the persistence of traditional masculinity in certain pockets of fandom.
According to Cooky, who proudly identifies as a Swiftie and loves the album Reputation, Taylor Swift is not just a bystander at football games but rather a powerful global figure. This idea seems to bother some men, who typically claim no one cares about women’s sports and try to downplay the achievements of female athletes. The real question is, why does Taylor Swift supporting her boyfriend at games trigger such a strong reaction from some individuals, especially when it’s the NFL and its broadcasters who are putting the spotlight on her presence? Why does it bother you if someone else is watching women’s sports? And why do female athletes’ successes make you feel defensive?
If you find yourself letting these issues affect your enjoyment of a game or sports in general, then the issue lies with you, not Swift or anyone else. NFL Network presenter Rich Eisen recently expressed his confusion over the toxic masculinity displayed on social media towards a woman enjoying a football game. Eisen questioned why some people can’t just let others have fun without being judgmental, noting that it reflects more on the critics than on the person they are targeting.
Guys have always had the freedom to enjoy sports without seeking anyone’s permission or validation. The same goes for women, which seems to bother some men when they spot someone like Taylor Swift at an NFL game.
