NFL ‘Needs to Calm Down’ on Taylor Swift Coverage, Kelce Brothers Say

Travis and Jason Kelce think the NFL “Needs to Calm Down” with its Taylor Swift coverage.

The Kelce brothers titled the latest episode of their New Heights podcast, which was released on Wednesday, in reference to Swift’s popular 2019 song. Swift’s relationship with Travis has been the talk of the league the past few weeks. And the NFL is cashing in on it.

The 12-time Grammy Award-winner has attended both of the last two Kansas City Chiefs games to cheer on the eight-time Pro Bowl tight end. That includes the Chiefs’ win over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football over the weekend, when Swift sat in a luxury suite along with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, and Sophie Turner. NBC released several Swift-themed promos ahead of the game, and cut to the pop star 17 times during the broadcast.

Overkill? Jason and Travis both seem to think so.

“Is the NFL overdoing it?” Jason asked his brother on Wednesday’s New Heights episode. “What is your honest opinion?”

“I think everybody is just, like, overwhelmed,” Travis responded.

“Take away your feelings for Taylor,” Jason said. “What is your honest opinion on how the NFL is treating celebrities at games?”

“I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game,” Travis said. “I think it brings a little more to the atmosphere, brings a little more to what you’re watching. But at the same time, I think —”

“They’re overdoing it,” Jason interjected.

“They’re overdoing it a little bit,” Travis said. “For sure. Especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

The NFL promoting Swift’s presence at its games seems to be paying off. The Chiefs’ 23-20 win over the Jets averaged approximately 27 million viewers, according to NBC. The Sunday Night Football broadcast was the most-watched Sunday show since the Super Bowl in February. NBC said that viewership among female viewers was up by more than two million and partly attributed that to Swift’s popularity. The audience among teenage girls for that game spiked 53 percent.

These numbers came after the NFL and NBC catered to Swift fans leading up to the game.

NBC’s “Taylor Made for Sunday Night” game promo was viewed roughly eight million times, the network said. A segment from the hit show The Voice during the week also explained football to Swift fans unfamiliar with the sport. Commentator Mike Tirico even opened up Sunday night’s broadcast by welcoming “Swifties.”

Jason, who joked Swift is even more popular at Chiefs games than Jack Nicholson when he sits courtside watching the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, said the NFL is going “overboard” with its coverage.

“The NFL is like, ‘Look at all these A-list celebrities at the game. Keep showing them. Show them, show them,'” Jason said. “You show them once, let [fans] know they’re there. Maybe after a touchdown you get a little clip. But you can’t be overboard with it. People are there to watch the game, right?”

“Yeah, they’re not there to get thrown on TV,” Travis responded, hinting that Swift and company might not want all the attention, either.

Another figure who is frequently shown at both Jason and Travis’ games is their mother, Donna Kelce. The matriarch of the Kelce family watched Jason, the center for the Philadelphia Eagles, win Sunday afternoon before making the trip to MetLife Stadium to cheer on her younger son.

Travis shouted-out his mother on Wednesday’s episode for making it to both his and Jason’s sporting events for nearly 30 years. The Kelce brothers said their mother has always loved watching them play, even before pop stars and actors sat beside her while she did.

“She also told me thank you because she was in an alternate universe,” Travis said. “She was sitting there with Deadpool and Wolverine.”

“That’s where you’re at, mom,” Jason said. “You’re in that category now.”