Written by Abby Adams
Account Executive
It’s no secret that both Taylor Swift’s and Alix Earle’s new relationships have been hot topics of conversation, especially since the start of the NFL season. Celebrity and
influencer relationships with NFL players are giving girls a new reason to watch football, and viewership rates and media engagement have soared since girls started cheering on the Chiefs and Dolphins.
On Sunday, September 24th, Taylor Swift made her NFL debut at the Kansas City Chiefs game after being invited by their tight end Travis Kelce. Swift’s appearance at the game shook the nation and had all the Swifties tuning in to the Sunday afternoon football game.
The following Sunday, viewership of the game reached more than 29 million viewers, making it the most-watched game since Super Bowl LVII. NBC said it saw a large increase in female viewers aged 18-24 and over 35, accounting for two million new viewers, a demographic it wasn’t reaching before Swift’s attendance. Not only were there record-breaking views for a regular season game, but sales for Kelce’s jerseys spiked 400% according to the Associated Press after Swift was at the Arrowhead Stadium game.
A recent trend of women jokingly telling their football-obsessed male partners, family members, and friends that Swift “put Travis Kelce on the map” flooded conversations after Swift’s multiple appearances at the games and sightings of Kelce and her out on dates. While Kelce has had an impressive football career and a large following of his own from his podcast, New Heights, his new relationship with Swift has definitely made him stand out.
While Alix Earle is not selling out stadiums globally for her music, the social media influencer has 5.9 million followers on TikTok, the platform where she rose to fame in late 2022. She recently went public about her relationship with Braxton Berrios, the wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, on Instagram and her new podcast, Hot Mess.
Her well-known “Get Ready with Me” (GRWM) TikTok videos show her doing her makeup and picking
out outfits for the Dolphins games to watch Berrios, or "NFL man" in how she references him to her fans. Earle started a new trend when she cut her Berrios jersey down the middle to go better with her outfit. Now female football fans across the country are wearing cut jerseys and looking out for Earle at football games. The football teams are taking advantage of influencers’ platforms too. This TikTok posted by the Dolphins of Earle at the game reached 3.7 million views and received comments like “We’re here for Alix” and “Ok hear me out @Taylor Swift @alix earle @Allison Kuch collab…”
All this to say, the Swifties and Alix Earle fans are cheering on the NFL, but it isn’t necessarily for the teams. Fans' fascination with Swift’s and Earle’s personal lives is ultimately a big win for the NFL and different media outlets’ viewership rates.
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