Hall Of Famer Believes Taylor Swift Connects NFL To Pop Culture

Without a doubt, former Texas Southern and NFL great Michael Strahan knows football. The HBCU legend spoke at the SBJ 4se conference about the Taylor Swift Effect on the National Football League and created a bit of controversy the Swifties enjoyed this week.   

The NFL Great and Good Morning America co-host believes Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, are great for the league.

STRAHAN ON THE TAYLOR SWIFT EFFECT

"Sports have leaked into pop culture — and it's a win for everyone," Strahan said at Sports Business Journal's 4se conference. "Taylor Swift is one of the best things to happen to the NFL."

For the NFL, it's simple - it's all about the ratings and selling advertisement space. Her presence boosts television ratings when Taylor Swift attends a Kansas City Chiefs game with Travis Kelce playing. Also, it has expanded the league's audience, especially among young women and non-traditional football viewers.

NUMBERS DON'T LIE

• Taylor Swift's first appearance at a Chiefs game (September 24, 2023, vs. the Bears) resulted in a 63% jump in female viewership aged 18-49 for that game, and overall NFL viewership for the regular season averaged 17.9 million viewers a 7% increase from the previous year — the highest since 2015.
• Notably, football engagement among girls aged 12-17 spiked by 53% at the start of the season, directly linked to Swift's presence and the media coverage surrounding her relationship with Kelce.

Some fans believed Strahan was off base in support of Taylor Swift's influence in calling him "brainwashed," while others mentioned that he should refrain from making non-football-related comments.   

TAYLOR SWIFT ALIGNS WITH NFL PRIMETIME TV

Like it or not, the numbers are powerful enough for the NFL to schedule seven primetime games for the 2025-25 NFL regular season — more than any team in the league, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Remember, the Chiefs are the runners-up to the Philadelphia Eagles, who only have five primetime games. None are as prominent as the Chiefs.

ABOUT TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Michael Strahan, 53, spoke about professional football players' focus on the game. "Never mess up your primary for something secondary. I see so many guys now who are so worried about life after football before they've truly built a career in football," Strahan remarked.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist also noted that he is interested in becoming a limited partner with the New York Giants.  

"I'd be there in whatever capacity you needed me to be," he said, remarking that he has no desire to "run [the Giants'] draft."

STRAHAN'S HONORS AND ACCOLADES

• Super Bowl champion (XLII)
• NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2001)
• 4× First-team All-Pro (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2002, 2005)
• 7× Pro Bowl (1997–1999, 2001–2003, 2005)
• 2× NFL sacks leader (2001, 2003)
• NFL forced fumbles co-leader (2001)
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• New York Giants Ring of Honor
• New York Giants No. 92 retired
• NFL record: 22.5 sacks in one season
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Black College Football Hall of Fame

The Houston native was selected out of Texas Southern by the New York Giants as the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He had an outstanding professional career as a defensive edge rusher with 854 tackles, 141.5 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, 15 fumble recoveries, four interceptions, and three defensive scores.