Well, it turns out the conspiracy theorists may actually be half-right… for whatever that’s worth! LOLz!
When the 2024 NFL game schedule dropped this week, some fans jumped right to their reactionary takes focused on Taylor Swift. These football fanatics (many of whom like to say the season is scripted btw) are upset at the notion the League could be scheduling games specifically so Tay can watch boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs play. It’s not as insane as it sounds — Taylor showing up to games really did up the viewership numbers last year, especially among Swifties who wouldn’t necessarily be watching any football otherwise. And there’s nothing tin-foil hatty about following the money…
Well, it turns out Taylor’s US tour really was taken into account when scheduling games — just not how they think. See, it wasn’t about planning games for her off-days, it was about evading her concert dates! On at least three occasions the Eras Tour coming to a city meant the NFL had to get the team out!
Video: Sportscaster Blasts Harrison Butker’s ‘Hateful Speech’ With Her Own Taylor Quote!
Tay is playing Miami October 18-20, so the Dolphins are on the road playing in Indiana that weekend. When the tour comes to New Orleans October 25-27, the Saints will be playing in LA. The other LA. And then November 1-3 when Tay is in Indianapolis, the Colts will play in Minnesota.
So why do they do that? Easy. These are two huge events that mess with traffic, require police for security, and most importantly need the stadiums to fit all the fans! It’s just logistics, and it has nothing to do with girlfriends and boyfriends, you big babies!
In fact, it wasn’t just Tay who warped the schedule. Other musical acts big enough to fill a stadium, like Green Day, also changed things. And so did potential conflicts with other sports teams! NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North explained to Rich Eisen on Thursday:
“Honestly, this one was pretty typical for us these days. Taylor Swift is still out there touring, so weekends in Miami and New Orleans, maybe Indianapolis, Green Day took a weekend out of SoFi (Stadium), so the Rams and Chargers both had to adjust to that. The usual mix of baseball teams… We’re thinking about MLS teams that share our buildings, we’re thinking about NASCAR races, college football games, Army/Navy. It’s always something, and the real question is, can you accommodate all those things without it affecting the integrity of the scheduling process.”
So no, conspiracy theorists, the NFL didn’t plan around “Travis Kelce’s romance” — they planned around all the biggest events happening across the country, and whether you like it or not Taylor’s shows are one of those things.
Eisen even asked specifically about scheduling games to make it easier for Taylor to get to, and North brushed off the theories, saying:
“I’m sure if she wants to get to a game, she can get to a game. I know conspiracy theorists think we coincided that KC/Buff game her in Toronto, No truth to that.”
As for that one weekend where things did line up nicely for Trav and Tay? She’s going to be in Toronto, and the Chiefs are playing in Buffalo. That means the she’s going to have a really easy time making it to that particular game. North explained a lot of stuff about the complexity of the KC schedule that frankly we didn’t understand… then said simply:
“Did it happen to coincide with Taylor’s trip to Toronto? Yes. Was it intentional? It was not. But if she wants to show up, I’m sure we’ll make sure there’s a seat for her.”
See his full explanation (below):
Do YOU believe the NFL? Let us know your theories in the comments below!
[Image via NFL/NFL on ESPN/YouTube & MEGA/WENN.]