13 numbers explaining Taylor Swift’s effect on the NFL
Jace Ouchida, Reynold’s School journalist at the University of Nevada, Reno, reports on the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer’s influence.
Since Taylor Swift first showed up to the Kansas City Chief’s game on Sept. 24, in support of her boyfriend Travis Kelce, sales and stats have broken records. In honor of Swift’s favorite number, here are 13 numbers explaining the unparalleled effects she has had.
- 27 Million: The number of average viewers during the Chiefs and Jets game on October 1st, Swift’s second time attending a game.
- 63%: The increase in female viewership between the ages of 18 and 49 during the Chiefs and Bears game September 24.
- 400%: Increase in sales of Kelce’s jersey, placing him in the top 5 most popular jerseys of the season.
- 250,000: The increase in Kelce’s Instagram followers during a single day on September 25.
- >100: Kelce gained more followers than the NFL’s top 100 players combined.
- 3x: Searches for the Chiefs tripled recently, after Swift started attending.
- 2–0: “The @chiefs are 2–0 with @taylorswift in attendance,” stated the NFL’s Instagram bio on October 1, following the Chief’s win.
- 43%: Average increase in ticket prices after news broke of Swift’s possible attendance.
- 17: Number of cutaways to Swift and her friends Hugh Jackman, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds during the October 1 game.
- #1: Kelce’s podcast reached the top position on Apple’s podcasts charts.
- 9.6x: Wondering how many Instagram followers Taylor Swift has? Multiply the NFL’s official Instagram mainpage by 9.6 to reach Swift’s total: 273 million.
- 87: Kelce’s jersey number referencing the year his brother, Jason, was born. Also, seemingly foretold by Swift in her 2006 ballad Mary’s Song. “I’ll be 87, and you’ll be 89.” Swift is currently gearing up for the rerelease of her 1989 album.
- 32 Million: Number of views on a tweet commenting on Taylor’s meal at the September 24 game. “A piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch.” Heinz has since released a limited edition bottle of the condiment pairing.
A visual representation of Taylor Swift’s effect. By Jace Ouchida
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/taylor-swift-stat-explains-nfl-obsession-her-travis-kelce-1831292
https://nesn.com/bets/2023/09/the-numbers-behind-taylor-swifts-impact-on-the-nfl/
https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-chiefs-impact-jersey-sales-ratings
https://www.vox.com/money/23901941/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-chiefs-eras-tour-viewers-commercials
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/28/1202386053/taylor-swift-seemingly-ranch-meme
Story and infographic by Jace Ouchida (@Jace.Ouchida on Instagram and Jace_Ouchida on X) for the Reynolds School at the University of Nevada, Reno.
