The Taylor Swift effect and the sudden surge in female NFL fans
Newsy
A new report found that 64% of Gen Z and millennial women now hold a favorable view of the NFL, the highest figure ever.
In what seems like an overnight phenomenon, the impact that Taylor Swift has had on the NFL is undeniable. And the league is all on board.
The numbers tell a "Love Story." According to Morning Consult, nearly two-thirds of Gen Z or Millennial women now have a favorable view of the NFL, the highest figure ever. Female support for the league has been growing steadily since 2017, but spiked 11% between July and December of last year.
The surge just so happens to coincide with Swift's emergence at NFL games and her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The pair were first linked in July after Kelce tried to give Swift his number at her concert at Arrowhead Stadium.
And while the Taylor Swift effect is now in the spotlight, sports podcast host Jessica Smetana says women have always loved the NFL, it's just taken some time for people to notice.
"[People] always ask if my dad made me into a sports fan," Smetana told Scripps News. "And I think that that's so bizarre because the women in my family were the biggest sports fans. A bunch of us were standing on the sideline of an NFL game and asked ourselves why there were barely any women working on the actual game itself."
