The 58th Super Bowl, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 11, concluded with an overtime win by the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers—their third Super Bowl win in the past four years. However, some fans of the 49ers took to X and other social media platforms to complain about the screen time given to Taylor Swift, who has garnered attention in the football world for her relationship with Chiefs quarterback Travis Kelce. Some even went as far as to suggest that Swift rigged the Super Bowl so that the Chiefs, and therefore her boyfriend, would win. Although anger at the 49ers’s loss is understandable, blaming a pop singer who was simply there to support her boyfriend seems excessive.
Taylor Swift is undeniably a wealthy and influential person, so it is not out of the realm of possibility for her to get accusations of rigging an event for her favored outcome. However, it is worth noting that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have only been confirmed to be dating since September 21, 2023, and rumors of their relationship only started July 8, 2023, after Kelce attended the Eras Tour. In fact, on May 12, 2023, Swift herself declared that she was an Eagles fan. Therefore, I think it is fair to say that the Chiefs won this Super Bowl fairly, since they won two of the past three Super Bowls prior to this one without any support from Taylor Swift, showing that they do have the talent to do so. Additionally, Junior Humzah Ladiwala stated, “the Super Bowl is such a big deal that I don’t think it’s physically possible for her to rig it.” Taylor Swift may have a lot of influence, but with a sports game as big and important as the Super Bowl finals, even she wouldn’t have the power to make such a big move.
Regarding Taylor Swift’s appearances during football games, I think that it would be a valid argument to say that she was distracting or taking away from the game. If she was given an extended amount of screen time or was doing something, such as singing, to take people’s attention off the game during her time on the screen. However, in a four to five-hour game, Swift received only one minute of screen time, during which she simply cheered for her boyfriend. Sophomore Amber Pancholi expressed, “the amount of times the camera shows her is not in her control, she just is there to watch the game,” so even if she did have an absurd amount of screen time, it wouldn’t be her fault.
In the end, Taylor Swift was only at the Super Bowl games to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. It is important to let celebrities, like Swift, live their lives, especially if they aren’t causing harm to anyone, like in this situation here. Although I understand that football fans might be angry that a part of the Super Bowl spotlight was stolen by Taylor Swift, blaming her is not the solution, as she is only there to have a good time and support a loved one.
