NFL defends embracing the Taylor Swift "pop cultural moment" despite haters

Taylor Swift is the new face of Sunday night football, and the NFL is not apologizing for it. In fact, the league is embracing it regardless of the backlash from football fans.

Ever since Swift was seated in a surprise appearance at a Chiefs-Bears game about two weeks ago to watch rumored beau Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the NFL has been in a pop culture moment. Reportedly, her presence at the game and chatter online drove up ratings but also has led to a rise in game ticket prices and Kelce's jersey sales.

This past Sunday, the pop star again showed up at another Chiefs game, which drove Swifties and haters into another media tailspin. The NFL began playing into the buzz surrounding Swift at Kelce's games by changing its official X (Twitter) bio to "NFL (Taylor's Version)" and its Instagram bio read, "Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties." The following day the Swift references were removed but some football fans online were fed up with the constant Swift coverage.

In a statement to "The Hollywood Reporter," the league said, "We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what's happening in and around our games, as well as culturally. The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we've leaned into in real time, as it's an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we've seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport."

The league's statement follows Kelce's comments on his podcast. He said that he thought the coverage surrounding Swift at his game was "overdoing it." He stated that he has no issue with people's excitement with who is at the games because it brings more to the atmosphere but "I think everybody is just, like, overwhelmed," Kelce said.