Arrie Flathouse took her first steps to Taylor Swift’s hit music “Tim McGraw.”
The pop icon was a relentless a part of the now 16-year-old Arrie’s childhood as she grew up within the Houston space with two older sisters who adored Swift. Arrie got here to like Swift, too, dressing up as her for Halloween and listening to her albums.
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Arrie by no means acquired a lot into soccer, although, regardless of having a mother, Kara, who spent her weekends tuned into school and NFL video games. That included video games performed by the Chiefs since Kara, like Kansas Metropolis quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is a Texas Tech alum. Regardless of Kara’s makes an attempt to get her daughters , soccer by no means clicked with Arrie, so Kara normally spent these weekend afternoons watching video games alone.
However that modified final summer season after Arrie noticed clips of the “New Heights” podcast, on which one of many hosts, Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce, described his makes an attempt to present Swift his quantity through a friendship bracelet.
Anybody know tips on how to get a bracelet to @taylorswift13? … asking for a buddy 😅 @BWWings
New episode premieres NOW!
Faucet in: https://t.co/lmQ8fLH1IO pic.twitter.com/4yYr8HSb0m
— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 26, 2023
The little alternate had fairly an influence on Arrie.
Already a loyal listener to the podcast, Kara acquired so excited when her daughter began speaking in regards to the Kelce clips. Over the next months, social media labored its magic, and by the point Swift confirmed as much as her first Chiefs recreation in late September, Arrie was tuned in.
“That is loopy,” Arrie stated. “This isn’t Swifties’ theories. That is for actual. In order that’s once I began watching soccer as a result of I used to be like, ‘If she’s gonna be on the video games, I’ve acquired to see her.’”
Arrie has since tuned into just about each Chiefs recreation, embracing not solely the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance however all the Kelce household. She’s watched Amazon Prime’s documentary about his brother, Eagles middle Jason Kelce, turned a loyal listener of the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast and even began watching Eagles video games.
“Even when Taylor shouldn’t be there, I feel I get pleasure from (the sport) much more,” stated Arrie, whose dad and mom promised to purchase her a Travis Kelce jersey quickly.
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Kara smiles listening to her daughter describe her newfound curiosity in a sport she bonded over along with her personal dad. Kara doesn’t need to push too exhausting, however she loves it when she sees Arrie’s head pop over the stair banister if she hears soccer on the TV. A lot to Kara’s delight, that tends to result in high quality time collectively watching video games along with her daughter. It’s additionally led to questions in regards to the sport itself.
“It’s been actually enjoyable for me,” stated Kara, who posted a viral video within the fall about her glee that Swift lastly transformed her daughter to a soccer fan. “I adore it.”
The Flathouse household isn’t an anomaly. Removed from it. Swift’s arrival on the soccer stage has led to numerous tales of football-loving dad and mom bonding with their Swiftie children. Even Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt is listening to them.
“I often have dads come as much as me and say, ‘My 10- and 12-year-old daughters by no means used to look at soccer, however they now inform me anytime the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are enjoying to inform them to allow them to watch,” Hunt stated this week in Las Vegas, the place the Chiefs are making ready to face the San Francisco 49ers in Tremendous Bowl LVIII. “I used to be at a perform just a little over per week in the past and I had a girl, most likely in her mid-20s, who got here as much as me, launched herself as a Swiftie and advised me her complete household is Dallas Cowboys followers and that she used to not comply with soccer in any respect, however now she’s all-in on the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. I feel there are numerous examples like that on the market.”
One story identical to that belongs to Todd Kale, a Cowboys fan who posted a now-viral video of his 11-year-old daughter Briley reciting soccer information from the sofa.
The Kale household lives close to Houston. They’re Cowboys season-ticket holders and their 5 daughters love going to video games. They know the big-name Dallas gamers however by no means actually watched the sport with their dad, as a substitute embracing the environment of a recreation day or simply having fun with consuming sizzling wings, their Sunday ritual, slightly than partaking a lot with the precise soccer.
However Briley, the center youngster of the household, grew up a Swift fan because of her older sisters and has handed the love for Swift onto her youthful siblings. Todd wasn’t positive how Briley first discovered of Swift’s connection to Kelce, however a couple of months again, he was watching a Sunday evening recreation along with his spouse and realized Briley was in the lounge. She began asking questions: What’s a security? What’s a cornerback? What number of factors is a landing price?
It didn’t take lengthy for Todd to appreciate the place this was coming from.
“It undoubtedly intrigued her that any person she actually likes is now concerned in one thing I actually like,” Todd stated.
Briley has since watched extra Chiefs video games and has picked up data in regards to the sport itself, absorbing all of it.
“It’s each dad’s dream. … She preferred soccer earlier than, however I feel she simply preferred the expertise of it,” Todd stated. “Now she’s studying extra in regards to the recreation.”
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Swift has been a storyline all season — with Kansas Metropolis successful 9 of the 12 video games she has attended — and the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl run has solely ratcheted that up the next stage.
“There’s little doubt her being a fan has put a extra intense deal with the staff than we’d’ve had in any other case,” Hunt stated. “It has opened up the fan base to an entire new demographic that we actually didn’t have in younger girls. You’ve seen that in numerous methods, particularly our TV rankings. They’re much greater due to Taylor Swift being part of the staff, as Kelce says.”
Hunt’s not incorrect in regards to the TV rankings. Not solely did the common variety of viewers tuning into Chiefs regular-season prime-time video games enhance this season from the earlier two (a 39.4 % soar in comparison with final 12 months alone), however so did the proportion of feminine viewers (up 3 %), based on Nielsen. And that viewership soar has carried over to the postseason. The Chiefs’ divisional-round win over Buffalo averaged 50.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched divisional-round or wild-card recreation ever. The Chiefs’ victory over the Ravens was the most-watched AFC Championship Recreation ever, with a mean of 55.47 million viewers tuning in.
Taylor Swift has generated an equal model worth of $331.5 million for the Chiefs and the NFL, Apex Advertising Group tells FOS.
The determine consists of print, digital, radio, TV, highlights, and social media going again to Swift’s first recreation in September.https://t.co/xUzMDsqIgE pic.twitter.com/Ruj5FM7g81
— Entrance Workplace Sports activities (@FOS) January 28, 2024
The league’s social media staff has performed a giant function in ushering in new audiences, as properly. The staff embraced Swift’s first recreation in September, making an attempt to take heed to the entire new eyeballs on their feeds whereas not going overboard, stated Ian Trombetta, NFL SVP of social and influencer advertising.
That theme has remained constant all through the season, although the technique varies relying on the platform, Trombetta stated. With a few of those who skew youthful, like TikTok and Snapchat, there’s extra cause to embrace Swifties with their posts.
“We’re additionally serious about this within the sense of not simply what we’re posting on social media, but additionally how our companions are overlaying it,” Trombetta stated. “In order that might be a broadcast accomplice. That might be a sponsor, and so on. And once you take all that into totality, it may possibly get fairly, fairly sizzling simply by way of the quantity of protection. And, so for us, I feel it actually was a reminder for us to take a broader view of all of the protection and perceive our function in it.”
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Swift’s emergence onto the NFL scene has helped result in record-setting engagement, with triple-digit progress in consumption throughout varied platforms, per Trombetta. Their viewers continues to skew youthful and diversify in male/feminine cut up as properly, he stated.
Swift’s Tremendous Bowl attendance is up within the air because of her Eras Tour cease in Tokyo, If Swift is there to look at Kelce’s Chiefs tackle the San Francisco 49ers, the league social staff will commit a while to her arrival and reactions, however with a lot taking place across the Tremendous Bowl between the soccer and the spectacle, it received’t simply be the Taylor Swift social feed.
“I feel we’ve gotten to the purpose now although, that by and enormous, it’s been a really celebratory factor,” Trombetta stated. “And positively a optimistic for the league, a optimistic for the Chiefs, a optimistic for the Kelce household, and clearly with Travis, and I feel it’s been a optimistic for Taylor as properly. So we’ll proceed to lean into it in several methods, but additionally be respectful of their relationship. So not invading any privateness and trying to take cues the place a few of the strains is likely to be on the quantity of protection and likewise hold the sport entrance and middle. That’s actually essential for us.”
Nonetheless, there’s little doubt the league has introduced in new followers because of Swift, because the Flathouse and Kale households can attest.
The Flathouse household on Sunday might be internet hosting an “I’m in My Tremendous Bowl Period” themed occasion in honor of the Chiefs-Swift crossover.
There might be an enormous friendship bracelet garland together with appropriately themed food and drinks, together with an “electrical” mocktail, in honor of a phrase Kelce likes to make use of lots.
However what about subsequent season when the Swift magic might have run its course? It doesn’t matter for Arrie, who plans on nonetheless tuning into NFL video games.
“I really feel like I’m hooked now,” Arrie stated.
— The Athletic’s Nate Taylor contributed to this report.
(Photograph illustration: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic;
Photographs: Jamie Squire, Patrick Smith and Sarah Stier / Getty Photos)