Travis Kelce’s ex-teammate attacks Tony Dungy’s “absurd” accusation against Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift and her impact on the NFL this season has not gone unnoticed, with ratings for the league at all-time highs across networks. The pop superstar has been a constant presence at Kansas City Chiefs games to watch her boyfriend, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

While most fans have embraced what is being called "The Taylor Swift Effect," Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy has a different take. The current NBC Sports analyst says he feels young people are disenchanted by the league thanks to Swift:

“That’s the thing that’s disenchanting people with sports now," Dungy said. "There’s so much on the outside coming in. Entertainment value and different things. Taking away from what really happens on the field.”

Kelce's former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Mitchell Schwartz called Dungy's comments "absurd" in a post on X (Twitter):

Per Nielsen, an average of 17.9 million people watched NFL games this season, which is a 7% boost from last year. The NFL noted that is the highest regular-season average since 2015. Those numbers account for both television and streaming.

The "Lavender Haze" singer attended the Chiefs' SNF matchup against the New York Jets in Week 4 to watch Travis Kelce, drawing in 27 million viewers. According to NBC Sports, that game made it the most-watched television show on Sunday since Super Bowl 57.

Michigan Ross School of Business professor Marcus Collins told Yahoo Finance how significant her impact is on the NFL:

"[Taylor Swift's] stature is such that when she does something people follow. She's influencing a group of people and those people are influencing each other and other people. There's a network effect that's at play."

The question becomes how long will the multi-platinum artist's growing effect on the league last. All things considered, it seems as though there will be no "End Game" in sight.

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Could Taylor Swift headline the Super Bowl halftime show?

Given Swift's massive popularity, there might be a chance the NFL could parlay it into something big. The 12-time Grammy winner has never performed at a Super Bowl halftime show. However, she has repeatedly turned down the offer, including last year.

One reason could be that the Super Bowl halftime show was sponsored by Pepsi. In 2013, she signed a long-term deal with Pepsi's rival, Coca-Cola, and would have a contractual issue. The halftime has been backed by Apple since 2022.

Also, she may wait until all her albums have been re-recorded. Taylor Swift released "1989 (Taylor's Version)" last October, which only leaves "Reputation" and her self-titled debut album left. This could open the door to the NFL's "Wildest Dreams" in having her do the show.