American sports in general, and the NFL in particular, was keenly felt during the Super Bowl 2024.

The Super Bowl 2024 concluded with The Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers. While the team from Kansas City typically garners significant attention from American football fans, this year saw an even greater level of interest, especially with the presence of a very special fan: Taylor Swift.

The 34-year-old superstar’s interest in The Chiefs stems from her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who currently serves as the team’s captain. Following the conclusion of the Super Bowl, once again, this couple took center stage with a sweet kiss right on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Taylor Swift congratulated her boyfriend Travis Kelce after The Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

The influence of the “1989” superstar was keenly felt ahead of the NFL’s biggest matchup. However, as the Chiefs’ game approached, the four-time Grammy Album of the Year winner demonstrated the extent of her impact even more profoundly. According to a survey by Seton Hall University, approximately 21% of Americans expressed interest in the Super Bowl because they or their family members wanted to see Taylor Swift’s participation in the event.

Since publicly announcing her relationship with boyfriend Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s presence has become increasingly prominent, both alongside The Chiefs and within the NFL as a whole. The owner of the hit “Cruel Summer” is believed by The Athletic to be generating greater appeal than ever for American football, a source of pride for American sports.

Associate Professor Peter Cohan at Babson College noted that Taylor Swift’s ongoing Eras Tour is expected to gross up to $4.1 billion upon completion, making it the highest-grossing tour in history. The American Pop/Country music icon recently concluded her tour in Japan before the Super Bowl. According to USA Today journalist Bryan West, these performances resulted in an additional $228 million boost to Japan’s economy.

According to Nielsen’s statistics, viewership of all NFL games increased by 7%, a record-breaking figure in the league’s history. Among this 7% increase, 8.1% were female viewers aged 12-21 (often considered non-sports enthusiasts). They watched NFL games and The Chiefs solely to see Taylor Swift’s appearance. According to Apex Marketing, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend has created a brand value of $331.5 million for The Chiefs and the NFL.

Taylor Swift has just won her 14th Grammy Award in her career.

Similar to Taylor Swift, the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi, has also created a significant impact since choosing Inter Miami as his destination after leaving PSG. If the NFL received a boost from Taylor Swift, the MLS also benefits greatly commercially from Messi’s presence. Wherever this duo goes, profits and financial streams follow them.

According to the Associated Press, M10 sold more jerseys than any other football team within 24 hours after signing with David Beckham’s team. As for Travis Kelce, his jersey sales increased by 400% after Taylor Swift appeared to support The Chiefs for the first time.

After Messi’s debut, every Inter Miami match sold out tickets before kick-off. Even in November 2023, the club announced that tickets for the upcoming home games had already been sold out. Some seats saw ticket prices double, but that wasn’t an issue.

Seeing Messi’s immense influence, Apple signed a contract to share images with the MLS. As a result, subscriptions to their MLS Season Pass service increased significantly on the Apple TV platform. For Inter Miami alone, the club’s valuation increased from $600 million to $1 billion in February 2024.

While both contribute to the increased value of American sports brands such as MLS and NFL, the nature of Lionel Messi and Taylor Swift’s influence differs. Without Messi, the MLS would still lag behind the NFL, NBA, or MLB. However, for the NFL, even without Taylor Swift, it remains a highly prestigious and commercially valuable league. Messi has a direct connection to the league as a player, while Taylor Swift only adds to the effect through her relationship with a player in the NFL.

Messi appeared in the kickoff commercial for the Super Bowl.

Therefore, the challenge for the NFL is how to sustain the current surge in momentum if, unfortunately, Taylor Swift no longer appears. As for the MLS, retaining Messi is imperative. Moreover, they need to think of ways to attract other superstars to play football in the United States, with Ronaldo being the most prominent example.