Chiefs President Makes Bold Statement About 'Capitalizing' on Taylor Swift
Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan is making the most of his team's association with Taylor Swift, but he still intends to be "respectful" with game coverage.
With the NFL season about to start up again, the buzz is already all around Travis Kelce and his superstar girlfriend, who fans are expecting will be at her fair share of games again this year.
Ahead of the team's season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Sept. 5, the Chiefs president spoke out about how they're prepping for the arrival of the "Fortnight" songstress—and there is no denying they will be rolling out the red (and gold) carpet for Swift, 34, as her presence continues to draw massive attention to the games.
"We’ll be prepared for her and obviously welcome her with open arms," Donovan told Front Office Sports in an interview published this week, while also claiming that the team is not interested in "capitalizing" on Swift's notoriety.
"She wants to be a fan," he said about the "Bejeweled" songstress. “This is her off time. She wants to be there to support Travis. We’re going to create that opportunity where we provide that."
Obviously, there's no question that Swift's romance with Kelce, 34, and her presence at the games have caused an uptick in not only NFL viewership but also in the Chiefs fandom in general.
Following Swift's presence at her first Chiefs game last season, Kelce's jersey sales jumped by nearly 400%, according to CBS Sports, and StubHub representatives said tickets for home games at Arrowhead Stadium saw an almost three-times increase within just 24 hours.
Swift's presence at the Super Bowl back in February, where the Chiefs took home the trophy, also undoubtedly had something to do with the game attracting an average of 123.4 million viewers, becoming the most-watched program in the history of television.
But despite "The Swift Effect," Donovan insisted that the singer's support for Kelce and the rest of the team is both "authentic" and a unique opportunity for the sport.
"She brings a lot with her, and it’s a pretty valuable, targeted demographic when you look at the makeup of her fan base," Donovan said. "And we’ve looked at ways that we could be respectful."
"We’re not trying to capitalize on this," he added. "We’re trying to celebrate it, but it’s not about doing too much or showing her every touchdown or anything like that."
