Sportscaster Peter Schrager is preemptively shutting down the “dads, Brads and Chads” up in arms about Taylor Swift’s attendance at the 2024-2025 NFL season games.
“Taylor’s been a wonderful addition to the NFL [and] it was a wonderful addition to our show,” Shrager, who hosts Fox Sports’ NFL Kickoff and NFL Network, said during an appearance on the Thursday, September 5, episode of the “Viall Files” podcast. “We suddenly had new viewers from all over because they were like ‘I like this football’ [thing].”
Swift, 34, admittedly wasn’t a football fan until she started dating Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, in summer 2023. They publicly confirmed their relationship that September when she went to her first of 13 Chiefs games.
In that time, some diehard viewers criticized the league for showing Swift on camera at the games more than the actual players.
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“I know people were resistant, that’s Neanderthals talking,” Schrager, 42, quipped. “The dumbest thing. Like, if she added one more viewer, [whether it’s a] boy, girl, whoever, … I think that’s really cool.”
Neither Swift nor the athletes themselves have been bothered by the newfound attention she has brought to the games.
“I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in. There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once,” Swift told TIME in her 2023 Person of the Year profile. “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”
As Swift pointed out, she and Kelce are just “proud” of one another and want to show their support. (Kelce, 34, has frequently attended Swift’s Eras Tour shows between his NFL commitments and often name-drops her on his “New Heights” podcast.)
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Kelce’s star has risen to new heights thanks to the exposure of dating the 14-time Grammy winner. Schrager, however, notes that Kelce remains as “down-to-earth” and genuine as ever.
“I’ve known Travis for many years, and then every summer I do a charity event in Kansas City called the Big Slick,” Schrager said on Thursday’s episode. “They bring in the Chiefs and Kelce and [Patrick] Mahomes have been a part of it for years. Like, Kelce’s the f–king man. He’s so cool and he’s legit.”
According to Schrager, he was “worried this offseason” whether Kelce would attend the Big Slick event.
“I’ve known him for 10 years covering him and I’m like, ‘Let’s see, is he gonna come in and start [acting like a] diva?’ This summer, he was so cool, so down-to-earth, and he doesn’t have to attend this thing,” Schrager recalled. “He goes the extra mile [and is] throwing footballs to kids.”
During the June event, Kelce even participated in a skit with Jason Sudeikis, who jokingly asked when the tight end was planning to “make an honest woman” out of Swift and get married.
“He takes the piss out of the whole Taylor Swift thing,” Schrager added. “He’s cool with it [and] he’s confident in himself. So, I think he’s an awesome dude and I hope it all works out for them.”
Kelce’s NFL season formally kicks off on Thursday, when his Chiefs will play a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. While it hasn’t been confirmed, fans have speculated that Swift will watch from a private box at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Earlier this month, Swift was also heavily featured in one of the NFL’s preseason promo videos. After the haters went off on her inclusion, CBS broadcaster Nate Burleson slammed their criticism.
“Get out of your feelings. Oh, are you upset? You’re a little mad because Taylor Swift is in the promo? Who cares,” Burleson, 43, quipped during the Wednesday, September 4, broadcast of CBS Mornings. “Wipe the drool off your tank top, put some pants on, and get out of your momma’s basement. I don’t understand what the big deal is. Every other sport can show celebrities at the game. We show Taylor Swift and you get in your feels! Man, get out of your feelings and watch the game.”
