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Taylor Swift, the NFL, and two routes to cultural dominance

7 1
10.02.2024

Sometime on Sunday, the white-hot center of the biggest spectator events of the past year will arrive in Las Vegas. Their every move will be tracked by relentless media and even more relentless fans.

Also, a football game will be played.

There will be no shortage of storylines at Super Bowl LVIII, which — I’ll save you the Google search — kicks off at 6:30 pm ET on February 11. Can Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes win their second-straight title? Will Mr. Irrelevant — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy — strike a blow for anyone who was ever picked last in gym class and take home the Lombardi trophy? Will Las Vegas sports books clean up on the $16 billion — more than the total GDP of Madagascar — Americans are projected to bet on the big game? (My predictions: yes, no, and absolutely.)

What will make this Super Bowl so important, at least for many of the more than 120 million Americans who will probably tune in to watch the game, will be the expected presence of one Taylor Alison Swift. A brief recap for anyone who until recently took up residence under a rock: This past fall, Swift started dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and began showing up to his games. People — everyone, really, but especially guys like this — went crazy.

For all their differences — Swift ruthlessly mines her emotions for her music; emotions can result in a 15-yard penalty in the NFL — what Swift and pro football have in common is sheer cultural weight.

Swift’s Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour ever, taking in more than the next two........

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