Kansas City Chiefs star Jason Avant believes that Taylor Swift’s presence at NFL games is beneficial for the sport, and compares it to Adele turning up at Old Trafford.
Swift has become a fixture on the sidelines as she watches her boyfriend Travis Kelce, and she has brought fresh eyes - and critics - as the NFL approaches the Super Bowl.
Speaking to Action Network, he discussed the developments regarding his former teammate.
He said: “I think Dungy's opinion that fans are disenchanted with too much footage of Taylor Swift is off-base. The NFL has a duty to please fans but as long as the game is being played and they are not missing snaps, it's fine. The game is still going on and they are not missing the game for Swift at all.
“So if you have an opportunity to gain more revenue through fans who don't watch the game but want to see Swift, why wouldn't you? Why not advertise to an extra two million viewers? It's a good strategy.
“Maybe regular fans say they want to see the sidelines of coaches, I get that, but I also get the money making-aspect. Remember the NFL sells commercials for millions of dollars, so they are in the business of making money and Swift has over 279m followers. I'm pretty sure they recognise this is a new market and they are trying to capitalise on that, so I don't mind at all. It's exciting for the NFL.
“It's like having Adele in the stands. If she was at a Man Utd or Man City game, then people who don’t normally watch them would watch. The clubs would recognise they can capitalise off it. So why not?”
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