“A Lot of This Was in Place Before the Relationship”: Chiefs President on How Much the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift Romance Elevated Their Brand

For many NFL fans, especially the hard-core ones, the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift saga has often come across as cringeworthy, with too much ‘in your face’ energy. But even they can’t deny that Swift’s impact has reshaped the Kansas City Chiefs’ audience in a way the NFL hasn’t seen in decades.

Ever since the pop sensation appeared at Arrowhead in 2023, Chiefs games saw a massive surge in young female viewers, with multiple reports crediting her presence for accelerating the NFL’s already growing female fan base.

The Chiefs also saw an estimated 30% spike in fan growth during their Super Bowl-winning stretch, a number their own ownership later acknowledged wasn’t just a coincidence. “Indirectly, the NFL has seen an impact,” owner Clark Hunt said at the time.

So, when Chiefs president Mark Donovan recently sat down with Kay Adams on Monday, it was inevitable that the conversation would turn to the “Taylor Swift effect.” And intriguingly enough, Donovan clarified that the couple’s relationship didn’t create Kansas City’s momentum, but supercharged it.

“It’s had a big impact on us… I often say that a lot of this was in place before the relationship. Like a lot of the growth, a lot of the things that happened, a lot of the success we had, was prior to that… I say that everything Taylor’s brought to us has been good and positive, and it has; it’s accelerated this stuff,” Donovan said.

From timing to visibility, Donovan believes the stars aligned almost literally.

As Swift’s Eras Tour became the biggest global cultural event in years, Kelce was dominating on the field. The Chiefs themselves were in Frankfurt, Germany, just as Swift’s international stadium crowds were exploding. “All these things lined up,” he said, pointing to a rare crossroads where sports and pop culture merged.

Donovan also stressed something that matters deeply to both Swifties and Chiefs fans: respect. He revealed the franchise kept Swift off the Jumbotron, intentionally choosing not to monetize the relationship or use it as a marketing shortcut.

“We are going to treat you and your relationship with the same respect that we treat any other player’s relationship. We’re not going to monetize it,” he said, adding they even avoided playing Swift’s music in-stadium when she attended games.

Still, Donovan wasn’t shy about acknowledging what Swift’s presence did for the brand. The fourteen-time Grammy winner brought international eyeballs. She brought kids, first-time football fans, and millions of social impressions the moment she stepped into view.

But the Chiefs president is also right in saying that all of these tangible effects had catalysts that were in place before Swift’s relationship with Kelce. Because Kansas City was already a dynasty in the making, powered by Patrick Mahomes’ borderline GOAT shouts, two Super Bowls, and a fan base expanding at a rapid pace.

Taylor Swift’s arrival perhaps made the fire lit by Mahomes & Co. burn a whole lot brighter.