The NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning has confirmed that Taylor Swift’s tour dates have affected the NFL schedule for 2024.
Yet he has denied conspiracy theories that the league had attempted to make sure she could attend Kansas City Chiefs games. The pop princess was a regular at Arrowhead Stadium last season, attending 13 games in support of her tight end boyfriend Travis Kelce
Starting with her visit to see the Chiefs defeat the Chicago Bears in September, her romance with the NFL superstar played out in public – often at arenas around the country. This culminated in her appearance at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February.
She cheered on as her beau helped to inspire KC to a second consecutive triumph in the showpiece. As the 2024 season approaches, some fans had theorized that the league would make special arrangements so Swift can attend games again next term.
One enthusiast appeared convinced that the schedule had been tailored to fit with Swift’s movements, saying on X: “I’m not knocking Taylor Swift but the NFL bending their schedule around her concerts is DESPERATE” – with another fan going as far as to reply: “Another example of how far the NFL has fallen.”
Now, Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning has confirmed that Swift’s dates on her “Eras Tour” had been factored in when the schedule was being finalized. He said: “We certainly considered the tour dates that hit NFL stadiums. I think she’s in Miami, maybe New Orleans, Indy. We certainly considered those.”
Clarifying the situation surrounding the Chiefs’ road clash with the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 17, however, North asserted: “One thing we didn’t consider, I saw a lot of conspiracy theorists talking about Kansas City at Buffalo in the middle of the season, right when Taylor’s playing Toronto. That one definitely did not hit our radar screen.”
It remains to be seen whether the “Anti Hero” hitmaker will be in attendance at as many NFL games in 2024 as she was during the previous campaign. Although she is free from August after her Europe dates, Swift’s “Eras Tour” commitments mean she will be back on the road from November onwards – starting in Toronto.
As for the challenges posed by putting the finished NFL schedule together, Hans Schroeder, the league’s executive vice president of media distribution, confirmed: “It’s an incredibly challenging puzzle.
“You’re thinking about competitive equality, how we solve for all our media partners, team elements, travel, how we solve for more windows on more continents as we play more,” he informed the Associated Press. “But most importantly, how do we create the best schedule for our fans. If there was ever sort of a needle in a haystack-type project, this is it.”
