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That said, a top NFL executive said that it did schedule some away games during weeks when Swift’s tour was due to play NFL stadiums.
By Alex Weprin
Media & Business Writer
By now, everyone knows that Taylor Swift has “a guy on the Chiefs,” but no, the NFL did not plan the 2024-2024 schedule for the Kansas City Chiefs to make it easier for Swift to attend the team’s games.
NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North was asked about the matter during a conference call with reporters Thursday and while he acknowledged that the league did consider Swift’s Eras Tour while building the schedule (more on that below), it was not a factor when it came to the Chiefs.
That was despite the fact that the Chiefs are set to face the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo Nov. 17, just a short drive from Toronto, where Swift is set to perform her Eras Tour between Nov. 14 and 27.
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“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,” North said. “That one definitely did not hit our radar screen.”
That being said, North did say that the league had to take the tour into account for some other team schedules. In particular the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts, who all play in stadiums where Swift is scheduled to bring her Eras Tour in the fall.
“We certainly considered the tour dates that hit NFL stadiums,” North said. “I think she’s in Miami, maybe New Orleans, Indy. We certainly considered those.”
Indeed, those teams are all scheduled to be on the road around the time Swift hits up their cities.
Swift, of course, made a handful of appearances at Chiefs games last season to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. Her appearances in the crowd drove real viewership, with the league and commissioner Roger Goodell expressing enthusiasm for the younger, female audience she is bringing to the games.
“The Taylor Swift effect is also a positive,” Goodell said during a Super Bowl week press conference, adding that “it’s great to have her a part of it. Obviously it creates a buzz, it creates another group of young fans, particularly young women that are interested in seeing, ‘Why is she going to this game?’ ‘Why is she interested in this game besides Travis?’ She’s a football fan. And I think that’s great for us.”
Now that the schedule is set, and the Eras Tour is booked, Chiefs fans will have to wait and see how many games the singer can make. Maybe she can even drive over from Toronto to Buffalo.
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