The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce story is a fascinating study of media consumption

The biggest story in the country right now isn’t the looming government shutdown or the end of the Hollywood writers strike.

The story everyone is talking about?

Taylor Swift might be dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and she went to his game on Sunday!

This is big, people. If this thing works out, it could be the biggest entertainer-sports match since Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, or at least Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.

OK, before you roll your eyes, and ask, “Why are you talking about this?” I will say this is a fascinating study of media and media consumption, and it could have some implications for the NFL and TV.

Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay wrote a fun column about it all, but he actually hit on why this is such a big deal. He wrote, “… our nation’s two most powerful entertainment forces collided.”

That’s right: the NFL and Taylor Swift. What is bigger than that?

Gay wrote, “Swift is perhaps the only star on earth with the fame to overwhelm an NFL Sunday.”

One hundred percent. Need I remind you that there is no bigger show on TV than the NFL, and yet the entire country, including the diehard NFL fan, is talking about Swift being at the Chiefs game? On Sunday, an NFL team scored 70 points and the Dallas Cowboys were upset in a game in which they were heavily favored.

Yet the story of the day was, “Did you see who was at the Chiefs’ game?!?!”

Gay even pointed out that by just attending a game, Swift made the biggest NFL news on a day when Usher was named as this season’s Super Bowl halftime entertainer. Gay accurately noted, “Taylor’s never taken the halftime gig, another signal of her clout. She doesn’t need the NFL.”

Imagine how big you have to be to not need the NFL. But the NFL actually could benefit from Swift showing up at games.

The Big Lead’s Stephen Douglas wrote, “We've heard about the effect of Taylor Swift on the American economy for months. Absurd numbers have been floated and ‘reported’ throughout the duration of the mega-successful Eras Tour. Fans supposedly spend $1,300-$1,500 and boost a local economy by ‘hundreds of millions’ in a single weekend. It all sounds like (BS), but this is a passionate fanbase. Which is why I have to ask if the NFL and its broadcast partners are about to see a Taylor Swift bump.”

Good question: Will viewership of nationally-televised Chiefs’ games go up because viewers will want to catch a glimpse of Swift sitting in a luxury suite like we saw on Sunday?

Douglas wrote, “If she's truly big enough to take the only thing on television that matters — live football broadcasts — and make them bigger and more profitable, then we'll know that the real Eras tour was the football games we saw along the way.”

Coverage of this was through the roof. It led sports TV shows. It led entertainment shows. It provided sports radio and podcast content. It dominated X, formerly known as Twitter. USA Today’s Gabe Hauari wrote a story with the headline, “A Swiftie's guide to Travis Kelce: What to know about Kansas City Chiefs tight end.”

Front Office Sports and TMZ reported that Travis Kelce merchandise has seen a 400% spike on Fanatics since Sunday, and is currently the No. 2 overall seller in the NFL Shop.

If you’re not familiar with Kelce, he’s more than just a football player. He’s a really good football player, already considered among the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. He also is extremely charismatic. He co-hosts a popular podcast with his brother Jason, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. He hosted “Saturday Night Live” last March. And has appeared in a bunch of commercials.

Already, there are nicknames for the couple: “Traylor,” “Tayvis” and “Swelce.”

Sports media personality (and former ESPN host) Dan Le Batard had fun with it, saying on his podcast, “You may have heard: Taylor Swift attended a football game yesterday. It was wildly overcovered. She wildly overreacted to the least interesting touchdown of Travis Kelce’s career. She is an awkward clapper.”

Then Le Batard added to that coverage by saying, “I don’t know that Travis Kelce knows what he has gotten himself into. They’re not going to be able to go anywhere." Le Batard further said that Kelce didn’t look happy leaving the stadium with Swift after the game.

One of Le Batard’s producers, Billy Gil, brought some semblance of sanity by saying, “Are you under the impression that he wants privacy in this as he’s leaving the stadium in a convertible in Kansas City with Taylor Swift sitting by his side?”

Le Batard, who talked about the whole thing with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, suggested the story was overcovered. I say just the opposite. It was undercovered. I can’t get enough. Except for broadcasters insisting on working Swift lyrics into play-by-play and highlights. That’s already become a cliche and needs to stop immediately.

Listen, here’s how big of a deal it is. Bill Belichick, the famously tight-lipped head coach of the New England Patriots who often sidesteps media questions, was asked and he actually weighed in, saying, “Well, I would say that Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest.”

Are Kelce and Swift dating? Was this a one-time meeting? Will it last or will Swift be writing a breakup song about Kelce by Halloween?

Whatever the case, doesn’t this beat some of the depressing news we hear on a daily basis?

As Gay wrote, “Be prepared: we are walking into a watershed moment in the inane life of the Sports Distraction Conversation — i.e., the off-the-field issue allegedly becoming a third rail in an athlete’s on-field life. We are only one dropped Kelce TD pass away from a morning sports radio show called something like Scoober & The Gruff asking callers if Taylor Swift is about to ruin Kansas City’s hopes for a repeat. We are bracing for a world in which Andy Reid is asked if he’ll hold practice when Swift releases ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ and Swift writes a revenge anthem mocking Jim Rome — and it’s great. These are volatile, factionalized times in entertainment, and the only two indestructible powers in sports and showbiz are working together. Bring it on, I say.”

A NOTE FROM POYNTER

Reach the right audience with Poynter.

Connect your message to thousands of media professionals and people who value good journalism by advertising on poynter.org or in Poynter’s suite of newsletters, including The Poynter Report with Tom Jones.

Find out more or place a request here.

Red vs. Blue

So I guess this big fight is really happening. No, not Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg. I’m talking about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vs. California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

After months of back-and-forth dares, the two are actually going to debate on Nov. 30 in Georgia. Fox News’ Sean Hannity will moderate and the 90-minute debate will air on Fox News.

DeSantis is running to be the Republican candidate for president, although he is currently a distant second in the polls to Donald Trump. He might see this as a way to rejuvenate his campaign.

Newsom, a Democrat, isn’t running for anything, although he would be a serious candidate for president if Joe Biden, for whatever reason, doesn’t run for a second term. So far, Newsom has given no indication he would try to challenge Biden and has strongly endorsed the president’s bid for a second term.

This is being billed as a Red State vs. Blue State debate, and it could be, perhaps, a preview of a future presidential showdown in, say, 2028 or later.

Some details still need to be worked out, such as the actual format and whether or not there will be an audience.

Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told The New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman, “We’ve agreed to the debate — provided there is no cheering section, no hype videos or any of the other crutches DeSantis requested. We want a real debate — not a circus.”

Trump’s dangerous and disturbing rant

Donald Trump went on another anti-media rant late Sunday night, but this one was more disturbing than usual. He accused NBC and MSNBC of treason and said if he is again elected president, he will investigate what he calls the “LameStream Media.” He also repeated his oft-used phrase: enemy of the people.

Trump has said that so often that, perhaps, we have become immune to it. But think about it. He is accusing an institution that is one of the backbones of our democracy — a free and independent press — of being an enemy of the people. As if we need to be reminded, that’s the kind of thing said in places where dictators and corrupt politicians rule.

Here’s what Trump said on his Truth Social:

They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason.’ Their endless coverage of the now fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia, and much else, is one big Campaign Contribution to the Radical Left Democrat Party. I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events. Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!

On Monday, the White House put out a statement saying, “President Biden swore an oath to uphold our Constitution and protect American Democracy. Freedom of the press is a fundamental Constitutional right. To abuse presidential power and violate the Constitutional rights of reporters would be an outrageous attack on our democracy and the rule of law. Presidents must always defend Americans’ freedoms — never trample on them for selfish, small, and dangerous political purposes.”

Again, it’s stunning that a legitimate presidential candidate and former president would write such a thing. As Mediaite’s Colby Hall wrote, “Even in an age of over-the-top hyperbole and Trump’s constant flouting of long-held norms and presidential decorum — from which we’ve all become numb — this is a big deal: the top Republican candidate for president is threatening to crack down on media outlets because he doesn’t like their reporting on him.”

Write it up

Good news. It appears the Hollywood writers strike is just about over. The studios and writers have reached a tentative agreement. The deal still must be ratified by more than 11,000 writers, but that is expected. Until then, the strike is not officially over.

The Writers Guild of America put out a statement that said, “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing.”

The WGA went on strike on May 2. (Here’s more on the settlement from the Los Angeles’ Times Wendy Lee and Meg James.)

So what does this mean for you and me — consumers of TV and film?

Once the new agreement is signed, the first thing we’ll see is the return of the late-night and daytime talk shows. That could happen within the next week or so.

Deadline’s Peter White reports that “Saturday Night Live” could return on either Oct. 7 or Oct. 14. “SNL” lost the last three episodes of last season because of the strike.

However, the actors strike is ongoing (more on that below) and that could throw a wrinkle into things. The actors on “SNL,” just like the late-night hosts, fall under the SAG-AFTRA Network Code contract, which is not a part of the current strike.

White wrote, “However, given SAG-AFTRA is still waiting to return to talks with the AMPTP and remains on strike, certain cast members might be unwilling to go back to work until that is resolved — which is thought to be at least two to three weeks away at the earliest. Would the likes of Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang — some of whom have been regulars on the picket lines — be willing to return under these circumstances? Will all of them return for Season 49?”

Scripted TV shows remain on hold because of the actors' strike. The Los Angeles Times wrote, “Also, a number of TV series have already been canceled and film shoots pushed back in 2024 so it will be some time before production activity picks up to pre-strike levels. As the industry saw following COVID-19 lockdowns, ramping up takes more than a simple flip of a switch.”

The other strike

The writers strike is over, but another high-profile strike continues. The actors strike is entering its third month. Axios Sara Fischer writes, “While late-night and daytime talk shows are expected to make a quick comeback, scripted shows that require actors could take longer to return.”

Yes, much longer. Reports are the studios and actors haven’t had talks in two months and no talks are scheduled.

Media tidbits

• The Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina with “Tucker Carlson takes a dubbing in debut Russia ‘show.’”
• Also in The Washington Post, Jeff Stein with “Their podcast is in trouble. A Biden-led crackdown may save them.”
• The Associated Press’ Michael Kunzelman with “Capitol rioter who attacked AP photographer and police officers is sentenced to 5 years in prison.”
• The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin with “CNN’s ‘Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace’ Returns as a Max Exclusive for Season Four.”
• MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan with “In his retirement, Rupert Murdoch leaves behind a wake of destruction.”
• Puck reports that ESPN will be relocating out of its New York City Seaport studio to a new studio about a mile away. The move should happen by 2025. Puck also reported ESPN will “likely” shut down its Los Angeles production center, with staff either being relocated or moved to remote work. The Seaport studio hosts such shows as “Get Up,” “First Take” and “Around the Horn.”

Hot type

• The Washington Post’s Heather Kelly with “The new phone call etiquette: Text first and never leave a voice mail.”
• GQ’s Zach Baron profiles the legendary movie director in “Martin Scorsese: ‘I Have To Find Out Who The Hell I Am.”
• Entertaining column from the Los Angeles Times’ Mary McNamara: “60 isn’t the new 40 and that’s fine by me.”

More resources for journalists

• Bring Poynter to Your Newsroom, Classroom or Workplace.
• Celebrate journalism and democracy with Anderson Cooper at Poynter’s annual Bowtie Ball in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, Nov. 18. Get tickets.
• Poynter ACES Introductory Certificate in Editing (Online) — Enroll now.
• Lead With Influence (Nov. 6-27) (Online seminar) — Apply by Oct. 13.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected].