Oregon Lottery’s DraftKings Sportsbook has launched a range of betting options centered around Taylor Swift songs in the lead-up to the SuperBowl.
Fans of the singer will be able to place bets named after popular songs for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on February 11. These include ‘Shake It Off’, where participants can bet on which team will score first, and ‘Wildest Dream’, which would place bets on specific player performances.
“The fanfare and celebrities at this event generate the most interest in sports betting we see all year, ‘The ‘Taylor’ effect may also result in more casual sports betters taking a chance to have fun,” Kerry Hemphill, Oregon Lottery’s Sports Betting Products Manager, told Gambling Insider.
Taylor Swift and the NFL
The ‘Taylor’ effect here refers to the growing interest in American football from Swifties and Swift’s own growing prominence in the NFL, thanks to her budding relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She has been spotted at various games, supporting her boyfriend, while Kelce himself has also attended multiple nights of Swift’s performances as part of Eras Tour.
The NFL has leaned into Swift’s presence at matches, often spotlighting her (among other celebrities) on live footage of the games and social media.
Taylor Swift in the house for TNF 🙌 #DENvsKC pic.twitter.com/Swf7x9SuGf
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2023
Some long-term fans of NFL resent the perceived emphasis on Swift’s presence at games, but the practice of highlighting famous faces at live games is a long-standing tradition in football coverage.
Indeed, if the singer’s presence is pulling in new fans to the game, with predominantly young women watching more games than before, it can only be a positive for the sport as a whole. For example, 16% of American consumers stated that Swift had influenced them to spend money on football, a recent survey of 2,000 people conducted by online lending marketplace LendingTree found.
Kelce’s brother and fellow football player Jason Kelce said that “the NFL would be foolish not to show Taylor Swift”.
“She’s an unbelievable role model for young women across the globe,” he continued while speaking to WCPO 9.
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