Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles center and the brother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, praised Taylor Swift when a reporter asked how he feels about the NFL‘s unwavering attention toward her during this season’s Chiefs games.
Taylor, who’s in a relationship with Travis, has been attending her beau’s games since late September — and the NFL’s network partners have made the most of televising cutaways to the pop star as she cheers him on. Her regular attendance at Chiefs games has boosted TV ratings, ticket sales and jersey sales, and resulted in an uptick in social media followers for NFL- and Chiefs-associated accounts.
“The attention is there because the audience wants to see it,” Jason told Caleb Noe, a reporter for Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO 9, in a recent interview. “I mean, if people didn’t want to see it, they wouldn’t be showing it. I know that.”
“She’s a world star,” Jason said. “She’s the quintessential artist right now in the world, singer-songwriter, immensely talented, unbelievable role model for young women across the globe. So I think that the NFL would probably be foolish not to, you know, show her and be a role model for all the young girls out there.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told CBS Mornings in November, “I think it’s great for the league to have that kind of attention. We welcome it.”
On the latest episode of their joint podcast New Heights, the Kelce brothers reflected on the Chiefs’ Jan. 28 AFC Championship win against the Baltimore Ravens.
Swift was in the crowd along with the Kelce family at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland from start to finish, and afterward on the field to celebrate the Chiefs being Super Bowl-bound. She kissed Travis on live TV, and Travis audibly told her “I love you” on the field.
“Shout-out to the newest members of the Chiefs Kingdom,” Jason joked on the Jan. 31 episode of the podcast. “Taylor Swift, who has officially reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year.”
Swift has a show in Tokyo the day before the Super Bowl, which is taking place in Las Vegas. The Embassy of Japan is assuring fans that the superstar will have time to make it to the game after her Eras Tour plays at the Tokyo Dome from Feb. 7-10.
“The Embassy of Japan in the United States is aware of recent media reports concerning the steps Taylor Swift will need to take to travel from Tokyo after her concert on February 10th to Las Vegas in time to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play in Super Bowl LVIII,” a Feb. 2 statement read.
“Despite the 12-hour flight and 17-hour time difference, the Embassy can confidently Speak Now to say that if she departs Tokyo in the evening after her concert, she should comfortably arrive in Las Vegas before the Super Bowl begins. We know that many people in Japan are excited to experience Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, so we wanted to confirm that anyone concerned can be Fearless in knowing that this talented performer can wow Japanese audiences and still make it to Las Vegas to support the Chiefs when they take the field for the Super Bowl wearing Red.”
See the latest interview clip that had Jason Kelce talking about Swift below.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
