It's no secret that the NFL is leaning in when it comes to the obsession regarding Taylor Swift and her recent ties to the league through her rumored beau, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
But what does the NFL player's mom think about the league publicizing off her son's love life?
"I know that's what the boys think," Donna Kelce tells TODAY.com in an Oct. 6 interview.
On their “New Heights” podcast earlier this week, Travis Kelce and his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, addressed the media craze and whether the NFL had gone overboard. “Sunday Night Football” faced criticism for the number of cutaway shots dedicated to Swift during the livecast.
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“Take away your feelings for Taylor — What is your honest opinion on how the NFL is treating celebrities at games?” Jason Kelce asked his brother.
“They’re overdoing it a little bit, especially with my situation,” Travis Kelce said before adding, “I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”
Donna Kelce tells TODAY.com she understands their perspective but also understands the NFL's too.
"Why wouldn’t they capitalize on it?" she says. "It's like they’re laughing all the way to the bank. ... So I don’t think it’s too much. But I know they do. It’s their lives."
Donna Kelce echoed that sentiment on the Oct. 6 episode of the “Got It From My Momma” podcast. "Good for them," she told host Jennifer Vickery Smith.
After Swift's appearance at Arrowhead Stadium Sept. 24 alongside Donna Kelce, viewership for NFL games has spiked. According to NBC, the Oct. 1 Chiefs-Jets game on "Sunday Night Football" brought an average of 27 million viewers, making it the second-most watched game this year since the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce saw a 400% increase in the sales of his #87 Chiefs jersey.
The Kelce family is no stranger to the pop culture spotlight. Jason Kelce was the subject of the Amazon Prime documentary "Kelce," Donna Kelce went viral for her custom-made game day outfit for cheering on both the Eagles and the Chiefs at the 2023 Super Bowl and Travis Kelce starred in the "E!" reality TV dating show "Catching Kelce."
The family matriarch knows the impact she's had on the league's popularity, citing what she's heard from NFL representatives directly.
"I can tell you this, that they’ve told me personally that the Kelce family has done more good PR for football than they could've paid a million dollars to a PR firm," she said on the "Got It From My Momma" podcast.
She also has thoughts on why.
"It's just because we’re relatable. We’re just normal. We’re genuine," she said. "We’re authentic, and we don't put any airs on or try to be someone that we're not."
She noted that the Swifties tuning in probably “know more about football than half the people that watch football right now.”
“They just eat all that stuff up,” she told Vickery Smith.
The NFL also addressed some of the criticism in a statement Oct. 4. The league defended its social media activity and said it often changes the profile pictures and bios of its official accounts in line with "what's happening in and around our games, as well as culturally."
“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport," the statement reads. “The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives, including our Toy Story Funday Football alt-cast, the international games and more.”
This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
