With the 58th Super Bowl approaching, students on campus have shared their opinions regarding the media coverage surrounding it. Some students feel like the publicity surrounding Taylor Swift is deliberate in order to promote the big game on Sun., Feb. 11. What’s certain is that the singer has great influence on this year’s Super Bowl.

Kirby Holiday, a senior Liberal Studies major, expressed great interest regarding the game. Holiday said, “I’m supporting the Chiefs because my dad is a fan.” Holiday said that she’s more interested in the Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, rather than his female counterpart. “I don’t like Taylor Swift,” Holiday said. “She’s overplayed and overhyped.” 

Holiday feels Swift has tried to manipulate the media and public sentiment in order to gain more attention. Holiday said, "She [Swift] should focus on her music rather than publicity stunts that don't involve her."

Holiday believes that “It’s all a publicity stunt,” noting that she thinks Kelce is more deserving of the attention and recognition rather than being known because of Swift. Kelce is a talented player,Holiday asserted, who has worked hard to get to where he is, while the game is capitalizing on him and his relationship with Swift. 

Junior Liberal Studies major, Hannah Villegas, also had interest in the subject. Villegas is a fan of Taylor Swift and her music. Villegas said, “I think she brings so much [to the] fanbase.” Villegas believes that Swift's popularity and influence has allowed the Chiefs to capitalize on Kelce's success. The media appear to be capitalizing on Swift’s popularity as well. Villegas said that during touchdowns, the cameras always pan towards Swift when “It’s really not about her, but they keep making it about her.”

Villegas said, “She brings in a whole new demographic.” Villegas added that she feels Swift's influence has had a positive impact on the NFL as a whole.

CBS8.com wrote that “Taylor Swift's association with the NFL has boosted the league's brand value by over $122 million in just a few months.” According to nypost.com, “Young girls who are Swift fans are now rooting for the Chiefs to win their third Super Bowl in five years.” 

The Kansas City Chiefs won last year’s Super Bowl LVII, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. It appears that their legion of fans – established and newbies alike – are cheering them on to win again versus the San Francisco 49ers. With an artist like Taylor Swift in attendance and Usher hosting the halftime show, Super Bowl LVIII will be a huge Sunday for sports and entertainment. 

Want to take it all in? Tickets to the big game in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium start around $6,000 on stubhub.com or watch from home on local station CBS2 with pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. and kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Will karma come back around for the Chiefs again this year? We’ll be watching. 

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