While crediting 'the Taylor Swift effect' for bringing new young people to the games, Roger Goodell insists that he didn't play a hand in securing Chiefs a spot in the NFL's final showdown.
- Feb 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - Super Bowl LVIII is gaining extra buzz, thanks to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance. As the pair's relationship has brought more attention to football games, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has addressed theory that he set up the Kansas City Chiefs' face off with the San Francisco 49ers.
"I don't think I'm that good a scripter, or anybody on our staff. Listen, there's no way I could have scripted that one. Let's just put it that way," Roger said in his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference on Monday, February 5. He insisted that he did not play a hand in securing Chiefs victories to book a ticket to the final so the sideshow of Taylor and Travis could continue through the major showdown of the season.
"I think the idea that this was a script, that this was pre-planned, that's nonsense," Roger said. "It's frankly not even worth talking about. We see two people together having fun together. That's wonderful. I wish them well. They're both wonderful people."
Still, the 64-year-old credited "the Taylor Swift effect" for bringing new young people to the games. "Having the Taylor Swift effect is also a positive. Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people. They both seem very happy," he elaborated. "(Taylor) knows great entertainment, and I think that's why she loves NFL football. I think it's great to have her a part of it. Obviously, it creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women."
"Our girls [Roger's daughters] love Taylor Swift, but they also love football," he added. "They know a lot about football. So this is just about welcoming people to the game. It's giving people a different perspective of the game."
In the end, the businessman is glad that "people are talking about the game." He said, "Whatever the reason is, I'm good with it. Taylor is obviously a dynamo - everything she touches."
Taylor is expected to attend the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 11. She is reportedly willing to take a "brutal flight" to make sure she will arrive in time for the big game despite having a show in Tokyo the night before. "It's a brutal flight," a source told Page Six of the 13-hour trek, "but she'll get on her plane right after the concert."
