Exclusive:Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Impacted the NFL’s 2024 Schedule But It’s Not for the Reason You Think

When Taylor Swift started showing up to the Kansas City Chiefs games last season to cheer on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the Swifties took notice and the NFL profited handsomely. With another football season just around the corner, her fans might be surprised to learn that the “Cruel Summer” singer’s Eras Tour impacted the start of the season.

While the NFL would likely love to have her presence at every game, Swift is such a queen that the athletic organization had to work around her schedule because she had already booked some of the stadiums for the second half of her U.S. tour. Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, told Fox Sports that they had to work around Swift for three weekends: Miami from Oct. 18-20, New Orleans from Oct. 25-27, and Indianapolis from Nov. 1-3. Basically, Swift’s concerts forced the Dolphins, Saints, and Colts to hit the road for away games those weekends — talk about a power play!

North also wanted to dispel the “conspiracy theories” about scheduling the Chiefs game in Buffalo on Nov. 17, so Swift could watch Kelce play after her concerts in Toronto, Canada from Nov. 14-16. “I saw a lot of conspiracy theories talking about Kansas City at Buffalo, middle of the season, right when Taylor’s playing Toronto,” North admitted. “That one definitely did not hit our radar screen.” However, the 34-year-old singer’s presence and the success of the team with three Super Bowl wins in the last five years makes the Kansas City Chiefs a top priority for TV coverage this year.