Dear true American football fans, only one week left before the big night, before uninterrupted coitus, before the Super Bowl! You are so excited. You’ve been waiting for this meeting for a year. Since the end of the previous one.
You followed the draft at the end of April, the training camps that started on July 26 and the pre-season games in August. On Thursday September 7, you were in front of your screen for the launch of the new campaign. You haven’t missed anything. You’ve been on the lookout for everything. On Sunday, when everyone in your house was sleeping, you got up early to watch the games played in London and Frankfurt.
You know everything, the records of Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, the number of quarterback sacks made by the Detroit Lions, the number of failed converts by the Cleveland Browns, the number of Hail Mary tempted by the Indianapolis Colts, the number of Green Bay Packers fans sporting a large piece of cheese on their heads. You are the Jedi of the NFL.
You share your passion with BPM Sports listeners and podcast regulars The Ringer NFL Show. Other fools like you, who speak the same language.
But next Sunday, the NFL will not only be the business of insiders, the NFL will be everyone’s business. You will no longer be alone in your living room. You will be surrounded by people who know nothing about it. From people for whom the essays are a book by Montaigne. People who used to be interested in the Super Bowl for two reasons: the commercials and the halftime show. This year, they added a third: Taylor Swift. In short, uneducated people. NFL ignoramuses. Above all, don’t look down on them! This is the reason for my missive this morning.
In recent weeks, since the Swifties inflated the ratings for Chiefs games, we have felt a lot of annoyance from real American football fans.
They are exasperated every time the cameras show the most popular singer of the moment on screen. Some even go so far as to lash out against her on social networks. THE boys, take a break! Huddle with your mind. Taylor Swift is in your gang. She’s a football fan, like you. She looks at the game, like you. Yes, it’s because she’s dating a football player. And then? Everyone has their reasons. You love sport. She is the love of sportsmanship. The important thing is love.
Do you know how many seconds we are shown Taylor Swift during a match? Less than 25 seconds. The meeting lasts three hours. It appears every 4-5 seconds. Take a sip of Bud, check your phone, stretch, no one has died. And if you watch it, rejoice. Taylor Swift is a super good supporter. She’s in the game. She is invested. Too often, when we are shown personalities in the dressing rooms, they look bored. For once there is one who acts as we would in her place, let’s applaud.
PHOTO JULIO CORTEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift
The aggressive reaction to Swift’s appearances at football games is embarrassing. For years, cameras were quick to show Jack Nicholson sitting in the front row at Los Angeles Lakers games in the NBA. No one was picking on Jack. On the contrary. So why act this way with Taylor? Misogyny, is your non-petticoat sticking out?
You can be a real football fan and not disdain the excitement created by the presence of Taylor Swift at Kansas City matches. It’s all just a game. Travis Kelce is catching balls. Taylor Swift sings songs. We are in entertainment. There’s no reason to get pumped up.
Sometimes, during stoppages in play, we are shown cheerleaders, mascots, guys with a cap containing two beers connected to their mouth with straws, sometimes it’s the parents of the players, a child who falls asleep, a worried owner, and sometimes it’s the lover of the one of the players, especially since the lover is the most followed star on the planet. You would be in the production department, you would also show it.
Next Sunday, you will be in the minority. There will be more one-night fans watching the Super Bowl than lifetime fans. And that’s good. If you really love football, you should be happy that people are interested in what you love, even if only once a year. You should take them under your wing. And help them understand this sport that you know so well. A sports fan likes to win, so win them over to your cause. Don’t reject them.
Among the millions of people who will watch, on the party, the clash between the Chiefs and the 49ers, there are perhaps a few people who, rubbing shoulders with your enthusiasm, will get caught up in the game and become aficionados of American football. It will give you more friends to talk to on Mondays in the fall. The main quality of sport is to bring people together. Don’t lock up your favorite sport.
Next Sunday, whether you’re shouting for Mahomes, Purdy, Swift or Usher, the main thing is to express joy. His joy of being together. There are enough serious subjects that divide, light subjects must multiply us. Happy Super Bowl week everyone!