Super Bowl-Taylor Swift conspiracy theorists are right – more people will watch Sunday's game
Who's going to win Super Bowl 58? Apparently, neither the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs.
It appears the Super Bowl 58-Taylor Swift conspiracy theorists will be taking the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.
According to a national poll of 1,523 Americans conducted by YouGov for Seton Hall University, the number who say they will watch Sunday's game is up 6 points since last year. That includes 41 percent of 18-34 year olds, who are saying Taylor Swift's presence "is influencing their decision - or someone in their household's decision - to watch the Super Bowl."
In case you have been living in a cave, Swift, who performed in Tokyo Wednesday morning (our time), is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce - a nondescript player who no one ever heard of until he became attached to the pop superstar. And that is also why the Chiefs - who have not done much lately in the NFL - shockingly advanced to the Super Bowl rather than the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills.
OK, we jest. But there appears to be no doubt that the Swifties are going to be watching the game - simply to catch glimpses of Taylor Swift, who is flying back from her final concert in Japan to make kickoff. There are numerous prop bets as to how many times the CBS cameras show her in her private suite along with Travis' family.
“From a marketing perspective, the NFL and its advertisers couldn’t do any better,” said marketing Professor Daniel Ladik, chief methodologist for the poll. “The viewership for this game is on a seemingly inexorable march toward more viewers, and this year Taylor Swift may be playing the role of drum major – at least for 18-34 year olds, a market that almost everyone covets.”
More: This one poll may show why Taylor Swift's influence has MAGA world on edge in 2024 election
By the way, according to the Seton Hall poll, when asked if they thought the presence of Swift had anything to do with their decision or the decision of anyone in their household to watch the game, 21 percent of Americans said yes.
I'm not buying this. Everyone knows Super Bowl Sunday is America's unofficial national holiday. Even people who care less about the NFL watch the Super Bowl for - take your pick - the commercials, the halftime show, the pregame show, the parties and because there is nothing else on TV during that time slot.
Which is why the Super Bowl is the top rated television show every year and Super Bowl broadcasts fill the list of the Top 10 watched TV programs of all time.
There's also the gambling factor. I'm betting on who will be shirtless first - Taylor Swift or Jason Kelce.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Taylor Swift will draw more viewers for Super Bowl 58, poll confirms
