NBC’s Mike Tirico Perfectly Explains How Broadcast Covers Taylor Swift at Chiefs Games

Viewers who aren't fans of the pop star will just have to shake it off.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium has become as ubiquitous a sight as Travis Kelce scoring a touchdown, arguably even more consistent of a fixture this NFL season based on the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s recent struggles. 

Swift has already been spotted at Arrowhead during the Chiefs’ home wins in Weeks 1 and 2 and will likely attend a few more games before she kicks off the final leg of her Eras Tour stateside on Oct. 18.

Amid ongoing grumbles over Swift’s appearance on television screens, NBC announcer Mike Tirico recently gave his thoughts on national coverage surrounding Swift at Chiefs games. The Sunday Night Football play-by-play voice explained how the broadcast aims to show the pop star in a “proper” way that doesn’t detract from the game itself.

“We’ve seen it. America has seen it. If she’s there, she’ll certainly create a little bit of a buzz,” Tirico said of Swift in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The key is, kind of show her there, but it’s not anything brand new, so it doesn’t get in the way of the game. A couple of shots of her in the stands, at key and proper moments has become kind of part of the norm with covering the Chiefs because she’s as big a star as there is in the global entertainment world. So it makes sense. Then you just kind of go back to the play.

“It should never take away from football. I think in all of the games we’ve covered, it hasn’t taken away from anything in terms of showing replays or explaining what’s going on in the field. So, as I think we’ve established over the last year, that this has been part of the story.”

Tirico added that it was “great” to attract fans of Swift who otherwise wouldn’t have tuned into NFL games, and that he and his team are ultimately trying to “document what’s going on and make (Swift) part of the story as well.”

NFL regular-season games averaged 17.9 million viewers last year, up 7% from the previous season and tied for the second-highest since 1995, according to the league. It comes as no surprise as to why Tirico and other announcers are embracing the arrival of Swift in the NFL, who continues to help networks boost profits and viewership numbers nationwide.

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