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Is Taylor Swift ruining your enjoyment of NFL games?
Well, it turns out that you may just be acting a little melodramatic.
Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times recently looked into how much screen time the pop superstar is really getting. And the answer comes as a crushing blow to all those complaining about having to see Swift (even you, Tony Dungy) on their TV sets.
During last week’s AFC Divisional round game between the Chiefs and Bills – a game that drew record ratings – Swift was shown just five times for grand total of 24 seconds.
This despite a Kansas City victory and boyfriend Travis Kelce hauling in five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Jason Kelce, meanwhile, was on TV for a total of 21 seconds in the contest.
Lest you think TV producers are showing Swift less due to complaints, let’s look at the previous games,
A week prior, in the AFC Wild Card round against the Miami Dolphins, Swift was again shown just five times. Though that for a total of 1 minute and 16 seconds.
That’s significantly higher than the three times for 12 seconds she was on screen on New Years Eve, when the Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 25-17.
The week prior, on Christmas Day, she was shown just three times for 14 seconds.
Sensing a trend here? Us too,
The reality is that Swift is hardly on television at all during these broadcasts.
Reports suggest that the average NFL broadcast length is around 3 hours and 12 minutes long.
Quick math then tells us that even at her most exposed, 1 minutes and 21 seconds, Swift was on television for less than one percent of the likely total broadcast time.
Swift has undoubtedly become a huge storyline this NFL season. But those who are offended by presence are clearly over-exaggerating just how much attention she’s received.