We are in an era where pop culture influences have shifted from external observers to active and strategic participants in sports. With the rise in digital storytelling and media, superstars like Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds are bringing record numbers to franchises through personal relationships, major events and team ownership. By leveraging these figures, teams convert casual consumers into dedicated fans by attracting diverse audiences and transforming regional franchises into globally recognizable assets.
Personal Relationships
The “Taylor Swift Effect” has revolutionized the NFL through the global pop star’s relationship and engagement with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. After Swift’s debut at Arrowhead Stadium in 2023, Kelce’s jersey sales skyrocketed by nearly 400%.
According to NBC, Swift brought an audience of female teenagers the NFL had previously untapped, with a 53% increase in viewership of girls between the ages of 12 and 17.
Swift’s appearance on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast led to record-breaking viewership with 1.3 million concurrent viewers on the live YouTube premiere of the episode, crashing the stream. The episode has accumulated an astonishing 22 million views, with an increase of over 600% in female listeners.
The couple announced their engagement on Instagram. The post surpassed 1 million reposts in 6 hours, a record for the platform. After one month, the post stood at 37 million likes (and untold more views), a top-10 in Instagram’s history.
The relationship and its milestones highlights the global and cultural influence that Swift has had in reshaping the NFL’s audience and redefining the intersection of sports and entertainment.
Major Events
The annual Super Bowl has become a spectacle beyond the game itself. Commercials and the iconic halftime show are now central to its appeal, creating a mutually beneficial relationship where both performers and the NFL see boosts in ratings and revenue.
The halftime show draws attention to the NFL, with rumors of Swift herself being the performer for the 2026 game as it heads to Santa Clara. Michael Jackson’s 1993 halftime performance changed the trajectory of the halftime show forever, shifting viewership from national to international by making his performance stand out like its own event. It marked the first time in Super Bowl history that viewership increased from the first half to the second. Although performers are not paid for their time, they earn millions through pure exposure. For example, 2024 performer Usher gained a 550% boost in his Spotify streams, and his 2005 hit and show opener “Caught Up” surged 2000% in streams.*
Commercials are often skipped by viewers or seen as breaks for them to get a snack or look at their phones. But some surveys show that 42% of Super Bowl viewers tune in specifically for the advertisements. Advertisers pay handsomely for 30 seconds of screen time to get their commercials shown to global audiences.
Team Ownership
Another way popular culture figures break into the sports industry is through team ownership. Notable examples include the acquisition of Wrexham A.F.C. by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (née McElhenney) and the founding of Angel City FC by celebrities such as Natalie Portman (and new ownership under Willow Bay).
Wrexham was once the Welsh soccer team that no one in America had ever heard of until Reynolds and Mac gave the team a complete refresh. The FX documentary “Welcome to Wrexham” brought media attention to the franchise by humanizing the club through personal accounts from players and the broader community. Reynolds and Mac bought the team for around £2 million in 2021, building it up to a net worth of over £150 million. Since the purchase, Wrexham has brought in three times the amount of ticket sales, near capacity crowds, and a whole new global community.
The Angel City FC ownership team has revolutionized the sports industry while coexisting alongside the Dodgers and Lakers in a major sports landscape. The franchise creates a community dominated by females and LGBTQ+ individuals, underrepresented in sports. ACFC aims to build something larger than the game by making the fiercest, most inclusive community in football. Continuing to bring in new audiences, new team owner Bay (USC Annenberg’s Dean) emphasizes affordability as a way to engage younger demographics.
The integration of entertainment and sports, driven by pop culture figures, is no longer a peripheral trend but a central strategy. It fundamentally reshaped audience demographics, global reach, and the business model of sports franchises. As we move forward, the line between athlete and entertainer will continue to blur, making the strategic leverage of cultural icons essential for any sports brand seeking to remain relevant and expand its influence.
Siena Oh is a current sophomore studying Public Relations and Advertising at USC Annenberg. She is also pursuing a double minor in customer analytics at USC Marshall and disruptive innovation at the Iovine and Young Academy. She has a passion for branding, outreach, and strategy, with a strong focus on the sports industry and a love for USC Football. She is a research associate at the USC Center for PR.