It's almost like Taylor Swift predicted the backlash she's received from angry football fans when writing her 2019 hit "The Man."
The 14-time Grammy winner found herself at the brunt of criticism throughout the 2023-2024 NFL season, as haters grew bothered by the "Love Story" singer's frequent appearances at her boyfriend Travis Kelce's games after the pair first went public with their relationship in September 2023.
But why does Swift receive so much hate? Expert Madeline Moitozo, the founder and CEO of Juniper Media, a female and LGBTQ+ owned media company that harnesses the power of journalistic storytelling to create social change, exclusively shared her theory with OK! after analyzing the blending of sports and Swifties perfectly portrayed in Cetaphil's Super Bowl LVIII commercial.
The advertisement, which aired ahead of the big game, on Sunday February 11, focused in on the story of a dad and daughter watching the Kansas City Chiefs play, as they had Swift's staple friendship bracelets on their wrists.
The commercial highlighted the positive impact Swift has had on the NFL despite loads of criticism the league has faced for their apparently excessive coverage of the artist this past season.
"Taylor has taken the world by storm, and she has become a household name. And football, for many men, has been a refuge – a place where they can do the thing they want to do. So, for some, I think her presence feels a bit violating. They feel like this is their space and she is intruding on it," Moitozo explained to OK!. "It’s interesting because the reality of how much the camera goes to her is about .0035 percent of the game (roughly 44 seconds). It is minuscule, but powerful because of the territorialism."
"They don’t want her presence to impact the culture of football," the former journalist continued, though she noted her attendance is "undeniably important in bridging across age and gender."
Moitozo detailed: "She is causing more women to watch, but she is also giving fathers across the country a new way to bond with their daughters. I’d ask fans complaining about the few moments of attention she gets during the games to give pause. Their daughters are watching the game, but they are watching the men in their lives too."
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"And when they hear them gripe about Taylor’s time on camera, they are watching men invalidate their role model for supporting her partner. That message matters and can subconsciously translate to 'take up less space, be smaller, it’s not safe to shine,'" she added.
"I think Cetaphil’s commercial was a great idea because it culturally reinforced the positive effect Taylor is having on bridging gender and generational gaps for fans, both longtime watchers and the newly interested," the media expert admitted. "Taylor’s ability to bridge the gap is powerful, and for some, even healing."
