The NFL Needs More Than Taylor Swift to Win Gen Z
At best, the superstar gives the league a chance to audition for the attention of a generation that cares little about watching traditional sports.
Can the league win over Gen Z swiftly?
Photographer: Jason Hanna/Getty Images
On Sunday afternoon, I sat in US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to watch the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Minnesota Vikings. Behind me, a couple wondered whether Taylor Swift, who had attended the last two Kansas City games, had decided to attend this one, too. In front of me, I could see a couple leaning over a phone, looking at search results for "Taylor Swift Minneapolis."
It wasn't just ticketholders who were disappointed when she didn't show up. For the two preceding weeks, Swift contributed to a big boost in the teen girls and young women watching on their televisions. Now, it’s back to reality and a customer acquisition problem that challenges all major American sports leagues: Generation Z, born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, just isn’t that into sports.