Mina Kimes has a theory about why some NFL fans are bent out of shape about Taylor Swift drawing attention during Chiefs games when she’s been supporting her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce.
And though Kimes has received hate from some fans for being a female football analyst on ESPN, she sees a different type of anger being directed at the 14-time Grammy winner.
“Mina, you can have specific experience and knowledge how men, or cavemen, have reacted to you invading the man cave,” Dan Le Batard said to Kimes on Friday on “Pablo Torre Finds Out” during a discussion about Swift. “You particularly, you coming into the football sphere and sitting next to Ryan Clark and [Dan] Orlovsky and Domonique [Foxworth] and having your opinion and looking the way you do, looking like most people don’t look when talking about football over the last 50 years. You’ve invaded this space and have been made to feel welcome by colleagues, but I think the constituency, the customer, has made that somewhat difficult for you. That’s been an obstacle course.”
“You have pretty different dynamics at play,” Kimes replied. “For me, a lot of the misogyny or resistance I’ve encountered over the years has been men feeling suspicious of, ‘Why is she here? What credibility does she have? I must know more,’ etc. I think with the Taylor Swift backlash — and it’s not universal, and maybe it’s even being overstated — but the impression I get is that people are annoyed with the idea of other fans being allowed into their space. I don’t think most men who watch football games are really upset by the fact that they’re showing Taylor Swift for two seconds. I think they’re upset with the idea of what it signifies — ‘Oh, other people are now being allowed in here?’ — or the product is being deluded in some ways. I think that’s kind of a different phenomenon.”
Swift, the megastar who won two more Grammys Sunday night and announced a new album, first showed up at a Chiefs game Sept. 24, and has been a frequent presence at games throughout the season, including all three of Kansas City’s playoff wins this year.
Television networks have made a habit out of showing Swift on Chiefs broadcasts, something that has seemed to irk a segment of the NFL fan base, including Giants great Tiki Barber, who recently griped on his WFAN show that the “obsession” with Swift and constantly showing her was “annoying.”
Kelce’s older brother, longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce, recently said the NFL would be “foolish” not to show Swift during games.
She’ll likely be getting plenty of airtime during CBS’ broadcast of Super Bowl 2024 between the Chiefs and 49ers this Sunday, where she’s expected to be in attendance despite performing an Eras Tour concert in Tokyo the day before.
