NFL great and rumored Taylor Swift beau Travis Kelce is becoming tired of the media attention given to her attendance at games.
For certainly, they're overdoing it, Kelce, 33, said in his New Heights podcast on Wednesday.
However, the NFL has defended their coverage of the popstar, saying it's a "pop culture moment."
Swift was at Kelce's final game on Sunday, and the cameras were following her the whole time.
The media frenzy around Swift and Kelce began on September 24 when the Anti-Hero singer was first spotted leaving Arrowhead Stadium in a convertible with the Kansas City Chiefs' star offensive tackle.
Swift then joined the likes of Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman in cheering on Kelce at the next game in New Jersey.
The rumors of a romance between Kelce and Swift caused a 400% increase in sales of his jersey, a significant increase in NFL viewing, and the addition of Swifties, devoted followers of the singer, to the league's traditionally middle-aged male fanbase.
According to CBS News in the United States, nearly twenty percent of the tickets sold for the October 1 game were acquired after fans spotted Swift at her first Chiefs game a week earlier.
Kelce's brother Jason noted on their podcast that during Sunday's Chiefs-Jets game in New Jersey, cameras panned to Swift at least 17 times.
"Damn, that's crazy," Kelce remarked.
The league promoted Swift's participation both during the games and on social media, broadcasting her video many times.
Swift and Blake Lively were seated together during the game, and the NFL uploaded a video of them chatting on Instagram with the comment, "The @chiefs are 2-0 with @taylorswift in attendance."
The NFL made a statement on Swift on Wednesday in which they justified their treatment of the story.
We modify our profile imagery based on what is culturally relevant and what is happening around us.
"The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we've leaned into in real time," the spokesperson for one NFL team said. "It's an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we've seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport."
With Swift in attendance, NBC Sports reports that the Chiefs' game against the Jets had an average of 27 million viewers, making it the most watched Sunday event since the Super Bowl.
Jason Kelce, who is also an NFL player, remarked on the show that the league is not used to celebrities going to games.
Basketball, it seems, has things figured out. As the proverb goes, "They're courtside, they're sitting there, they show them once or twice, and then they get back to the game."
As one commentator put it, "The NFL is like 'look at all these A-list celebrities at the game!'"
"They are not there to get thrown on the TV," Kelce continued, venting his ire.
You might look like an idiot if you're spotted eating a huge cheeseburger in public. Certain topics simply shouldn't be broadcast constantly on television.
It's no wonder that the NFL is capitalizing on the Kelce-Swift pairing, considering the enormous economic and cultural impact Swift's presence has had on the NFL.
The National Football League has long tried to attract more young and female fans.
And Swift is arguably the biggest music performer on the planet, with a massive following among the very people the NFL is trying to attract to its games.
According to Fox Sports, the Chiefs-Bears game on September 24 attracted 24. 3 million people, making it the most-watched televised event of the week.
ESPN noted a notable increase in female 12-17 year old viewers, up 8% from the same time period in 2017.
"It's like a business bonanza that just appeared for two brands that have some of the biggest brands in the world," Andrew Brandt, a former executive for the Green Bay Packers, told Vox.
Stephen A. Smith, a prominent ESPN commentator, believes Kelce contributed to the media frenzy by informing fans he had sent a friendship bracelet bearing his phone number to Swift.
In reaction to Travis Kelce's podcast remarks, Alex Smith remarked, "Travis Kelce, stop, bro you did this, not the NFL."