Interest in Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce shows her ‘enormous’ pop culture power

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Commonly referred to as the biggest name in the music industry, Taylor Swift is influencing pop culture every day.

“She can change lives just by showing up,” said Erin Sorensen, a sports journalist based in Lincoln who has been following Swift’s impact on the football scene.

With Tuesday’s announcement of their engagement, Swift and Travis Kelce are the talk of the internet as their names surge in searches.

“To see one post get over 9 million likes within the first hour, I think I even saw it went over 10 million within the first hour, that is just enormous reach and enormous power,” Sorensen said.

Since the beginning of their relationship, NFL ratings have increased, especially among younger generations and women.

Sorensen said Swift has made the atmosphere around football more welcoming for women.

“We now see women who are hosting their own fantasy football leagues,” she said. “All of that was possible prior to Taylor Swift, but she just made it more approachable, and that is a really foundational thing.”

Thousands of fans posted their reaction to the big news on social media, showing just how closely fans have followed Swift and Kelce.

Sorensen said Swift has the power to turn people’s heads.

“Taylor Swift the brand brings a lot of eyeballs and a lot of money,” she said. “If she says, ‘This is something I like,’ a lot of people say, ‘Yep, I’m in, same.’ So there’s a lot of power to that. For a lot of reasons, Kansas City and the NFL are very happy on a day like this.”

As for the future, she said she’s excited to see Swift build on her influence with Kelce at her side.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for Travis to stay really engaged, but also for Taylor to put her voice and her support behind the growth of women’s sports,” she said.