"What’s wrong with that?": When NFL legend Dan Marino made his feelings clear on Taylor Swift's effect on NFL

Ever since Taylor Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, she has been a constant presence in the stadium where Kelce plays. Since she is a pop icon, the cameras are often vested in her whenever Kelce is involved in a play.

Although some people find it reasonable since she is the girlfriend of a popular athlete, others find it irritating because of the screen time she gets.

NFL legend Dan Marino expressed his opinion on the topic involving the multi-time Grammy winner. During an exclusive interview with US magazine in January 2024, the former Miami Dolphins legend said:

“I mean, she hasn’t affected any games, but from the media standpoint, she’s there. It’s part of it. She’s loved and from what I’ve heard, I don’t know her … she’s a terrific person and she cares about people, and she cares about taking care of people, which is an amazing thing, especially if you are in her position.

“I give her a lot of respect for that, first of all. And then, she might as well have fun and enjoy it while she’s dating one of the stars in the NFL. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing.”

Whenever the Chiefs lose a game, some fans do not shy away from associating Swift with the poor performance. However, Swift has continued to ignore the opinions of such fans, whom she has called ‘dads, Brads and Chads’ in her TIME Person of the Year profile.

Dan Marino has no issues with Taylor Swift's presence in NFL

During an appearance on Pat McAfee’s podcast, Marino said that he has no issues with the constant attention she receives during the games. He anticipated even more focus on Swift during the Super Bowl. When asked by McAfee how many times Swift will be seen on TV during the Super Bowl, he said:

“I say more like 300 times, we will see Taylor Swift on TV during the Super Bowl.”

The Athletic did an independent poll on the topic, which included 102 unnamed NFL players. 72.5% of the voters viewed her interest in the game as a positive impact. They felt that she was bringing in more audience to the sport courtesy of her global celebrity status.

On the other hand, only 4.9% viewed it as a negative, while 22.5% of the voters had a neutral viewpoint.