The NFL is preparing for its 2024 kickoff, and the league is trying to pump fans up as much as it can in the days ahead of the Chiefs vs. Ravens season opener.
Per usual, that includes the release of a brief, preseason hype video.
The 28-second clip from the NFL contains plenty of iconic images from the 2023 NFL season. That includes Aaron Rodgers carrying the American flag onto the field in his Jets debut, Jason Kelce walking off the field for the final time of his career and Mecole Hardman's Super Bowl-winning touchdown catch.
While football naturally takes center stage in the promo, so too does one of the NFL's most notable celebrity fans: Taylor Swift. She is featured prominently in the video, which caught the attention of football fans and Swifties alike.
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Taylor Swift NFL promo
Swift drew into the NFL's hype video an impressive five times in 28 seconds. That was far more than any player was shown during the fast-moving clip, which traces the 2023 NFL season on a month-by-month basis.
You can see Swift's appearances in the NFL promo below.
Swift's first two appearances in the hype video came in the September portion of the highlight reel. Those clips included her first appearance at an NFL game as news of her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spread.
Swift wasn't shown again until the January recap, which featured a brief cut of her walking into Arrowhead Stadium for Kansas City's first playoff game against the Dolphins. She was wearing her Kristin Juszczyk-made Kelce jacket, which captured the world's attention at the time.
The final two clips of Swift showed her enjoying the Chiefs' playoff run — sharing an intimate moment with Kelce on the field after Kansas City advanced to the Super Bowl and showing her enjoying the big game on the big screen.
Certainly, that's a lot for any non-player to appear in an NFL promo video. Even so, it's easy to understand why the NFL wanted to celebrate the mania that surrounded Swift's sudden connection to the league last season.
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Other celebrities in the NFL hype video
Swift wasn't the only non-player featured in the NFL's hype video. The league also made sure to note a few other famous names — including two other NFL-created celebrities — who were involved in last season. They were as follows:
- Dolly Parton, singer/songwriter
- Merianne Do, Chargers fan
- Sean Stellato, NFL agent
Parton's appearance in the video was connected to her halftime performance on Thanksgiving at the Cowboys vs. Commanders game. She wore a Cowboys cheerleader outfit as she performed some of her greatest hits for the crowd at AT&T Stadium.
Do earned her 15 minutes of fame in October after her hardcore celebration of the Chargers during their "Monday Night Football" game against the Raiders. She dominated discussion in NFL circles after that contest, with some pondering whether she was a fake fan, but she insisted she was a Chargers loyalist.
Stellato became a story amid Tommy DeVito's rise to prominence with the Giants. DeVito — an undrafted free agent — gave New York fans a reason to celebrate, as he was a New Jersey native of Italian descent who lived at home with his parents during the 2023 season. He got to quarterback the Giants after injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor and led the Giants to a 3-3 record.
DeVito's rise earned him the nickname of "Tommy Cutlets." Stellato helped DeVito lean into this and showed up at one of his December starts wearing a sharp, black and pinstriped suit with a dark fedora. That fit the description many NFL fans would have produced had they been asked to depict DeVito's agent.
All that's to say that while Swift was the main focus of the off-the-field portions of the NFL's promo video, she wasn't the only non-player the league highlighted. She figures to be front-and-center again during the 2024 NFL season, but it will be interesting to see what other people of note emerge as surprising supporting characters during the campaign.