Taylor Swift Pokes Fun at Critical ‘Male Sports Fans’ in ‘New Heights’ Teaser

Taylor Swift is fearless when it comes to taking a playful swipe at “male sports fans.”

The Grammy winner, 35, jokingly took aim at the demographic in a preview of her appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast — which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce — with a cheeky joke aimed at the diehard crowd.

“As we all know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast,” she said in a newly released teaser clip. “I think we all know that if there’s one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens — it’s more of me.”

Swift’s joke comes after she received backlash from football fans for being shown too many times on screen during games, prompting the NFL to step in and comment on the coverage. 

The league told PEOPLE in October 2023 that the move to feature Swift was a normal part of their strategy, saying that they have “seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport” while featuring the singer-songwriter. They also noted that “the vast majority” of their content is still “focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives.”

The Athletic also conducted a survey to see whether NFL players thought the “Fortnight” singer’s appearances at Kelce’s games is good for the league, with the majority responding that they thought the “coverage that stemmed from it” was positive. 

However, one anonymous NFL athlete noted that he felt that Swift being shown in the leagues’ season-opener video “five times” while their “quarterback was featured none,” was not “right” since she wasn’t in the NFL.

That player went on to add that while she brought “more attention to the game,” he felt that the NFL were “using her face” too much on broadcasts. “If she’s at a game, they probably show her like six, seven times. People get … sick of it if they keep doing it over and over again,” he said.

This criticism has not deterred the pop star from attending her Kansas City Chiefs’ beau’s games — much to his own delight. Kelce shared in a GQ profile that he enjoys being the “plus one” to her events and vice-versa.

“I get to be the plus one,” Kelce told the magazine. “I get to go and be that fan. Because I am a fan [of music]… It’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus one for me on the football field…. I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.”

The couple has routinely been spotted supporting each other at their jobs, with Kelce often popping up backstage – and even on stage – during Swift’s recent Eras Tour, and Swift often seen cheering on her boyfriend and his teammates at Chiefs games throughout the NFL season. Kelce joked to GQ that he “sort of made her a football fan.” 

“She is the most engulfed fan today. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short — all these things because she just naturally loves to hear about my job,” he said.

Taylor Swift’s New Heights podcast episode drops Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET.