ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Defends Taylor Swift Amid NFL Fans’ Criticism

“I see these kids, they absolutely love her,” he continued. “She did her job. She’s going to support her dude to show up at a football game and the camera is on her—that ain’t her fault.”

Smith added that the “Karma” singer’s appearances at nine games so far this season have not positively affected her own career when it comes to ticket sales.

“She went to the games after the concerts,” he declared (the initial United States leg of the Eras Tour ended last August, but the phenomenon will return in October). “It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no. Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not.” 

And while Smith received some flack from his fellow First Take hosts for trying to get free tickets from the “Bejeweled” singer, he doubled down. 

“Taylor Swift is that girl,” he finished. “Let’s show some respect. She’s probably going to have a positive impact on Travis Kelce’s performance.”