Charles Barkley slams football fans who complain about Taylor Swift
Charles Barkel thinks NFL fans who complain Taylor Swift shouldn't have nice things.
“When you yell at Taylor Swift that she's ruined [football]“You're just a loser,” Barkley, 60, declared during the Thursday, February 1, episode of his King Charles show. “You're just a loser or an asshole. You are A or B. You are one of the two.'
Barkley's costar, Gayle Kingagreed with the NBA all-star, arguing that Swift, 34, claims the singer has brought a new demographic to the NFL since she started dating the Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce in the summer of 2023.
“You see young teenage girls watching football for the first time,” she argued, while their guest host, the American sports commentator, was Bob CostasTheorized that Swift's politics — in addition to her relationship with Kelce, 34 — could be contributing to the recent hate.
Taylor Swift has loved being the girl in the stands amid her blossoming romance with Travis Kelce. The “Anti-Hero” singer made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September 2023, where she covered the Chicago Bears from the Kelce family's private suite. After cheering along with the tight end's mother, Donna Kelce, she […]
“Because they don't like something about Taylor Swift — they don't like the Chiefs or they've concluded that maybe Taylor Swift isn't a Trumper — then they're annoyed by Taylor Swift,” he claimed. “I can guarantee that all this news wouldn't be happening on Fox News if she were wearing a MAGA hat. They would love it.”
Swift began speaking out about politics in 2018 when she publicly endorsed the Democratic Senate candidate for Tennessee Phil Bredesen and criticized his Republican opponent, Marsha Blackbrand, for her stance on LGBTQIA+ issues and women's rights. She also openly endorsed this Joe Biden for president in 2020. When she urged people to vote via one Instagram Story in September 2023, it resulted in more than 35,000 new registered voters.
Since 2024 is an election year, the question of how Swift could impact the upcoming presidential campaign has been a topic of conversation. Last month the cohosts of The view defended the pop star after a montage of Fox News reporters criticizing Swift for her political views went viral on social media.
“When you yell at Taylor Swift that she's ruined [football], you're just a loser. You're just a loser or an asshole.” – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/fhah8fjCjz
— Terrible announcement (@awfulannouncing) February 1, 2024
“Why is [Taylor] trigger everyone?” panelist Whoopi Goldberg said on the January 30 episode of the talk show. “They are panicking.”
While many have enjoyed watching Swift and Kelce's love story unfold, some have pushed back, claiming the NFL was too focused on her attendance at Chiefs games. However, Swift clapped back during her performance TIME Person of the Year interview where she says she has no control over how much screen time the cameras give her.
“I'm just here to support Travis,” she told the outlet in December 2023. “I'm not sure if I'm showing too much and pissing off some dads, Brads and Chads.”
Now that the Chiefs have secured the AFC Championship, Swift is expected to appear at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11, despite her Tokyo status. Eras tour stint is completed just one day earlier. Costas believes her presence can only have positive effects.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are all anyone can talk about. Swift and Kelce were first linked in July 2023 when the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said he wanted to ask Swift out after attending her Eras Tour. 'I was a little disappointed that I couldn't give her one of the bracelets […]
“When it comes to the Super Bowl, where many people who don't watch football year-round double the crowds even at the conference championship games, part of that is the halftime entertainment and part of that is the commercials “, he says. explained. “It's hard to believe that the Super Bowl could even get a higher rating, but in a small percentage it could actually go up.”
Costas also credited Swift for the recent increase in NFL merchandise. “Travis Kelce jerseys and all his peace and quiet and the focus on regular season games? The NFL ruled not just sports, but all American entertainment,” he said. “You would think they couldn't improve on that, but now they have taken advantage of it [a new] demographic.”