Economist Explains Why Taylor Swift is Bigger Than 55 Super Bowls
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 01: Singer Taylor Swift cheers prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
I know you haven’t put your phone along with every media portal you have access to on silent. Therefore, you are well aware that Taylor Swift has all but taken over the world.
There are a few Swifites living in my house who are healthily obsessed with the “Swiftplosion” we are all witnessing. Their next highly anticipated Taylor experience is planned for this Friday. More about that in a moment.
Ever since the Eras Tour launched, we’ve been hearing about how all the spending in and around each Taylor Swift concert has given local economies a tremendous boost.
The Taylor Economy
The latest chatter is a financial observation suggested by a well-respected economist. Ed Tiryakian is predicting that Taylor Swift-driven spending could equal the economic impact of more than 55 Super Bowls.
Tiryakian is an associate professor of corporate finance and business economics at Duke University. In a conversation with The Messenger he states that a single Taylor Swift concert has the economic impact of one Super Bowl. It includes not only spending by locals who attend, but also spending by out-of-town or out-of-country fans who travel to the shows. Then there’s the spending by people who traveled with those fans but didn’t actually attend the show.
Topping the Super Bowl
Taylor is gearing up to perform her international leg of the tour. Those dates will be followed by more North American dates. Tiryakian believes that if those shows see the same level of spending we’ve seen at the previous U.S. dates, the total global impact from the Eras Tour could be anywhere from $55 billion to $80 billion. He also says the direct impact from the U.S. shows alone would be equal to 55 or 60 Super Bowls.
Tiryakian continues the NFL parallel by suggesting the so-called “Taylor economy” will continue to have an impact on professional sports. Since Taylor has been linked to Travis Kelce, both football viewership and merchandise sales have soared. If they stay together and the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl this year, it will undoubtedly be the most viewed of anything there’s ever been.
He says, “She just dropped a golden goose into the NFL’s lap. It’s like they won the lottery.”
Movie Star
Next up, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour hits theatres this week. The Swifties in my house will be there opening night with rows of friends. They’ll be contributing to the more than $100 million dollars in pre-sales.
What’s next for Taylor? I’m sure we’ll find out soon.
Who Will Play The Super Bowl Halftime Show In 2025?
The Super Bowl is not only the biggest event every year in the sporting world, but the Halftime Show is also the biggest entertainment event. Even though the Halftime show is under 15 minutes, it is talked about months in advance. And if the performance is successful, it’ll be talked about for years afterward. Only the biggest names in music have had the honor to grace the Super Bowl stage: Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Who, Prince, the Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Beyonce, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent, Rihanna, and Usher.
Super Bowl LVII show took place in Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, and featured Rihanna. Fans who were hotly anticipating new music were given another surprise by the “Diamonds” singer. Debuting her pregnant belly, the artist’s performance wasn’t as electrifying as anticipated due to her inability to do any crazy choreography. The show’s elevated stages and backup dancers tried to compensate for that. As with any pop artist, people online were criticizing her choice of wardrobe and debated on whether or not she was pregnant, as she waited until after the show to confirm it. Though this wasn’t the comeback we wanted from Rihanna, it was still great to watch her perform for the first time in years.
RELATED: Usher Is Planning To Announce Tour After Super Bowl: REPORT
For Super Bowl LVIII, R&B superstar Usher shook the stage with a medley of his biggest hits. He brought along Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Lil Jon, H.E.R., will.i.am, and Jermaine Dupri for the halftime show. Back in April, he told Access Hollywood that he “would be a fool to say no” to headline the Super Bowl, a “bucket list” dream of his. Usher has sold over 23 million albums and 38 million digital songs in the United States. With over 80 million records sold worldwide, the “There Goes My Baby” singer is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. See who we predict will take the stage for Super Bowl LIX below:
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
