Did CBS Show Taylor Swift At The Super Bowl Too Much, Not Enough, Just Enough?

Taylor Swift was shown for a total of 12 times on CBS during the Super Bowl on Sunday, per official Swift tracking data.

Is that too much? Not enough? Way too much? Just right?

Let's discuss.

The Super Bowl is a business. It's the No. 1 show on television every year. 

Around 50 million people watch the conference championship games. Around 110 million watch the Super Bowl, meaning over half of the Super Bowl viewers are not football fans.

Thereby, it's incumbent upon the network partner to cater to non-football viewers throughout the Super Bowl. The NFL doesn't program the halftime show for football fans but for viewers who only watch the game for the musical performance.

Likewise, the NFL doesn't show Taylor Swift for you, assuming you watch football already.

And Swift has helped generate viewership among females ages 12-17 this season. I discussed how the NFL has embraced her drawing power with Fox News host Lisa Boothe on her podcast Monday.

Listen below:

So I can't begrudge CBS for trying to capitalize on the interest surrounding Swift's attendance. CBS' main objective is to record the largest viewership possible for the event. 

Taylor Swift is big, big business. She has increased interest in Kansas City Chiefs games. That's obvious.

However, there is a line. There's always a line where criticism is warranted. The question is did CBS cross the line, as in overdoing Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl?

I would argue not in terms of the number of times she appeared on-screen. Twelve times over a 4-hour and 8-minute broadcast amounts to 0.36%.

That said, I question the decision to turn the cameras toward Swift immediately after the Chiefs clinched the win on a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

Take a look:

That play won the Chiefs the Super Bowl. It marked an official collapse by the 49ers, who held a 10-0 lead. Mecole Hardman, a much-maligned role player, scored the touchdown. 

Patrick Mahomes cemented himself as just the 5th quarterback in history to win three Super Bowls with the throw. Devastation dripped from the faces of the San Francisco players.

And CBS chose to show Taylor Swift?

CBS showed her celebrating before Mahomes, Hardman, the Chiefs, Andy Reid, and the owner of the team. CBS showed Swift before Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan, or the 49ers defense that gave up the Super Bowl-losing play. 

That's a bit much.

Swift had no connection to the play. It would have been one thing had her boyfriend scored the touchdown. He didn't.

Now, I don't blame Taylor Swift.

I'm not a hater. I defended Swift against the grifters calling her a psy-op. Instead, I reject CBS integrating Swift with the signature moment of the NFL season was not fitting. 

Then again, CBS also ran six ads for the Chinese Communist Party-backed Temu during the Super Bowl. Temu is an e-commerce store that sells knock-off products that it forces Uyghur Muslim slaves to manufacture. 

And then there's Tony Romo…

Luckily, CBS won't broadcast another Super Bowl until, at least, 2028.