Erin Andrews credits Taylor Swift helping to make women less ‘afraid’ to watch NFL

The NFL has more women viewers than ever, and Erin Andrews credits Taylor Swift with helping them feel less afraid to watch pro football.

Andrews and Charissa Thompson hosted the latest episode of their Calm Down podcast from The Cannes Lions 2025 Festival of Creativity. During the live show, they took a question from the audience about the way mainstream media is covering women’s sports.

Thompson claimed she sees no difference in the way women’s sports are covered compared to men’s leagues, specifically from her employers, Fox and Amazon, citing crossover with the talent, production crews and marketing efforts. Andrews, however, took the question in another direction to note the increase interest in men’s sports from women.

“Our ratings are up for women, which is huge for us,” Andrews said. “What’s really cool is women aren’t as afraid. Listen, America’s Game of the Week, which is the game I do on Sundays, the demographic is split down the middle. It’s like the highest-rated show for women out there, which is amazing for us.

“But I think the casual fan doesn’t feel as afraid to watch professional sports right now, watch the NFL because, well, our girl Taylor helped out with that. It’s cool. Which, we’re excited. We want casual fans, we want fans that know a lot. Listen to the podcast, watch our broadcasts, we’ll help teach you the game.”

Earlier this year, Marissa Solis, the NFL’s senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing said 47% of the league’s audience is women. And as the NFL continues to grow, so does the number of women who are fans of the league.

Those women may not have been “afraid” to watch the NFL before Swift showed up in a luxury suite. But the NFL has undoubtedly prioritized reaching broader audiences in recent years. And Solis, who joined the NFL in 2021, admitted Swift’s prominently-displayed fandom over the last two seasons has helped the initiative.