Whether you love it or hate it, the Taylor Swift effect on the Kansas City Chiefs certainiy has brought a new audience to the NFL, but according to one football Hall of Famer, it’s the reason why the league is losing fans.
Hall of Fame former coach Tony Dungy is at the 2024 Hula Bowl in Orlando as he is being inducted into the Hula Bowl Hall of Fame. Leading up to the game, Dungy was one of several former football stars interviewed by Fox News, and was asked about a poll that showed Iess than 25% of Gen Z-ers consider themselves “avid sports fans.”
Fellow Hall of Famer Rod Woodson attributed the cause to the interest in sports betting, and there are more general fans rather than fans of teams, but Dungy went another route in his explanation of it.
“I think we’ll always have sports in some form or fashion. Some people are disenchanted with it,” Dungy said.
When asked about the Taylor Swift effect, Dungy said the megastar is an exampIe of why people aren’t that interest in the NFL.
That’s the thing that’s disenchanting people with sports now, he said. “There’s so much on the outside coming in. Entertainment value and different things that’s taking away from what really happens on the field.”
After photo emerges of Alyssa Milano and her son, 12, at the Super Bowl, fans spot detail that leaves people furious
The Super Bowl attracted the attention of millions of viewers not only from the States but beyond. In the center of attention were certainly Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, whose love is blossoming in front of the eyes of their many fans, but other celebs also made impressions, including Reba McEntire and Usher, among the rest.
The Charmed star Alyssa Milano and her son were also spotted among the crowd. And as much as seeing a mother and her child bonding and having the time of their life together, their photo at the Super Bowl caused quite a stir on the social media.
The reason why is that just a couple of days prior to the game, Milano started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her son’s baseball team that was supposed to travel to Cooperstown, New York.
“Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation,” she wrote on X.
The fundraiser sought for $10,000 and encouraged people to donate to the “diverse, hardworking and really good” 12U team.
Given her net worth, the backlash of her asking for donation and then posing at the Super Bowl was harsh.
“Alyssa is worth a reported $10 million. And look, having traveled to 3 tournaments last summer in 3 different cities in 3 different states, I get it. It’s beyond expensive. But to ask for donations here given her worth and the fact her husband is a CAA agent is really something,” one user wrote at the time.
“Alyssa Milano needs our help, guys!!! This is serious!! Let’s dig deep,” another user quipped on X.
“I remember when raising money for an extracurricular trip actually meant EARNING money for the trip. You know, car washes, bake sales, recycling drives. Kids actually working for it,” someone else said.
Netizens had a lot to say about Milano’s Super Bowl showing.
“How can he get to the game and you request money to take his team to Cooperstown? How out of touch are you,” one person on Instagram asked.
Another asked: “Is this why you created the Go Fund Me? To get you and your kid to the Super Bowl?”
“Damn. Probably could have spent that money one [sic] your son’s baseball team, huh?” another said. “But what do I know.”
Milano answered back and posted a strongly-worded statement after people started targeting her son’s Instagram.
Every parent raises money for their child’s sports teams and many of them do so through GoFundMe. I am no different,” Milano explained.
“As much as I’d love to pay for the entire team and their families for travel, transportation, hotel, food and beverage, uniforms, trading pins, and all the things teams do for this kind of trip—I can not afford to do so. Maybe someday. Also, if I did pay for everyone—my trolls would find something else to be hurtful about.
“Regardless of how you feel about me, going on to my hardworking 12 year old son’s Instagram page and leaving these kinds of messages is so horrid. Leave the kids alone,” the actress added. “Let them play baseball. If you are against donating—don’t donate. If you’d like to donate to help the team’s families — we appreciate it—the link is in his bio.”
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