Holly Rowe Says ‘Grumpy, Old People’ Complained About Taylor Swift

With football season preparing to ramp up in earnest, ESPN’s Holly Rowe had some strong feedback for cranky critics of Taylor Swift.

In an exclusive interview, Rowe — who spoke to Us Weekly via her partnership with College Colors Day — pushed back at pigskin fanatics who didn’t appreciate their cherished pastime being infiltrated by the pop star’s constant presence at Kansas City Chiefs games last season.

“It brought a lot of new fans to the sport,” Rowe, 58, said. “Merchandise sales went up, ratings went up. New fans are good for the sport and good for the game. Grumpy, old people who are like, ‘I can’t take a 10 second shot of her.’ Come on.”

Rowe’s opinion holds extra significance because, as she admitted, she was anything but a Swiftie before the singer started dating Travis Kelce. 

“I am a football person first,” Rowe noted. “I was learning about Taylor Swift by watching the NFL and NFL coverage. I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this thing about her.’ I’m the football person who learns about Taylor Swift through football coverage. I thought it was great.”

As the Chiefs prepare to open the 2024-’25 NFL regular season on October 5 against the Baltimore Ravens, Rowe warned cantankerous viewers at home to buckle up for even more Swift coverage when she attends games at Arrowhead Stadium or elsewhere. 

“At ESPN, we always talk about wanting to develop fans’ rooting interest,” Rowe explained. “What is your rooting interest? If you turn on a game and you don’t really know anything about either team playing, but you can go, ‘Oh, she’s dating that guy? Wow.’ That might develop a rooting interest and make you tune in for a few seconds longer.”

Rowe continued, “I think it’s healthy. I think it’s cool. All fans are welcome. [Taylor’s] learning about football as she goes. She brought a lot of friends and family to those football games that maybe wouldn’t have come before. As a football person I’m like, ‘The more, the merrier.’ Keep bringing ‘em because we want to get as many women loving and involved in football as possible.”

As college football begins, Rowe is bringing that enthusiasm to the 20th anniversary of College Colors Day on Friday, August 30.

Created to foster school spirit among fans, alumni, students, faculty and staff by encouraging everyone to proudly showcase their college colors on the same day, Rowe — a graduate of the University of Utah — knows better than anybody how impactful the bond of collegiate fandom can truly be. 

“I was walking on top of a wall in Dubrovnik this year and I would see people in Alabama shirts, Iowa shirts and Wake Forest shirts,” Rowe marveled. “It’s this cool thing that we have. It’s like, ‘Who are you? What is your tribe? How can we find each other everywhere across the world?’”

She continued, “I love it. It’s such a fun way to celebrate college sports.”

Rowe makes her sideline debut this season as part of ABC/ESPN’s top broadcast crew alongside Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit when Notre Dame travels to take on Texas A&M on August 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

To get ready, head over to www.collegecolorsday.com to get deals on all kinds of gear to celebrate!