I’m not a Swiftie, but I’ve recently found myself defending Taylor Swift in the wake of Super Bowl LVII. 

I’ve seen a number of men roll their eyes and grumble that if they hear about Swift one more time they’re going to lose it. 

The Super Bowl broadcast lasted for over three hours. Swift was onscreen 11 times for a total of 55 seconds during the Super Bowl, according to Admeter. 

Clearly she isn’t taking away from the game itself. Plenty of other celebrities are shown onscreen at sporting events. So, why are so many football fans angry? 

Furthermore, people are directing their anger at Swift like she is in control of any of this. She isn’t controlling the cameras, the networks, the game, or the government.

I was shocked to see that just under 1 in 5 Americans believe Taylor Swift is involved in a plot to help Joe Biden win the 2024 election, according to a poll by Monmouth University. It’s not enough that people are blaming Swift for cameras putting her on TV, but now she must also be pulling the strings in politics.

Just hours before the Super Bowl, in a post on his social media platform, former president Donald Trump said that if Taylor Swift endorsed Joe Biden, she would “be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.” He cited his signing of the Music Modernization Act, which updated copyright laws, as his reasoning for claiming his role in her success. 

It is upsetting to see Swift getting hate for so many things beyond her control while men in positions of power simultaneously try to take credit for her success. Love or hate her songs, it cannot be denied that she is a female icon who has made historic moves in the music industry and touched many lives. Who cares if she’s on screen for 55 seconds, just watch the game and let her live in peace.