Courtesy of @killatrav on Instagram
NFL star Travis Kelce’s engagement post to famous singer Taylor Swift.As someone who didn’t grow up in a sports-watching household, I have learned a lot about the world of professional sports from watching the wives and girlfriends (WAGs) of athletes on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Despite not being familiar with the NBA or NFL, I follow several of these players’ partners on Instagram and constantly watch their game-day vlogs. Some of the biggest WAGs, such as Taylor Swift (WAG of NFL player Travis Kelce) and Ayesha Curry (WAG of NBA superstar Stephen Curry), have brought fans like me into the world of sports in unexpected ways.
Although WAGs are often recognized for their famous partners, many have built their own brands organically through social media. Jade Jones, the partner of NBA Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, has been posting consistently since 2018 and has even collaborated with major companies like Meta. By balancing personal content with posts featuring Haliburton, Jones had built an authentic online presence that stands on its own.
On the other hand, some WAGs are arguably even more famous than their partners, drawing massive attention to the games themselves. When Swift began dating Kelce in 2023, their relationship sparked a media frenzy that brought an entirely new audience to the NFL. Swifties started tuning into Kansas City Chiefs games — the game that followed their relationship announcement saw a 63% increase in female viewership between the ages of 18 and 49. Additionally, Kelce’s jerseys saw a 400% increase in sales.
While this visibility can be a good thing for sports, it also comes with potential downsides. Sometimes, the focus shifts away from the actual games to celebrity culture, which can overshadow athletic performance, a huge negative according to some fans. For example, when fans tune in just to catch a glimpse of Swift instead of the football itself, it blurs the line between entertainment and sport. The constant overcoverage of Swift also infuriates many actual fans who are there to enjoy the game, which further increases backlash against WAGs themselves.
The increased attention can also become invasive, as WAGs often face scrutiny and harassment online. “r/WivesofNFL,” a snark subreddit that readily hates on partners of NFL players, has gained massive traction online, with over 32,000 weekly visitors. On these platforms, users take it upon themselves to scrutinize every aspect of NFL WAGs, calling them “gold diggers” and “poorly dressed.”
Placed under the spotlight, WAGs are subject to jealous fans solely due to their proximity to famous players. Swift, for example, was repeatedly booed at the 2025 Super Bowl. This was especially disheartening because it was a game that Kelce and the Chiefs lost 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Despite these downsides, WAG culture has undeniably changed the way people, especially women, engage with sports. WAGTalk, a social media account focused on interviewing famous WAGs, has garnered over 7.8 million likes on TikTok.
While doing interviews with traditional NBA and NFL WAGs, the account also posts TikToks interviewing the WAGs of NWSL and WNBA players. With the rise of such accounts, recent studies show that 74% of millennial women are sports enthusiasts, which rises to 79% among Gen Z.
WAGs have become more than just famous spectators: They’re helping to immerse new fans into sports. While the attention they receive can sometimes cross boundaries and be annoying to sports purists, their impact on fan engagement is undeniable. WAG culture has redefined what it means to be a sports fan, proving that there’s more than one way — and reason — to love the game.
