DINH DOONG

In what can only be described as one of the most bizarre crossovers in sports and entertainment, the MLB’s decision to give Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce the spotlight during Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium has backfired spectacularly. The league, which was hoping for a social media sensation by cozying up to the pop icon and the NFL star, instead ended up alienating its core fanbase, resulting in a loss of 1.5 million subscribers and $10 million in brand deals.

Yes, you read that right. The MLB’s flirtation with celebrity fandom seems to have come at a steep cost. Some may have thought this was a match made in heaven, but clearly, baseball fans are having none of it.

It all started innocently enough on October 14 when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made a much-hyped appearance at Game 1 of the ALCS in New York City. The MLB’s social media accounts wasted no time in capitalizing on the star power, posting several TikTok clips of the duo chatting and laughing, as if to say, “Hey, look! Even pop stars and athletes love baseball!”

One particularly sappy post read, “TAYLOR SWIFT ATTENDS GAME WITH HER POTENTIAL FUTURE HUSBAND,” followed by the somewhat tear-jerking, “YOU TWO MAKE ME BELIEVE IN LOVE. I CAN’T STOP CRYING. NEVER CHANGE. ILYSM.” Apparently, whoever runs the MLB’s social media account forgot that the target audience was more interested in RBIs than PDA.

Fans immediately took to social media to express their bewilderment. “This is baseball, not a rom-com. Did MLB lose a bet?” one Twitter user quipped. Others were less subtle, with comments like “Stick to sports. We don’t care who’s dating who!” The backlash was swift (pun intended) and brutal.

The MLB’s attempt to cross-promote its brand by embracing celebrity culture seemed, on the surface, like a smart play. After all, why not attract Taylor Swift’s legions of fans to the sport? If even a fraction of her 200 million Instagram followers became baseball fans, it would mean big bucks for the league. But the plan appears to have backfired in grand fashion, with baseball fans accusing the MLB of losing focus on what actually matters: the sport.

Die-hard fans were already on edge when Swift’s Eras tour seemed to dominate every corner of the entertainment world, but seeing her and Kelce plastered all over the MLB’s TikTok account was the final straw. The hashtag #NotMyMLB began trending on social media within hours, as fans complained that the league had gone too far in pandering to celebrity culture.

One particularly salty fan commented, “I don’t tune in to watch baseball so I can see Taylor Swift’s face all over my screen. This is a sports event, not a concert!” Another added, “Great, now we have the MLB trying to make us care about celebrities. What’s next, reality TV stars throwing the first pitch?”

The backlash wasn’t just limited to fans venting on social media. According to industry insiders, the MLB has reportedly lost up to 1.5 million subscribers on their streaming platforms since the game, as baseball purists decided they’d had enough. But the damage didn’t stop there. Several high-profile brand partners have quietly pulled out of deals with the league, citing concerns that the MLB was straying too far from its core demographic.

“What the MLB seems to have forgotten is that baseball fans are loyal, but they don’t want their game turned into an episode of The Bachelor,” said marketing expert Lisa Thompson. “When you bring in pop culture, you risk alienating your most devoted supporters. They feel like the MLB sold out, and they’re letting them know it.”

One of the biggest blows came from a major beverage company, which had been in talks to finalize a $5 million sponsorship deal. A company spokesperson stated, “Our target market is sports enthusiasts, not teenyboppers. We are not in the business of blending entertainment with sports to this extent.”

While the MLB was hoping that giving Swift and Kelce the spotlight would turn into a viral moment and maybe bring new fans to the sport, they clearly underestimated just how passionate their existing fanbase is about keeping baseball, well, baseball.

The MLB’s blunder comes at a time when the sport is already battling to maintain its relevance in a crowded entertainment landscape. The idea was that Taylor Swift’s enormous fanbase could give baseball a much-needed shot in the arm. Instead, it seems to have alienated their most loyal fans and raised questions about whether the league understands its audience at all.

“Baseball doesn’t need Taylor Swift to stay relevant. Baseball needs good games, rivalries, and a little bit of drama — the kind that happens on the field, not in the stands,” said sports analyst Jake Morrison. “This was a huge miscalculation by the MLB, and now they’re paying for it.”

The fallout has been swift and severe, but not everyone believes the MLB’s approach was entirely misguided. Some see this as a sign that the league is willing to experiment with new ways to attract fans. But even supporters agree that this particular attempt was a swing and a miss.

“The MLB tried to be clever and appeal to a different demographic, but they forgot the golden rule of sports marketing: know your audience,” said Thompson. “They should have known that baseball fans don’t want to see a social media lovefest. They want to see home runs, double plays, and maybe a little trash-talking between teams.”

In the wake of the backlash, the MLB has reportedly asked its social media team to dial down the celebrity content, although no official apology has been issued. Sources claim the league is scrambling to recover its lost brand deals and subscribers, while internally debating whether or not to continue trying to tap into the crossover between sports and pop culture.

It remains to be seen how this PR disaster will affect the MLB’s long-term strategy, but one thing’s for sure: they have learned the hard way that not all publicity is good publicity. The days of using Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as their unofficial mascots may be numbered, as the league tries to figure out how to win back the fans it alienated.

Meanwhile, Swift and Kelce have continued their whirlwind romance, seemingly unfazed by the drama. For them, it was just another date night at a baseball game, but for the MLB, it was a costly misstep that has left them licking their wounds.

As one fan aptly put it, “Taylor Swift can sell out stadiums, but she can’t sell baseball. Let’s just keep them separate and call it a day.”

While it may be tempting for sports leagues to try and tap into the cultural zeitgeist by bringing in celebrities, the MLB’s recent experiment shows that it’s not always a guaranteed success. As they work to repair the damage and bring fans back into the fold, one can only hope that they stick to what they do best — promoting the game, not the gossip.

So, what’s the moral of this story? It seems that no matter how much star power you bring in, it’s not enough to convince sports fans to trade in their team jerseys for “Swiftie” merch. Maybe next time, the MLB will stick to highlighting what fans really want: the game.