Why do so many pop stars date NFL players?

Cardi B is the latest high-profile singer to gain acceptance into the wives and girlfriends (WAGs) club of NFL players thanks to her romance with current baby daddy Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots. The item became official in May 2025 after months of speculation about a romance between the rapper and the wide receiver that may have arisen during the former’s extremely public divorce with Offset of Migos fame. (Those TMI tweets… North remembers!) Between Cardi B’s drama and all of Taylor Swift’s sexy lyrics, the girls of pop are making their on-court presence known this season.

The famous WAG isn’t just jumping on the trend. Madison Beer recently made her first official appearance with her boyfriend Justin Herbert, the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback. Part-time pop girl (with two songs in Spotify’s Billion Club) and full-time actress Hailee Steinfeld married Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in May after two years of dating. Normani is engaged to DK Metcalf, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Although not a member of the NFL, Megan Thee Stallion joined the ranks of NBA wives and girlfriends after publicly confirming her relationship with Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson over the summer.) This is serious PR with some of the most famous figures in the game.

Taylor Swift isn’t the first to reach new heights in the world of football. There were WAGs that were just as popular, if not more so, than their players before them. R&B singer Ciara was the poster child pop star after marrying Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson in 2016. But the media frenzy over Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has focused more attention on the stars on the sidelines. Their courtship — which consisted of podcast confessions, meeting the parents in VIP boxes, and navigating the paparazzi — was broadcast on television on various Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights while she attended Kelsey’s games with her team. Two years after the soccer star gave her a friendship bracelet bearing his number, the couple is engaged, and the public is enduring an awkward ode to Kelsey’s massive redwoods. Not to mention, he won three Super Bowls.

Despite the misogynistic backlash Some football fans It might be argued that performers have not yet colonized our country’s most popular sport – although they should. Imagine tuning in to an NFL game and being greeted with Cardi B’s comment about how weird and questionable the play is before special guest Megan Thee Stallion shows up for an impromptu performance of “WAP.” The NFL should be lucky that these women are getting into fame-gap relationships — it makes the sport as a whole more popular, and introduces it to fans who couldn’t care less. So far, there’s been a correlation between higher female viewership and Swift’s attendance at Chiefs games, meaning the very popular WAG could boost ratings, though… Data is inconclusive So far, per New York times. The official number crunchers didn’t factor in Chiefs ticket sales and overall consumer engagement (increased merchandise sales and marketing for fashion brands) in their findings, so perhaps Swift and her peers are drawing attention to the NFL in ways not yet known to man. Sports have He indicated their intentions To hold on to the female viewers who have fallen for the Taylor Swift effect. And in Cardi B’s case specifically, she’ll at least know where her husband is during football season.