Kyle Brandt responds to Taylor Swift's NFL haters with touching personal story

Taylor Swift's presence throughout the NFL media this season has divided a lot of the league's fanbase.

Plenty of fans have expressed annoyance over the amount of coverage the popstar has received, whether on broadcasts or on social media. Other seem to be gatekeeping the sport from her fans who are new to the ins and outs of the game.

On the other hand, many, including the likes of Colin Cowherd, have come to the defense of Swift and her legion of fans.

Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt also came to the defense of Swift after he told a touching story on his show on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Brandt said he actually tried to empathize with fans who were frustrated with Swift at first.

"You hear that there's this alleged backlash to shots of Taylor Swift in the crowd, and I wasn't dismissive of it because I'm really reticent to what people feel like and I'm kind of protective of the product," Brandt said.

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But he said that upon further examination, he believes that Swift is a net positive to the game because it brings in "new people" and "young people" to the game.

He then talked about a personal story that involves his 7-year-old daughter, Evelyn. Brandt said that his daughter "openly despises" football, and he believes it's due to the her father's deep dedication to the game.

"I think in part she feels that way because it takes me away from her, and that kind of breaks my heart," Brandt said. "She gets openly mad when football's on TV because she wants to watch other stuff."

And yet, something special happened between Brandt and his daughter as he was watching the Conference Championship match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens, a game in which Swift was in the stands supporting Travis Kelce.

"I'm watching Chiefs-Ravens, and I feel something over my shoulder, "Brandt said. "And I look, and it's Evelyn ... She's peaking in on the game."

Brandt asked his daughter if she wanted to watch with him, and she stayed firm to her distaste of football by saying "no." But she added something else as she was leaving.

"If the Chiefs score, can you call me?" Evelyn said, according to Brandt.

The GMFB host knew then that there was something different about Swift's effect on young girls.

"I'm telling you — she runs in when they show Taylor," Brandt said. "It's a real thing. It was really magical. She sat there riveted by it — riveted — and that's the difference. I'm sitting there watching Exhibit A right in front of me. This is not a made up story."

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Brandt said that his daughter even stopped him as he was packing for his trip to Las Vegas to go to the Super Bowl and asked him if he was going to see Swift at the game. He said witnessing the power of Swift in real life — and its ability to change his own relationship with his daughter — is something he needed to share.

"I swear to you I would not come on here and do some cheesy thing where I'm making it up," Brandt said. "I feel like it should be shared because I am on the front lines of little kids and specifically little girls who are like, 'Oh my gosh, the Chiefs game. I want to watch the Super Bowl.' ... I'm so thankful for it."

And Brandt's not the only father who has created a positive relationship with his daughter amid all of this. In late January, the Washington Post published a story highlighting several fathers who have also created built stronger bonds with their young daughters who now seem interested to watch the NFL because of the popstar that they love.

So while Swift's presence at Chiefs games this season has clearly been polarizing for many, it's clearly been a positive in at least one more aspect outside of deepening the pockets of NFL owners.

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