By now, you may have seen the recent media frenzy on the NFL network and every other network about the world’s favorite celebrity and new favorite football player. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made their grand debut as a couple at the beginning of the NFL season, making Kelce a trending topic for reasons other than his on-field exploits. Standing on the shoulders of the reigning Queen of Pop, Kelce has enjoyed an even larger platform than he already had as a star receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs. When an individual has a certain platform, it’s interesting to see what they do with it. Everyone is rightfully entitled to their own opinion. Some choose to use their platform for the betterment of our world, and others choose to use their platform to advance their own personal interests, regardless of their effect on others. Kelce did exactly what we hope celebrities do when given a following. Travis Kelce used his platform to shoot down a huge stigma surrounding vaccine education and promotion this past month.
The Kansas City star ran an advertisement with Pfizer that promoted getting both the COVID and flu vaccination. The ending scene of the advertisement shows Kelce himself receiving both vaccines due to his busy lifestyle. It’s notable that even without Kelce’s involvement with Taylor Swift, this advertisement would be a beneficial way to use his platform. However, because the couple is such a hot topic, and because any Travis Kelce news now reaches not just his 4 million Instagram followers but also Taylor Swift’s 275 Million followers, this advertisement reached millions of more people than it would have otherwise. The more people that this advertisement reaches, the more people hear the important public health message regarding vaccinations.
As I mentioned above, many public figures, including athletes, choose to use their platforms for the overall betterment of society. However, others choose to do quite the opposite. The most recent example of this is New York Jets player Aaron Rodgers and his statements on the COVID vaccine. In 2021, Rodgers missed a football game due to the NFL’s COVID vaccine protocols. He had been outspoken about his opinions on the NFL’s vaccine protocols and about his thoughts on the vaccine. He continually misled the public and spread misinformation about a science supporting the public health benefits of widespread vaccination. This is an example of using a public platform to spread false information based solely on their own opinion. Given the large number of followers Rodgers has, and given his profile as one of the best and most popular players in the NFL, this use of his platform is irresponsible and undermines the good work that public health experts have been trying to do.
The reason this spreading of information is so important is because people like Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have the ability to influence their following. They have a power that the average Joe just doesn’t. These celebrities can make a meaningful difference in the spread of information. Representation is important and when fans see people, they look up to standing up for something and disseminating truthful public health information, they are more likely to hear the message and to take it seriously. Well done, Travis Kelce. Here’s to many more prominent athletes and other celebrities following in your footsteps.
