Maria Sharapova chimes in on NFL’s free Taylor Swift marketing, responds to Christine Dorfler's assessment

× Maria Sharapova continues to build her career as a podcaster, interviewing celebs an array of fields. Her latest guest, NFL CFO Christine Dorfler, had plenty of insights into the world an otherwise male-dominated world of sports management. Ad The two spoke at length of what it takes for women to succeed in such roles.

Amid it all though, there was plenty of time for banter. When talking about the importance of marketing sports, Sharapova jokingly mentioned the role of pop icon Taylor Swift in promoting NFL courtesy her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, saying it brought plenty of free marketting. "What was it like before Taylor Swift's effect?

I'd love to hear the impact through your eyes because suddenly young girls knew what a touchdown was," Maria Sharapova said. Ad Trending "I didn't have to spend that money," she chimed in. "Add just have a women make that sort of impact in a male-dominant sport..."

Dorfler echoed the sentiment, saying Swift's involvement with NFL gave the sport a certain momentum and brought excitement to the stands. She highlighted how it helped the sport expand its demographic to include younger girls who had not otherwise been watching the sport. Ad "There was just this momentum and excitement, certainly in Kansas City, but I think across the NFL that, 'Oh my gosh, there's Taylor Swift in the box'," Christine Dorfler said.

"At the games and there was, rhere was a lot of dialogue around media coverage and how often Taylor Swift was shown in the box," Ad "From my perspective... it was just this incredible way to engage a young female audience and girls who maybe had never gone to an NFL game with their father., never watched an NFL game with their mother," she continued.

"All of a sudden, they're fans and they're wearing KC jerseys and they're showing up, and they're active." Ad Swift and Kelce first started seeing each other in the summer of 2023. The couple announced their engagement in August 2025 and are planning their upcoming wedding.

Maria Sharapova's podcast, YouTube channel shows steady graph Maria Sharapova at the 2026 TIME100 Summit. (Source: Getty) Maria Sharapova continues to keep fans engaged even long after having hung up her tennis racket. Her YouTube has steadily grown in popularity, with the subscribers count already climbing up to over 50,000.

Her podcast has also shown consistent viewership for some time now. Ad Besides, the former World No. 1 maintains an active social media presence.

She often posts pictures from business and leisure trips and keeps her fans updated with new ventures on Instagram.Sharapova also drops by tennis events every now and then. She was recently spotted at the French Open, cheering on compatriot Mirra Andreeva, even offering congratulatory messages to the youngest Grand Slam winner since her at Wimbledon back in 2004.

× Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Vedant Chandel Maria Sharapova continues to build her career as a podcaster, interviewing celebs an array of fields. Her latest guest, NFL CFO Christine Dorfler, had plenty of insights into the world an otherwise male-dominated world of sports management.

Ad The two spoke at length of what it takes for women to succeed in such roles. Amid it all though, there was plenty of time for banter. When talking about the importance of marketing sports, Sharapova jokingly mentioned the role of pop icon Taylor Swift in promoting NFL courtesy her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, saying it brought plenty of free marketting.

"What was it like before Taylor Swift's effect? I'd love to hear the impact through your eyes because suddenly young girls knew what a touchdown was," Maria Sharapova said. Ad Trending "I didn't have to spend that money," she chimed in.

"Add just have a women make that sort of impact in a male-dominant sport..." Dorfler echoed the sentiment, saying Swift's involvement with NFL gave the sport a certain momentum and brought excitement to the stands. She highlighted how it helped the sport expand its demographic to include younger girls who had not otherwise been watching the sport.

Ad "There was just this momentum and excitement, certainly in Kansas City, but I think across the NFL that, 'Oh my gosh, there's Taylor Swift in the box'," Christine Dorfler said. "At the games and there was, rhere was a lot of dialogue around media coverage and how often Taylor Swift was shown in the box," Ad "From my perspective... it was just this incredible way to engage a young female audience and girls who maybe had never gone to an NFL game with their father.

, never watched an NFL game with their mother," she continued. "All of a sudden, they're fans and they're wearing KC jerseys and they're showing up, and they're active." Ad Swift and Kelce first started seeing each other in the summer of 2023.

The couple announced their engagement in August 2025 and are planning their upcoming wed