Shannon Sharpe stirred up controversy when he declared that Taylor Swift has more influence and impact than Beyoncé, and that she is the closest thing to moving the needle like Michael Jackson.
He made the controversial comments on his Nightcap podcast with Chad Ochocinco while discussing Swift’s value to the NFL, as she has been attending games to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl this year, and Sharpe cited a report that claimed Swift generated over $331 million for the Chiefs/NFL. He questioned if any other artist or personality could do the same.
When Ochocinco suggested Beyoncé, Sharpe vehemently disagreed, asserting that Beyoncé does not appeal to the young audience as much as Swift does.
“These 8-15-year-old eyeballs… Ocho, I love Beyoncé. [But] she ain’t moving the needle like this chick, Ocho. No. No, you tripping, Ocho. She’s the closest thing to moving the needle like Michael Jackson that we’ve seen. This is it.”
Ochocinco, attempting to find common ground, insisted that Beyoncé moves the needle just like Taylor. “Beyoncé has those same set of eyes: Young, old, middle age, and old, including I,” he argued. “Hypothetically speaking, Beyoncé would move the same way that Taylor is doing. It would be Beyoncé being shown all the time.”
However, Sharpe maintained his stance, even claiming that the NFL would prefer Swift over a combination of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Rihanna for a Super Bowl halftime show.
“Not like Taylor, man. Taylor Swift, I mean, she’s a different animal. And Beyoncé is phenomenal,” Sharpe said.
“The NFL can have anybody do halftime. I guarantee you Taylor Swift is first over Beyoncé and Jay-Z and Rihanna combined. That’s who they want,” Sharpe claimed. “I ain’t telling you what I heard; I tell you what I know. She turned them down. I ain’t telling you no hearsay; I’m telling you what I know. Stop playing, Ocho.
Sharpe’s comments sparked a lot of debate and criticism from Beyonce fans, who challenged his opinion. Some fans pointed out that Beyoncé has performed at the Super Bowl four times, while Swift has never done so.
Others questioned Sharpe’s criteria for measuring the artists’ success and popularity.
Sharpe defended his viewpoint by highlighting the box office success of their respective concert tours in theaters, pointing that Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ movie exceeded Beyoncé’s by seven times the box office generated..
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