Anyone with any kind of Internet access has undoubtedly been faced with an abundance of Taylor Swift in the past two weeks, regardless of intent, as the pop star returned to social media in a huge way to promote her new single and her upcoming album. But I'm not sure that college football fans expected to get to know the song so well, with ESPN using "Look What You Made Me Do" to promote Week 1 of NCAA College Football. While some may have appreciated the team-up, such appreciation was far from universal.
ESPN first shared the Taylor Swift-led ad a week ago, making it seem pretty obvious that a deal was already set in place for the sports network to use the instantly popular single for its NCAA promotional campaign. And both the online sharing and the on-air ads have led to a pretty consistent string of fan complaints, such as the one seen below.
As everyone will probably agree, if there's anyone that knows the ins and outs of fantastic music, it's going to be David S. Pumpkins. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't the real DSP talking there. For what it's worth, that particular opinion about "Look What You Made Me Do" is one that has been shared by quite a few of Taylor Swift's more diehard fans, who weren't as impressed with this new track as they were with her past musical efforts.
Other criticisms were aimed more directly at ESPN, with some in-joke-esque comments bringing up how the use of T-Swift's single is "the new 'Centuries,'" in reference to the Fall Out Boy song that was similarly railed against when it was used for the network's college football coverage back in 2014. And then there's this tweet, which calls to mind Sportscenter's hilarious folly-filled countdown.
Below is one fan taking one for the team, as it were, laying out a judgmental message in the voice of many. Sincerely.
And then for anyone looking for a football fan's viewpoint that is more versed in reactionary hyperbole than clever jabs at ESPN shows or pop culture in general, we have this guy.
Power to Taylor Swift for dealing with that highly publicized groping trial with such poise and professionalism, and we're certainly hoping that her success continues to happen in ways that she sees fit. But if ESPN just happens to part ways with "Look What You Made Me Do" for a substitute song that another group of music fans would no doubt have an issue with, that would be okay, too. (And if it would happen, how many people do you think would use the hashtag #LookWhatWeMadeESPNDo?)
For those who aren't completely boycotting ESPN, its parent company, and the NCAA for a 30-second commercial, be sure to tune into what will surely be one of the biggest games of the year, with the Florida St. Seminoles taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide on ABC on Saturday, September 2, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Head to the next page to see ESPN's ad itself, and be sure to put on the music of your choice when checking out our fall premiere schedule to see everything else hitting the small screen soon.
