Game.
But some of the attention was focused on one# person in the stands.
That's singer Taylor Swift.
And, as Laura Barron-Lopez reports,# major right-wing conspiracies are now## revolving around the music icon# and her football star boyfriend.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: From country sweetheart# to pop icon and billionaire megastar.
ALISON STEINBERG, One America# News Network: We all know Taylor## LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Now the center# of a right-wing conspiracy theory.
JACK POSOBIEC, Conservative# Activist: They're gearing up for## an operation to JESSE WATTERS, FOX News Anchor: Now the women# who run the Biden campaign want to set the big guy up.
The most unpopular president of all time# wants to have ARIAN FOSTER, Former NFL Player:# That's what practice was about.## It was about pra LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: A year ago, took off when a former T Then, on Sunday, the Kansas City# Chiefs upset the Baltimore Ravens,## fueling lies that the NFL changed the# script to capitalize on these two,## Taylor Swift and her boyfriend,# Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
ALISON STEINBERG: It's a coordinated# marketing campaign by Democrats to## leverage celebrities to excite their# base into coming out and voting.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And, more recently, a new# element was added to the conspiracy theory.## Right-wing news pundits are now calling# the Swift-Kelce spectacle a psychological## operation staged by Democrats to give# Biden a big boost in his reelection bid.
JOAN DONOVAN, Boston University: We# live in a world that is animated by## chaos for the most part and conspiracy# theories help explain that LA URA BARRON-LOPEZ: Researcher Joan Donovan# has been studying online disinformation## for years.
She says conservatives are# using this conspiracy to critique Biden,## stay relevant and animate their followers.
JOAN DONOVAN: But, over on the right-wing, I think# th at Taylor Swift, who had endorsed Joe Biden# in 2020, is likely to continue to endorse him.
I think deeper, in a historical sense, the# conspiracy theories about the NFL are also## very pertinent amongst the right-wing# because of all of the history that has## gone on with Black Lives Matter and Colin# Kaepernick.
So it is a definite draw for## this audience to critique the NFL and what# they represent in terms of U.S. culture.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And conservative figures## like former presiden "I wonder who's going to win the Super Bowl.# And I wonder if there's a major presidential## endorsement coming from an artificially# culturally propped up couple this fall."
Donovan says over time, conspiracy# theories feed on each other.
JOAN DONOVAN: Once you search for that# kind of conspiracy on a place like YouTube,## the recommendation algorithms are going# to keep rewarding and reinforcing that## behavior.
So it actually becomes# very hard to leave a conspiracy## theory behind because of the# way social media is ordered.
Unfortunately, what it does to our mainstream# media ecosystem is, it forces you to respond## as a journalist, because so many people are# talking about it.
But I do think there's room## for social media companies to look more closely at# their algorithms and see what it is that they're reinforcing, so that fringe conversations# don't become fodder for mainstream news.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: She says facts related to# big cultural or political events, like the Biden## campaign hoping for another Swift endorsement,# and the Swift-Kelce relationship being worth## millions in brand value for the NFL can quickly# shift into full-blown conspiracy theories.
At any rate, fans still hope to see# Swift in the stands on Super Bowl Sunday.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez.
GEOFF BENNETT: And, today, a Pentagon# spokesperson, when asked, denied t was part of a Department of Defense psychological# operation to get President Biden reel One senior administration official# telling Politico -- quote -- "The## absurdity of it all boggles the mind."