The running back said the singer “made the game bigger” by attracting her own fans to the Super Bowl

Saquon Barkley doesn’t support any of the Taylor Swift hate at the Super Bowl.

In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, the Philadelphia Eagles’ running back — who helped bring his team to its second-ever Super Bowl victory — said he was disappointed by the crowd booing Taylor Swift at the big game.

“I remember that they showed her on the jumbotron and she got booed. I don’t get it. I don’t get why she was getting hate there,” he told Stern, who agreed.

Barkley added that Swift diversified the crowd and audience by drawing her massive fanbase to the Super Bowl.

Saquon Barkley with the Vince Lombardi trophy

Saquon Barkley with the Vince Lombardi trophy.Gregory Shamus/Getty

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And more simply, Barkley said, Swift was there admirably supporting her partner, Travis Kelce — the Kansas City Chiefs’ running back.

“She’s made the game bigger,” Barkley noted, adding, “We’re trying to expand the game and you know, her being a part of it’s only helping that.”

The big game on Sunday, Feb. 9 saw the Philadelphia Eagles lead the Kansas City Chiefs — who won the previous two Super Bowls in 2023 and 2024 — into halftime scoreless before securing a 40-22 win.

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Saquon Barkley at the 2025 Super Bowl

Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty

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Ahead of his first Super Bowl — which coincidentally fell on Barkley’s 28th birthday — the running back reflected on his years in professional football. His younger self would be “super proud” of how far he’s gotten, he told PEOPLE — Barkley overcame a number of obstacles, and even considered quitting when he was young.

“I still remember that conversation I had with my dad when I was younger and when I almost quit,” Barkley told PEOPLE. “He said, ‘You quit one thing in life, you’re going to be a quitter for the rest of your life.’ And that’s what always stuck with me.”