On April 7, 2024, Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub published a post with photographs of singer Taylor Swift that said she was now banned from all future games of the National Football League (NFL):
The post had gained 989 reactions and 780 comments at the time of this writing, with some Swift fans expressing disappointment. "That's not right. She's got a right to go to a ball game!" said one commenter.
The Facebook account, SpaceX Fanclub, pinned a comment on the post linking to an article on esspots.com that told a slightly different story, saying she was banned from performing at the Super Bowl. That article read:
Breaking: NFL Bans Taylor Swift From Super Bowl, "She's Too Distracting"
In a move that has stunned fans and industry insiders alike, the National Football League (NFL) has announced a decision to ban pop superstar Taylor Swift from performing at the Super Bowl, citing that she is "too much distracting." This unprecedented decision marks a significant shift in the NFL's approach to entertainment, especially considering the Super Bowl's reputation for featuring high-profile musical acts.
This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. Esspots.com, the originator of the claim, is a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. According to its "About Us" page:
Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.
Further, SpaceX Fanclub, the Facebook account that authored the viral post, had a similar disclaimer on its page: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real."
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.