On February 11th the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will compete at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Tickets cost up to 65,000 dollars and most fans say they can’t afford it.
After qualifying last week, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will play the final match on February 11th at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas. The stadium’s capacity is 65,000.
CBS will broadcast the match nationally, while both Paramount Plus and the NFL Network’s app will provide live streaming services. European fans can access the event via the DAZN platform.
For those looking for an ‘investment’, tickets are available on websites such as SeatGeek. The cheapest is 6,299 dollars, but for a first-row seat the price goes up to 34,000. Via Ticketmaster, the pitch-side tickets have currently reached 65,000 dollars.
“I think that it’s pretty outrageously high,” Hayden, a football fan from Louisiana, commented to The Groninger. “I feel like a big issue now is that these kinds of events become almost out of reach for average Americans.” He then explained that the only reasonable motive to spend so much would be if your team, that never made it to the Super Bowl, will finally get in.
However, both the 49ers and the Chiefs have won the Super Bowl before. The last 49ers win was in 1994, although they made it to The Super Bowl a few times in the last decade. Their last appearance was in 2019 when they lost to the Chiefs. The Kansas City team is competing for their third victory in four years, led by star players Patrick Mahones (quarterback) and Travis Kelce (tight end).
Ticket Prices in Retrospect
Tickets for the final have never been cheap, but this year they are way above average. In 2023, for instance, the average for the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, was 8,907 dollars. The year before, in Los Angeles, it was 10,322 dollars. Five years ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, it was “only” 5,329 dollars, which is still less than the cheapest option for this season.
“It would be a super cool experience, I just think that the tickets are too expensive right now. I personally would never spend so much money on tickets to see football,” said Emily to The Groninger. She’s a 20-year-old Texan who watches the Super Bowl with friends and family every year.
Chris Layden, director of consumer strategy at SeatGeek, explained that the prices are justified by “everything that Vegas has to offer, the pomp and circumstance,” and only partially by the hype around the two teams.
Live Streaming Expected to Soar
Americans definitely care about the Super Bowl. The 2023 final match was the most watched telecast ever, but this year the record might be beaten.
Hayden explained that even the Catholic church he goes to changes its mass time on Super Bowl Sunday, a privilege normally only reserved for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. “That's how significant it is,” he said.
However, it seems like the only option for most Americans this year is to set up a TV, buy some snacks, and get comfortable on their couch. Unless they magically conjure up 65,000 dollars.