We want to start this column off by acknowledging we grew up in a simpler time; we were also somewhat privileged, in terms of access to sports teams, in our childhood. Born in Oakland and raised in the suburban security of the San Francisco East Bay, we went to so many sporting events as children that we have almost too many memories of the joys sports could bring to youngsters in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s embarrassing.

That being said, we were fortunate enough to go to 3 Super Bowls before we even reached high school: Super Bowl XIV, Super Bowl XVI, and Super Bowl XIX. Never mind how; we look back now and think how lucky we really were. We also were privileged enough to attend Super Bowl LII as a member of the media, too, and that experience was quite enriching for us as working adults. Today, we look at the ridiculous cost for fans.

Because we spent so much time covering college and professional sports between 2007 and 2018 for major publications/websites, we are still on “email lists” for a lot of sports P.R. firms, and this one came across our transom last week: “SUPER BOWL: Fans expected to pay $12.3k-$12.6k to attend”—it caught our eye, since we know the state of modern economic reality for most Americans, due to our history scholarship. Yikes!

The source (https://www.casino.org/) for this information has its motivations, of course, since the Super Bowl next weekend is being held in Las Vegas. But a quick look at the info is chilling:

  • Factoring in flights, hotels, and tickets, it’ll cost the average Chiefs fan traveling from Missouri at least $12,627.86 to attend the Super Bowl.
    • Given the average annual salary of $54,520 in Missouri, attending the Super Bowl will cost Chiefs fans a whopping 23.2% of their yearly earnings.
  • Factoring in flights, hotels, and tickets, it’ll cost the average 49ers fan traveling from California at least $12,357.86 to attend the Super Bowl; or at least $12,196.68 for those who opt to drive.
    • Given the average annual salary of $73,220 in California, attending the Super Bowl will cost 49ers fans a whopping 16.8% of their yearly earnings.
  • The Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority anticipates fans to spend an extra $1.7k on things such as food/drink, entertainment, shopping, transportation, and gambling.

We have no idea how much our parents made income-wise way back when, but even just 1 parent taking 1 teenager to the Super Bowl next weekend in Sin City would end up costing that family more than $25,000 to do. Considering some college graduates somehow end up making $250,000/year in their first jobs working tech-sector roles, maybe that isn’t so preposterous—but look at the average salary in California.

Not everyone works in tech, of course, which is why the average CA salary is not even $75,000—the only people making this trip are the wealthy, since someone making the average salary (or less, as 50 percent of the population does) can’t even get a credit card with more than a $5,000 limit on it. So the idea “anyone” can attend the Super Bowl is garbage: the only people attending are extremely fortunate and privileged.

Say a family of 4 wants to go see the 49ers play: that’s a $50,000 shot to the wallet, and then you throw in the extras, and it becomes more like $55,000, overall. Who has that kind of cash lying around? Data suggests less than 25 percent of Americans do, really, if that. The percentage may be higher among a “wealthier” fan base like the one in San Francisco, but in Missouri? Forget it. That is a second mortgage.

Considering this is the Chiefs’ fourth Super Bowl since 2019, it’s hard to imagine too many K.C. fans continuing to go to every Super Bowl the team makes. The 49ers last played in the Super Bowl in 2019, and with salaries higher now, it makes it more likely that a lot of S.F. fans will make a return trip. We look at this scenario with same incredulity that we’ve seen with the Golden State Warriors in the last decade-plus, too.

The last GSW home game we attended was in April 2012, when the team posted a 23-43 record in a strike-shortened season. We literally walked up to the arena that night, bought 3 tickets in fifth row from the floor, and did so for less than $100 cash. Fast forward 3 years with the Warriors in the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1970s, and those same tickets were going for anywhere between $5-10k. No joke, sadly.

We also had an amusing experience with the San Jose Sharks reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. After covering the Sharks in the press box from 2010-2015, we no longer were doing so when the team finally reached its first Finals. We priced it out, and it was actually cheaper to fly to Pittsburgh and see a game there than it was to buy a ticket in Silicon Valley. People with money certainly get better access to sports today.

And that’s sad for all the little kids out there who don’t have 2 parents working in the tech sector of the Northern California economy. It doesn’t help when even the sports stars give their favors to celebrities, either (shame on you, Stephen Curry). We can’t imagine what it’s like for Chiefs fans who are kids. It must be hard for a good parent in Missouri to explain to their children why they can’t go to the Super Bowl.

Sports are no longer for the commoners; they’re for the elite and the wealthy. That’s just another thing we’ve lost in the twenty-first century when it comes to the ruination of sports in America: show us the money—or just stay home. And while there is nothing wrong with the Super Bowl on TV, the dream of seeing your heroes in person certainly is beyond the reach for the vast majority of American children today.

(And as much as we love/respect Taylor Swift, we’d like to see her explain that to the kids in Missouri, too.)