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Pricey Super Bowl suites forcing families of NFL stars into the stands

Private suites at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday have been priced as high as $2.5 million, pricing out many NFL fans.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce embraces mother Donna.
Posted at 4:39 PM, Feb 07, 2024

As the mother of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce, Donna Kelce has grown pretty accustomed to attending NFL games, so things will be no different Sunday when she'll get to see Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. And thanks in part to the newfound media attention that Kelce's girlfriend Taylor Swift has brought to the family, Mama Kelce has become even more familiarized with luxury stadium suites.

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However, the staggering price tag for a suite at this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas is sending even the families of some NFL stars back to the stands — meaning one fan in attendance Sunday may find themselves shoulder to shoulder with Mama Kelce. 

"You can understand that the boxes in Vegas are multimillion dollars, so I have a feeling I’m not in a box,” she said, laughing Wednesday morning in an interview with TODAY. "I have a feeling I am in the stands. As far as I know, I’m in the stands with everybody else because it is a pricey Super Bowl." 

The price of a ticket to the big game has skyrocketed in recent years, from costing fans just a few hundred dollars two decades ago, to some now being listed for more than six figures. But that's just for a regular seat in the crowd. 

Suites at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday have ranged anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars up to $2.5 million at one point for an Owner's Club Suite, pricing out many NFL fans. And it's not an issue unique to the Kelce family. 

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Lisa McCaffrey, mother of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, explained last month in an episode of Ashely Adamson's "Your Mom" podcast that she was hoping to watch her son compete in his first-ever Super Bowl from the comfort of a suite. But prices were even too high for her All-Pro son and his former-Miss Universe fiancée Olivia Culpo.

"We looked into a suite and none of us can afford it," McCaffrey said. "Not even Christian, moneybags over there — nor moneybags Olivia."

Then last Friday, to McCaffrey's surprise, Culpo announced on social media that she would be buying the family a Super Bowl suite and tagged mom's account to wish her a happy birthday. However, the rug was pulled out from under her again when McCaffrey's son told Extra TV Monday that Culpo actually wouldn't be purchasing the suite.

"She [Culpo] tried to [buy a suite]," McCaffrey said. "But I will not let anybody pay to watch me play. I had to nix that."

Barring any further seating developments, It now appears that two Super Bowl moms could end up sitting next to opposing fans donned with foam fingers and face paint Sunday night. But we can't rule out one other scenario that could still land them with a better view.

Christian McCaffrey's base salary this season is $11.8 million, excluding any bonuses and endorsement deals he has. Travis Kelce is also a multimillionaire, who's dating a billionaire in Swift. Even with the sky-high suite prices, it's hard to fathom that we'll see both moms stuck in the stands, staring at the backs of other fans' heads all night as their sons shine under the bright lights at Allegiant Stadium.