SB LVIII even too expensive for the rich; A Swifties guide to the game; Poor Mama Kelce; What's Brock Purdy have to do with Lee Harvey Oswald?
credits: Images: Late-stage capitalism has made the Super Bowl too expensive even for the millionaires
source: Getty Images Unfettered capitalism is putting some restraints on the top one percent enjoying one of its biggest parties of the year. With the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, luxury suites have reached the highest of high-roller prices. These seven-figure suites are out of the price range for even some of the biggest stars who are actually playing in the game. — Stephen Knox
Life comes at you fast, Mama Kelce
Donna Kelce and Taylor Swift source: Getty Images The run-up to this year’s Super Bowl has been bereft of a few notable storylines. There’s barely any talk about X’s and O’s, only a little prognosticating on Patrick Mahomes’ legacy, and almost zero chatter about the most famous non-football participant from last year’s Big Game: Donna Kelce. — Sean Beckwith
The non-Mahomes, Purdy players to watch in Super Bowl LVIII
source: Getty Images You know the big names of this Super Bowl matchup already. There’s no need to talk about Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy anymore, treating a 53-on-53-man matchup like it’s a one-on-one boxing match. We’ve gotten enough coverage of the Travis Kelces and the Christian McCaffreys of this game. — Cale Clinton
The Swifties Guide to Super Bowl LVIII
Taylor Swift source: Getty Images With the Super Bowl getting closer, one of the biggest storylines is not about the teams or the players, but about Taylor Swift and her presence at the games. Some people hate seeing her there — namely conservatives — and think she is ruining football, while others are watching football for the first time, simply just to catch a glimpse of the pop sensation. — Mackenzie Meaney
NFL players have had it with artificial turf and you can’t blame them
Rubber pellets from the artificial turf gave the illusion of dirty snow during a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on Jan. 7, 2024, at Gillette Stadium source: Getty Images NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell told the media on Tuesday that 92 percent of NFLPA members want to play on natural grass, citing rates of injuries, general soreness and burns as the reason most of the union wants to move away from artificial turf. — Julie DiCaro
San Francisco 49ers have a health advantage over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl
source: Getty Images Even with the bye week, there is no way that San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are at their healthiest going into Super Bowl LVIII. They have been popping pads against the rest of the NFL for 19-20 weeks. Extensive treatment and rehab will be necessary to get those bodies back to optimum health. Neither team will be at full strength on Sunday, but it’s the Chiefs who have lost two starters in the past month. — Stephen Knox
Diversity in hiring is working for the 49ers, and other NFL teams don’t like it
source: Getty Images The rules in the NFL apply to all 32 teams. The compensatory draft pick rules are not exclusive to the San Francisco 49ers. They have received extra selections because they assembled a staff and front office that is not exclusively white men. — Stephen Knox
People think Brock Purdy looks like JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. They are kinda right
Brock Purdy source: AP There are athletes with celebrity doppelgangers. Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff bears a resemblance to actor Ryan Gossling. Former Super Bowl-winning signal-caller Nick Foles kinda looks like — Mackenzie Meaney
25 best quarterback performances in Super Bowl history
source: Getty Images The Super Bowl is where legacies are defined. We can debate a quarterback’s success all we want, but at the end of the day, those arguments come down to rings. These are the quarterbacks who showed out on the game’s biggest stage. — Cale Clinton
Best individual Super Bowl moments by Chiefs and 49ers players
source: Getty Images The Kansas City Chiefs are making their sixth Super Bowl appearance. This will be the seventh trip to the Big Game for the San Francisco 49ers. — Mackenzie Meaney
Here’s what it will take to win Super Bowl LVIII
source: Getty Images Football fans across the globe, be sure to enjoy the build-up to Super Bowl LVII, San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs. Another NFL game of significance will not be played until Sept. 5. That Thursday evening will be in the midst of an American presidential election campaign, and we should all try to avoid thinking about that until absolutely necessary. — Stephen Knox
The NFL’s multi-billion dollar empire has a lawn-care problem
source: Getty Images If there is one aspect of sports in which the NFL should have an unquestioned expertise, it should be in the maintenance of its playing surfaces. If the NBA and NHL can share stadiums and puzzle piece courts together over ice, then the NFL should be able to have the grass in pristine condition at the Super Bowl host city. For a second consecutive season, there is a highly publicized turf problem. The San Francisco 49ers are, reportedly, not happy with their practice field. — Stephen Knox
First woman, openly gay NFL coach torn over which of her former teams to root for in Super Bowl
Katie Sowers source: Getty Images Katie Sowers was a member of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff the last time the San Francisco 49ers were in the Super Bowl. That was back in 2020, when the Niners took on the Kansas City Chiefs, whom Sowers would join as an offensive assistant the following season. — Mackenzie Meaney
The most outlandish Super Bowl LVIII prop bets
Allegiant Stadium source: Getty Images This is going to be the biggest Super Bowl for gambling in recent memory. The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans will wager a combined $23.1 billion on the Big Game this year, up from $16 billion year-over-year. — Cale Clinton
Let’s take a look at how well Madden simulations have predicted the Super Bowl
source: Getty Images Super Bowl LVIII week is upon us, as we’re merely days away from the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. For a couple of decades now, we’ve had Super Bowl simulations played out via EA Sports’ John Madden Football video game. It’s been a crapshoot, in large part, with some years getting it right and others wrong. One year the simulation was right on the money predicting the winner and final score correctly. — Criss Partee
This week’s Las Vegas Super Bowl is one giant ad for sports betting
source: Getty Images Of all the pop culture to come out of Las Vegas, very little of it has been flattering. From Nicky Santoro killing a guy with a ballpoint pen to Clark gambling away the Griswald family savings, and the Sin City graphic novels in between, it’s very difficult to overlook the city’s unsavory history — unless you’re a professional sports league. — Sean Beckwith
Roger Goodell gets exposed again at the Super Bowl
Roger Goodell source: Getty Images They got rid of Jim Trotter. They moved the Commissioner’s annual Super Bowl press conference to Monday — and made it invite-only. They thought they did everything they could to protect Roger Goodell. They thought wrong. — Carron J. Phillips
Kadarius Toney almost made it through Super Bowl Opening Night without saying something stupid
Kadarius Toney source: Getty Images The Kansas City Chiefs allowed Kadarius Toney to board their charter flight to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. With only one game remaining on the schedule, the Chiefs have no reason to limit the pool of players available to play on Sunday. Even if that player disputed the reason he was listed as inactive for the team’s previous game. — Stephen Knox