Chiefs fans venture into bitter cold for Super Bowl watch parties ahead of kickoff
As the Kansas City Chiefs began warming for the Super Bowl in balmy Tampa Bay, some fans back home in Kansas City tested out the bitter cold to cheer on their team.
Hours before kick off in Super Bowl LV, during which the Chiefs will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, samplings of fans gathered in Westport and at the KC Live! venue in the downtown Power & Light District, bundled up in red and gold.
The game is a back-to-back trip to the Super Bowl for the Chiefs, who beat the San Francisco 49s in Super Bowl LIV last year. But between the pandemic and the frigid temperatures, this year’s celebrations look very different from last.
Before the game, AJ Covington and a group of friends gathered at the Chiefs mural on the wall of the Westport Ale House to take photos.
Covington, who said he was pumped and “ready to go back to back,” projected the Chiefs will win by 6 points. He and 22 other friends snagged a reservation at the ale house where a bar employee stood near the entrance and checked people’s temperatures before they entered.
Patrons had to have a reservation, which were sold out in an hour of them opening up. Inside, about 30 big screen TVs flashed around the bar. Steve Rife sat at one of the tables.
“It’s always better to watch the game with friends, high fives all around,” said Rife, who planned to watch the game with five friends.
Down the block at Harpo’s, a group of three, including Milo Elias, stood in the snow about seven hours before kickoff to make sure they snagged seats at Harpo’s. Elias said he believed the Chiefs would win by a landslide.
Inside Harpo’s, Meya Taylor sat with a group of 16 friends spaced out between two tables. Taylor said she was feeling optimistic about the game and that she wasn’t worried about COVID-19.
At Gambal’s, Kelli Krtek sat with five others around a table where COVID-19 rules had been taped to the top. Krtek said she was feeling confident about the game, especially because that’s where they had watched the game last year.
“We’re not superstitious, but we’re a little-stitious,” she joked, referencing a line from the TV show, The Office.
The group said they felt safe because the bar had done a good job at following the guidelines. And, they added, they were glad to be supporting a local business.
About 90 minutes before the game started, several dozen people gathered downtown at the KC Live! venue, some hauling large blankets in with them. Fans heading into the watch party area could be heard yelling, “Go Chiefs!” and shouting expletives aimed at Tom Brady, the Buccaneers’ quarterback.
Rachel Waller, director of marketing for the Kansas City Power & Light District, said no fans were allowed on the second floor of the deck and tables on the main floor were spread out to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
A year ago, before COVID-19 swept the country and forced restrictions on gatherings, hundreds of fans crowded into Power & Light screamed, hugged and cried as the Chiefs defeated the 49ers. Unable to get into KC Live!, fans gathered in the streets outside threw their hands into the air, bouncing up and down, during big plays.
The district this year implemented reservation systems to help monitor social distancing and capacity. Those reservations sold out.
Earlier this week, health officials urged fans to avoid crowded, poorly ventilated indoor spaces, or to stay home. They advised fans watching from home to limit the size of their parties to those those they live with, or have the gathering outdoors — which likely was not an option as temperatures were in the teens with wind chills in the single digits.
Local restaurants and retail shops even rolled out specials to make it easier to celebrate at home.
Doctors hoped Super Bowl parties would not become super spreader events and again called on fans to wear their masks, watch their distance and wash their hands.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Health System, stressed the best way to have a safe experience was to be careful about mixing your bubbles.
“If you have 10 or 20 people that you’re meeting with, there’s a very good likelihood that one or two of those people will have COVID-19,” he said. “If you’re in a small enclosed space, then three or four of those people get it.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor had issued a public service announcement urging fans to celebrate wisely.
“We look forward to Sunday’s Super Bowl game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and to keeping the Vince Lombardi Trophy where it belongs—in Kansas City,” Lucas said in a statement Thursday.
Before the game Sunday, Madison Usher, 23, traveled from Dallas to watch the game in Kansas City with her family, as is tradition. Ahead of kickoff, Usher and her mother, Jane Usher, drove to the Chiefs mural on the Westport Ale House to snap selfies before heading home to watch the game. Most Kansas Citians seemed to be doing the same.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 5:05 PM.
