Chiefs and the 49ers hit the jackpot as the Super Bowl heads to Las Vegas and promises the biggest pay-out of all… with Taylor Swift and other celebrities jetting in, nothing quite draws eyes and preys on desire like this

By Daniel Matthews for The Mail On Sunday

10:30 p.m. February 10, 2024, updated 11:01 p.m. February 10, 2024

• The Kansas City Chiefs will look to defend their crown against the San Francisco 49ers
• It took 57 years for Las Vegas and American football to finally tie the knot
• Taylor Swift is flying out of Japan and private jet parking is exhausted

The hands went down the front, back and to the right of the speaker. However, a lot of the questions this week came from left field.

By the time the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers make the half-hour drive across the Strip to Allegiant Stadium, only a few moments in their players' lives will have gone unused: their favorite taco. Your favorite Bible passage. In the case of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, even her resemblance to Lee Harvey Oswald.

But for San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan, the toughest questions came before both teams landed in Sin City for the Super Bowl on Sunday. When a flood of ticket requests came in. “You never thought you had so many people like you,” he grinned. “Unfortunately,” Shanahan insisted, “the reality is that it’s not for everyone.”

Who was he kidding? This is America's game. This is America's day when a nation's favorite pastimes – sports, celebrity, glamor and greed – crowd onto 100 yards of grass. This is perhaps the biggest and boldest thing of all: nothing commands attention like American football, and nowhere inspires desire like Las Vegas.

It took 57 years for them to tie the knot. The NFL won't wait that long to return.

Taylor Swift will personally cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce as the Super Bowl begins in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs are led by the brilliance of Kelce (right) and Patrick Mahomes (left).

Parking spaces for private jets have become scarce. Prince Harry flew in for the NFL awards ceremony on Wednesday. On game day, the strip will look like a four-mile-long red carpet.

On Wednesday evening, however, the skies over Las Vegas were briefly free of traffic: Donald Trump was on his way into the city. In fact, the only flight that is on everyone's lips is the return flight from Tokyo.

The Japan leg of Taylor Swift's world tour ended Saturday. Their first show in Singapore is Monday. There's just enough time to see her boyfriend.

The singer's relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has dominated this NFL season. The couple was accused of this being a PR ploy and a political conspiracy. But Swift has boosted television viewership, and one study estimates she gave the Chiefs and the NFL $330 million in brand value.

Swift actually turned down the chance to perform at this year's halftime show. Now this honor – or the poisoned cup? – falls to R&B legend Usher.

The 49ers reached their first Super Bowl since 2019 when they lost to Kansas City. All eyes now turn to Allegiant Stadium in Sin City for the biggest cabaret in sports on Sunday

The Chiefs are in their fourth Super Bowl in five years. They're looking to become the first team in two decades to win back-to-back Vince Lombardi Trophies. The 49ers, on the other hand, have not won a championship since 1994.

This is their first Super Bowl since 2019 – when they were beaten by… Kansas City.

As a quarterback, the battle between Patrick Mahomes and Purdy couldn't be better written. Mahomes has already led Kansas City to two Super Bowls. His reward? A 10-year, $450 million contract that guarantees him a record $210.6 million in earnings between 2023 and 2026.

As for Purdy's base salary this season? $870,000. The 24-year-old earned the nickname “Mr Irrelevant” after being selected last in the 2022 draft in Las Vegas. Two years later, Purdy returns after leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter.

He is surrounded by brilliant players like tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and standout running back Christian McCaffrey. The Niners are slight favorites but only reached Las Vegas after two desperate postseason comebacks.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs, led by the brilliance of Mahomes and Kelce, appear to be cooking just in time.

Considering Vegas was a sporting backwater for so long.

Sure, it was the home of boxing, but the big leagues always stayed away. Then came the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the dominoes continued to fall. They are the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

The Raiders (NFL) have been playing at Allegiant Stadium since 2020. Formula 1 hoisted its checkered flag here last year; LIV Golf landed this week. The A's (baseball) are supposed to arrive soon. LeBron James wants to bring an NBA franchise here. David Beckham hopes that an MLS team will also land in Vegas.

In the words of NFL boss Roger Goodell, Vegas is now “Sports Town USA.” And Sunday's game brings the biggest payout of all.

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