DAILY DIRT: Ticket prices will not be the only big cost tied to Sunday’s Super Bowl

Never once in my life have I ever wanted to travel to a Super Bowl. The ensuing information is one reason why … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 857 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Last week in The Daily Dirt we discussed how high the ticket prices are for this year’s Super Bowl, reaching more than $12,000 per seat.

But have you ever thought about some of the other costs tied to the game, such as, say, a room to rent while you’re there?

Travelers this week will be paying an average of $500 to $600 per night at most Las Vegas hotels, according to published information. Higher-end sites will be charging close to — if not more than — $1,000 per night.

Prices prior to Super Bowl weekend averaged $161.

Speaking of Super Bowl-inflated costs:

• According to SportsKeeda, the national average for a 25-ounce can of Bud Light is $3 at convenience stores, but the expected cost of a can at Sunday’s big game will be $20.
• Hot dogs are expected to be $12.75.
• Parking will be $100 per car, or if you don’t mind walking a half-mile it will “only” be $75.
• The average cost of a 30-second TV ad for the 2024 Super Bowl is $7 million. This is the same as the cost of the 2023 Super Bowl ads and slightly higher than the cost of a 30-second spot in 2022, which was $6.5 million.
• A cross-section of round-trip flights from multiple major U.S. cities found an average price of $712.25 for airfare.
• Super Bowl LVIII jerseys will carry a $120 price tag.

2. We’ve all been seeing those shots of Taylor Swift in those fancy suites at NFL games, but have you ever wondered just how much it would cost to be in one of those privileged areas, especially on a day like Super Bowl Sunday?

According to the Suite Experience Group, which provides such luxuries for Super Bowl LVIII, prices for the big game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas cost between $1.4 million and $3 million. 

That’s MILLION … and yes, Taylor is buying her own suite for the game, if there is one left.

The NY Post’s Page Six has reported the game is “one of the most coveted tickets in American sports”, meaning “sometimes even players themselves are scrambling to get their loved ones a seat to the championship game”.

The outlet said Taylor’s options to see the Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas may include spending a chunk of her $1.1 billion fortune hiring a $3 million suite that seats 32 people.

It added: “A guest service rep for On Location said that as of Thursday (01.02.24) afternoon there is actually only one luxury suite available that sits 32 people and costs around $3 million, but that is subject to change at any time.”

The boxes come with inclusive access to food and beverage and can accommodate 22 to 26 people. Those numbers can vary, of course, with the price range.

3. Here some rather strange medical facts that should make your Monday a bit more interesting:

• In a lifetime, a human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva, which is enough to fill almost two swimming pools. (Well, that’s rather disgusting. Interesting, but still disgusting.)
• Spread across their lifetime, most people spend an average of one whole year sitting on the toilet. (Or more … )
• On average, a person’s respiration rate is one third higher in spring than in autumn. (That’s because of the start of baseball season. Duh.)
• The average nose produces about a cupful of nasal mucus every day. (Speaking of disgusting … )
• On average, a person says 4,800 words in 24 hours. (I think I’m probably ahead of the curve, at least according to David Adam.)
• A person burns more calories when they are asleep than when they watch TV. (Either way, I think I’ll be on the high end of that number.)
• Fingernails grow about four times faster than toenails.
• During their lifetime, a person will on average accidentally swallow eight small spiders. (Big ones?)
• Parthenophobia is a fear of virgins. (What???)
• Only 7 percent of people are left-handed. I’ll always be grateful one of them was Sudden Sam McDowell.
• Human beings are the only animals that can draw straight lines. (Well, most of them anyway.)

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Just in case you’re interested, Americans are expected to consume a whopping 1.45 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl weekend. That’s BILLION.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River Sports. I’ll bet if Taylor invited him to sit in her Super Bowl suite, he would go.