Head coach Nick Sirianni of the Eagles of Philadelphia is painful from Gatorade to the fourth quarter against the Chiefs of Kansas City during the Super Bowl Lix in Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, in Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Pennsylvania is not unrelated to the biggest game in the National Football League and its elected officials are not either.
After Philadelphia eagles have demolished Super Bowl Lix Super Bowl LIX Kansas City Chiefs consecutive champion to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Keystone, Pennsylvania Trophy More super bowl victories than any other state. Six are gracked Pittsburgh steelers and the most recent two are thanks to the Eagles.
When one or the other of the Pennsylvania NFL franchises will arrive at the title game, elected officials of the State are often there, whatever the place.
Governor Josh Shapiro, Lieutenant-Governor Austin Davis, the two Democrats, and the American senator Dave McCormick (R-P.), Made the trip to New Orleans for the game.
But who took the bill?
For Shapiro, PA Team FoundationAn organization for non-profit non-profit that intends to promote public-private partnerships for the economic growth of Pennsylvania, has paid its way. A Shapiro spokesperson told the capital-star that the governor had attended the game “at no cost for Pennsylvania taxpayers”.
“The governor also carried out political activities during this trip and, therefore, a percentage of it was covered by campaign funds,” said Manuel Bonder, spokesperson for Shapiro in an email to the capital.
“One thing is clear: if Governor Shapiro just wanted to spend time and watch the match, he would have stayed at home to do it,” said Bonder. “The Governor’s participation in this event was an opportunity to promote our Commonwealth, to continue opportunities to recruit investments and stimulate growth, meet the stakeholders who will be essential to ensure a successful NFL project for Pittsburgh and time to promote key relations with other states. “”
In 2023 For the Super Bowl LVIITeam Pa Foundation also paid for Shapiro tickets and First Lady Lori Shapiro and the trip to Arizona.
A spokesperson for the Davis office told the capital-star that his trip had been paid by his campaign account, while the cost of tickets was covered by the Team PA Foundation.
The McCormick office did not respond to several requests asking who paid travel and ticket costs for the game.
On February 6, Shapiro said 97.5 fm The fanatic of fanatic Missanelli That it would be in New Orleans to take advantage of Eagles and “bring a certain economic development to Pennsylvania”. Shapiro said that during his appearance at Super Bowl LVII in 2023, he was a “ass pain” at the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, trying to convince him to bring the draft of the NFL to Pittsburgh .
The NFL announced last year Pittsburgh will host the NFL draft in 2026. Shapiro said the event “will bring hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development” in the southwest of Pennsylvania and the whole state. He described participation in the Super Bowl Lix as another opportunity to “do business at the Commonwealth”.
Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant-Governor Austin Davis joined the president of Pittsburgh Steelers, Arthur Rooney II, the mayor of Pittsburgh Ed Gainey and the direction of the Comté d’Allegheny, Sara Innamorato, at the Stade Acrisure in May 2024 to celebrate the selection of pittsburgh as host of the NFL 2026 draft (Commonwealth Media Services)
The last time the Pennsylvania welcomed the NFL draft took place in 2017 in Philadelphia. The several day event has generated a $ 94.9 million economic impactAccording to a report commissioned by the Congress and Visitors Bureau of the Philadelphia Convention and led by the Research Center on the Temple University Sport Industry.
The draft of the NFL 2024, which took place in Detroit, generated $ 213.6 million economic impact for the city and the surroundings. A spokesperson for Visitpittsburgh said Pittsburgh Magazine Last October that “the economic impact of previous destinations for projects varied between $ 120 [million] more than $ 213 million, and we expect Pittsburgh to be well in this range. »»
While Shapiro said that the purchase of the ticket by the Foundation of the PA team is not made at the expense of taxpayers, he led to criticism Republican legislators and good government groups, because the non -profit organization does not disclose its donors publicly. Spotlight pa reported in May 2024 that the organization had spent more than $ 12,000 on “transport, accommodation or hospitality” for Shapiro.
The representative of the State Seth Grove (R-York) sent a Co-sponsorate memo On February 7, proposing legislation, he said “would light up the Financial Darkness of Team Pa Foundation”, calling on legislators to join him to ensure “100% transparency for all public-private partnerships created by decrees”.
In response to a request for commentary on the capital -star, Team PA said that the Pennsylvania Growth Partnership (PGP) is a private fund that is used for a “public good – to promote the economic growth of the Pennsylvania”.
“Among the activities he legally finances within the framework of his mission is the participation of the governor and his team in important national or international events which present the Commonwealth and his economy,” said John Reynolds, spokesperson for Team PA, sent by email to the capital-star. “The Super Bowl is such an event. With the eyes of the nation concentrated on the game, it is perfectly logical that the leader of the Pennsylvania would attend, increasing not only the Pennsylvania but one of its greatest assets – the Eagles.
“Our role as a tax sponsor of the PGP involves examining requests for payment; Ensure that they are both consistent with the scope and mission of the fund; And are used for the public good and in support of the economic growth of Pennsylvania, ”added Reynolds. “The governor and the attendance of his team at the Super Bowl meet all these criteria and thanks to these funds, he is there in the name of all the Pennsylvanians, rather than by a business gift, a CAP or dollars of taxpayers.
THE Committee of seventyAn organization of non -partisan civic leadership in Philadelphia, confirmed that it was not illegal or atypical to use campaign funds to cover travel costs. They added that it depends on the candidate and their committee to determine how they spend their money in the legal parameters, but there could be a step back if the donors consider expenditure as inappropriate.
The American Sen Dave McCormick (R-PA) goes around the Pennsylvania Farm Show on January 11, 2025. (John Cole / Capital-Star)
McCormick was one of the many senators To fly with President Donald Trump at the Air Force One game. During the flight, Trump signed a proclamation appointing on February 9 “Gulf of America Day”, according to the Daily beast While the jet was flying on the water.
On February 9, Trump became the First president seated to attend the Super Bowl. He told Bret Baier de Fox News in an interview that he “thought it would be good for the country to have the president,” said NJ Advance Media.
It was not the first time that McCormick joined Trump in recent months during a sporting event. In December 2024, McCormick, an American army veteran, was one of the many legislators to join Trump and vice-president JD Vance for the Annual University Navy Army Football Match.
Delaney Marscothe director of ethics for The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a non-partisan legal organization specializing in the responsibility of the government, including the ethical rules for office holders, told capital-star that there was no problem if a legislator wanted to spend his own Money to attend sporting events at a high price like the Super Bowl, as long as it is at its nominal and uncommon value, which can make it an “inappropriate gift”.
“The concern becomes when this type of high -value tickets, which are very rare and expensive and sought after, are given by a third party, where we do not know the exact origin of this gift,” said Marsco. “Or we know the exact origin, and this raises serious problems of conflicts of interest or corruption problems.”
Marsco declared that the rules of gifts at the congress are “quite strict” and that legislators are required to disclose the gifts received during a reference period. These reports include gifts received in the previous calendar year. So, the McCormick ticket, if it was a gift, would only appear a later report.
However, she said that one of the possible exceptions for a ticket was if it was presented as a campaign in good faith or a fundraising event.
“Voters absolutely have the right to know who gives gifts to elected officials, civil servants, because these people could potentially influence or try to influence their elected officials,” said Marsco.
The trip to the Super Bowl can differ per year and by the legislator.
Here are the most recent appearances of the Super Bowl for Eagles and Steelers since 2011 and who have witnessed:
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In 2011, Governor Tom Corbett, director of the Comté of Allegheny, Dan Onorato, and the mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl Arlington, Texas.
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In 2018, then-gov. Tom Wolf was present for the Super Bowl LII at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to see the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots.
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In 2023 Shapiro was at Super Bowl LVII at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, while the Eagles failed against the chiefs.
Before the Super Bowl XLV in 2011, Kdka News reported that Corbett was flying for the match with the Rooney family, who had the Steelers, and “paid all the expenses personally”. Before the Super Bowl LII in 2018, Wolf said he was paying his own transport, tickets and accommodation, according to the Associated Press.
American senator John Fetterman (D-P.) Did not respond to the request for comments from the capital if he attended the Super Bowl
