by Peter A. Arthur-Smith
“Kansas City’s football stars are already the champions of Television Advertising!” New York Times game headline, February 9th, 2024
Judging by the pre-Super Bowl ad spend by companies on quarterback Patrick Mahomes (178M), tight-end Travis Kelce ($120M) and their coach Andy Reid ($69M), the Kansas City Chiefs had already won the Super Bowl. This compares to quarterback Brock Purdy ($67K), running-back Christian McCaffrey ($46M), and little to nothing for San Francisco 49er’s coach Kyle Shanahan. Clearly the two coaches have to handle all this hype and attention, that alone encourage their players and stars to play quality football when the time comes. The big ad spenders will be expecting their investments to pay-off, too.
Of course, there’s the special attention piled onto Kelce due to his romantic relationship with superstar singer Taylor Swift. That caused his ad spend to jump from $89K in 2023 to $120M this time around. Then there was the extra speculation whether she will make it back in time, from her concert in Tokyo the night before, to join the extravaganza. Also bear in mind that all the private jet slots at Vegas’s International Airport were already taken – including other surrounding airports – by other big-wigs flying in to the event. Coach Reid had to keep Kelce’s “feet-on-the-floor” and his “eye-on-the-ball,” despite this extra high-profile drama.
In top of that, there are the age and football worldly wisdom differences between Shanahan and Reid. At age 65, Coach Reid already has two Super Bowl wins out of four attempts over the past five years and was about to coach his fifth attempt. It compares to Shanahan’s 44 years and two Super Bowl attempts over the past 4 years – one against the Chiefs – where he came up empty handed for both. Reid has coached the Chiefs since 2013, whereas as Shanahan inherited his team in 2017. Last season the 49ers lost to the Eagles, which was Reid’s former team, with an ailing quarterback.
And so the stage was set for a contest between two talented coaches and quarterbacks; where Mahomes (28 yrs) is the shining star from the outset, while Purdy (24 yrs) was a last man (262) draft pick and viewed as a second-thought quarterback. Even so, his play for the Niners this season has caught everyone’s attention since taking the top spot. He almost single handed pulled his team out of possible defeat against the Detroit Tigers in their Divisional championship. Then there’s also top-ranked, tight-end Kelce up against his second ranked tight-end competitor George Kittle for the 49ers. The two coaches had to get the best out of both to have a chance of reaching the winner’s podium.
When you think about it, it would require tremendous emotional intelligence (EQ) by both coaches to handle the pressures of the occasion and keep their team members focused and realistic. For several players on both teams, it would be their first Super Bowl test in front of 100 million plus viewers and a packed, roaring stadium. Those same coaches had to hold their superstars and teams together despite the intense scrutiny and hoopla. Superstars are like top tier race horses; it requires tremendous leadership skill to handle their temperaments, keep them motivated, stroke them to perform at their best, and retain them with their teams.
Mahomes had introduced his own leadership prowess by encouraging his team mates not to indulge in Las Vegas’s mores before the game. He had promised to take them all back to Vegas after the event, if they win.
Finally, the game was underway, and what a game it turned out to be. An initial surge by the Niners put it ahead by half-time 10-3. Then the Chiefs fought back to tie the game at 19-19 by full time. Such a stalemate meant extra time for the first time since new rules were installed in 2021. A final touchdown, engineered by none other than Mahomes, put the Chiefs over the top to win 24-22. Everyone agreed it was a nail biter!
Of course there was tremendous celebration and hoopla during the after-game trophy presentation. No doubt Mahomes’ team mates would be waiting for that promised trip back to Vegas. But the other interesting thing was how not one of those Chief celebrant speakers, from owners, to coach Reid, to key players, ever acknowledged the Niners highly challenging participation. It was eerily like as if there was only one team playing on the field that day.
Reid and his team ultimately deserved to win – “just” – but there was no leadership moment of magnanimity to acknowledge the tremendous game played by the Niners. Does that mean Reid missed out on one of the five qualities of enlightened leaders – namely “humility”? Is this where conventional management teaches us to believe that the ultimate numbers are more important than the contribution of the players? Rome began to fall apart when the demise of gladiators had no consequence!