By John Cole | Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Pennsylvania is no stranger to the National Football League’s biggest game and neither are its elected officials.
After the Philadelphia Eagles demolished the back-to-back defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Keystone State, Pennsylvania now has more Super Bowl victories than any other state. Six are courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the two most recent are thanks to the Eagles.
When either of Pennsylvania’s NFL franchises make it to the title game, the state’s elected leaders are often on hand, no matter the location.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, both Democrats, and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), made the trip to New Orleans for the game.
But who footed the bill?
For Shapiro, Team PA Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit that intends to promote public-private partnerships for Pennsylvania’s economic growth, paid his way. A spokesperson for Shapiro told the Capital-Star the governor attended the game at “no cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers.”
“The governor also conducted political activity during this trip and as a result, a percentage of it was covered with campaign funds,” Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro said in an email to the Capital-Star.
“One thing is clear: if Gov. Shapiro wanted to simply hang out and watch the game, he would have stayed home to do so,” Bonder continued. “The governor’s attendance at this event was an opportunity to promote our commonwealth, pursue opportunities to recruit investment and spur growth, meet with the stakeholders who will be critical to ensuring a successful NFL Draft in Pittsburgh and spend time fostering key relationships with other states.”
In 2023 for Super Bowl LVII, Team PA Foundation also paid for Shapiro and first Lady Lori Shapiro’s tickets and trip to Arizona.
A spokesperson from Davis’ office told the Capital-Star his travel was paid for by his campaign account, while the cost of the tickets were covered by the Team PA Foundation.
McCormick’s office did not respond to multiple requests asking who paid for travel and ticket expenses to the game.
On Feb. 6, Shapiro told 97.5 FM The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli that he would be in New Orleans to root for the Eagles and “bring some economic development to Pennsylvania.” Shapiro said during his appearance at Super Bowl LVII in 2023, he was a “pain in the ass” to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in trying to convince him to bring the NFL Draft 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” to Southwestern Pennsylvania and the entire state. He described attending Super Bowl LIX as another opportunity to “bring business to the commonwealth.”
The last time Pennsylvania hosted the NFL Draft was in 2017 in Philadelphia. The multiple-day event generated a $94.9 million economic impact, according to a report commissioned by the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and conducted by Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center.
The 2024 NFL Draft, which took place in Detroit, generated a $213.6 million economic impact for the city and surrounding areas. A spokesperson for VisitPittsburgh told Pittsburgh Magazine last October that “the economic impact from previous draft destinations has ranged between $120 [million] to upward of $213 million, and we expect Pittsburgh to be well within that range.”
While Shapiro said Team PA Foundation’s purchase of the ticket does not come at the expense of taxpayers, it has resulted in criticism from both Republican lawmakers and good government groups since the nonprofit doesn’t publicly disclose its donors. Spotlight PA reported in May 2024 that the organization spent more than $12,000 for “transportation, lodging or hospitality” for Shapiro.
State Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) sent out a co-sponsorship memo on Feb. 7 proposing legislation he said would “shine a light on the financial darkness of Team PA Foundation,” calling on lawmakers to join him to ensure “100% transparency for all public-private partnerships created by executive orders.”
In response to a request for comment from the Capital-Star, Team PA said the Pennsylvania Growth Partnership (PGP) is a private fund that is used for a “public good – to promote Pennsylvania’s economic growth.”
“Among the activities it legally funds as part of its mission is attendance by the governor and his team at significant national or international events that showcase the commonwealth and its economy,” John Reynolds, a spokesman for Team PA, emailed to the Capital-Star. “The Super Bowl is such an event. With the eyes of the nation focused on the game, it makes perfect sense that Pennsylvania’s chief executive officer would attend, elevating not just Pennsylvania but one of its greatest assets – the Eagles.
“Our role as fiscal sponsor for the PGP entails reviewing requests for payment; ensuring that they are both consistent with the scope and mission of the fund; and are being used for the public good and in support of Pennsylvania’s economic growth,” Reynolds added. “The governor and his team’s attendance at the Super Bowl meets all those criteria and through these funds he’s there on behalf of all Pennsylvanians, rather than through a corporate gift, a PAC, or taxpayer dollars.
The Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan civic leadership organization in Philadelphia, confirmed it is not illegal or atypical to use campaign funds to cover travel expenses. They added it is up to the candidate and their committee to determine how they spend their money within legal parameters, however there could be pushback if donors see the expenditures as improper.
McCormick was one of several senators to fly to with President Donald Trump to the game on Air Force One. During the flight, Trump signed a proclamation naming Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day,” per the Daily Beast as the jet flew over the body of water.
On Feb. 9, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview that he “thought it would be good for the country to have the president at the game,” according to NJ Advance Media.
This was not the first time that McCormick has joined Trump in recent months at a sporting event. In December 2024, McCormick, a U.S. Army veteran, was one of several lawmakers to join Trump and Vice President JD Vance for the Army-Navy annual college football game.
Delaney Marsco, the director for ethics for The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nonpartisan legal organization that specializes in government accountability, including ethical rules for officeholders, told the Capital-Star there isn’t an issue if a lawmaker wants to spend their own money to attend high priced sporting events like the Super Bowl, as long as it’s at face value and not discounted, which may make it an “improper gift.”
“The concern becomes when these kind of high value tickets, which are very rare and expensive and sought after, are given by a third party, where we either don’t know the exact origin of that gift,” Marsco said. “Or we do know the exact origin, and it raises serious conflicts of interest concerns or corruption concerns.”
Marsco said the gift rules in Congress are “pretty strict” and lawmakers are required to disclose any gifts received during a reporting period. These reports include gifts received during the preceding calendar year. So, McCormick’s ticket, if it was a gift, wouldn’t appear until a later report.
However, she said one of the possible exceptions for a ticket is if it was billed as a bona fide campaign or fundraising event.
“Voters absolutely have a right to know who is giving gifts to elected officials, to public servants, because those people could potentially be influencing or trying to influence their elected officials,” Marsco said.
The travel for the Super Bowl can differ by year and by lawmaker.
Here are the most recent Super Bowl appearances for the Eagles and Steelers since 2011 and who attended:
- In 2011, then- Gov. Tom Corbett, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl attended Super Bowl XLV as the Steelers fell to the Green Bay Packers at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
- In 2018, then-Gov. Tom Wolf was in attendance for Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to see the Eagles defeat the New England Patriots.
- In 2023, Shapiro was at Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as the Eagles came up short against the Chiefs.
Ahead of Super Bowl XLV in 2011, KDKA News reported that Corbett was flying to the game with the Rooney family, who own the Steelers, and was “paying all expenses personally.” Before Super Bowl LII in 2018, Wolf said he was paying for his own transportation, tickets and lodging, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did not respond to the Capital-Star’s request for comment on if he attended the Super Bowl.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.
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