The Ultimate Connection Between Super Bowl LIX & Baseball
Connecting Super Bowl LIX & the Game of Baseball
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Today, millions of people watch the Super Bowl, the championship for the National Football League as a part of one of the largest sports events in the world. This year, the Super Bowl is between the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. As a result of this matchup, we have multiple connections between this year’s Super Bowl and the baseball world. So, let’s look at the multiple connections.
Kansas City vs Philadelphia: SB LIX & The 1980 World Series
This year's Super Bowl matchup is between the Chiefs and the Eagles, who play in Kansas City, Missouri and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, respectively— two cities who are home to an MLB franchise. Now, since this year’s NFL Championship is between Kansas City & Philadelphia’s teams, let’s look at the time that Kansas City & Philadelphia went head to head during the World Series.
The 1980 World Series, which was between the Kansas City Royals and the Philadelphia Phillies was a thrilling World Series— going 6 games rather than the 1 game of the Super Bowl.
The Superstars
In 1980, the World Series featured an MVP on each team in George Brett (KC) & Mike Schmidt (PHI). In this year’s Super Bowl, Kansas City is led by 2x MVP (2018 & 2022) Patrick Mahomes II— who is looking for a 3-peat in the NFL. On the other hand, the Eagles do not have an MVP on their roster, but they have a 2025 MVP Finalist in Saquon Barkley.
The Champions
Mike Schmidt and the Phillies defeated the Royals in 6 games— crowning them the World Series champions for the first time in franchise history. For Super Bowl LIX, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win 3 consecutive Super Bowls, while the Eagles look to win their 2nd championship in franchise history.
Chiefs & Eagles Players in the MLB
Over the years, we have seen many great NFL players who were formerly drafted into Major League Baseball, most notably Tom Brady (1995 Rd. 18, Montreal Expos), Russell Wilson (2010 Rd. 4, Colorado Rockies), & Kyler Murray (2018 Rd. 1, Athletics). However, both of the teams in Super Bowl LIX also have a superstar that was drafted into Major League Baseball.
For the Eagles, Pro-Bowl WR A.J. Brown was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Brown was a standout 2-sport athlete in high school, and was an All-American for baseball in 2016. Originally committed to play baseball & football at the University of Mississippi, Brown was unable to play baseball due to being drafted & signing with the Padres. While most people would think that Brown has moved on from baseball, he said he still thinks about playing both sports in a social media post in 2022.
On the other side of the field, Chiefs QB1 Patrick Mahomes has a ton of connections to baseball, one of them being that he was a standout athlete on the diamond, leading him to being a star shortstop in high school before playing baseball & football at Texas Tech. Mahomes, who played outfield and pitched in college, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th Round of the 2014 MLB Draft after the conclusion of his freshman season. However, Mahomes opted not to sign with the team due to his love for football. After 2 seasons of baseball and football in Lubbock, Mahomes decided to stop playing baseball and fully commit to football in hopes of someday reaching the NFL. That dream came true in 2018, when Kansas City drafted him 10th overall in the first round.
The Bigger Connection Between Baseball & Mahomes
Other than Mahomes being a star on the baseball field and being drafted by the Tigers, there is a bigger connection between Patrick Mahomes and America’s pastime.
Growing Up Around Baseball
Let’s start with Mahomes’ childhood, when he grew up around Major League clubhouses with his father, Patrick (Pat) Mahomes. At an early age, Patrick learned to love the game, hanging out with his father, a longtime reliever at Major League stadiums. Pat Mahomes pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons, spending time with 6 clubs, most notably the Minnesota Twins. Throughout those 11 years, Mahomes went 42-39 with a 5.47 ERA & 452 strikeouts.
Becoming Apart of the MLB Today
Now that we’ve looked at Patrick’s childhood, let’s skip to 2020, when he purchased a stake of the Kansas City Royals, becoming a part-owner of the club. With his purchase of part of the club, Mahomes has been very active in Royals’ events, participating in pregame activities and charity events.
Besides winning on the football field, Mahomes has cemented himself in Kansas City’s sporting industry with this purchase, especially with the Royals’ recent success.
Notable Fans of the Chiefs/Eagles in the MLB
Most professional athletes grow up watching many sports, and if you’re from the United States, you most likely watch your favorite football team every Sunday. This season, we’ve seen many MLB players show their support for their favorite NFL team by either donning a jersey or attending a game.
Philadelphia Eagles Fans
Bryce Harper is one of the biggest faces of Philadelphia in the city's history when it comes to sports. So, of course he supports Philly’s football team. Formerly a Dallas Cowboys fan, Harper has completely adopted Philly as his favorite football team. As a result, he often shows support for “The Birds”— wearing Eagles jerseys before games at Citizens Bank Park or even attending games.
Unlike Harper, Angels’ superstar Mike Trout hasn’t adopted a new team, and still shows his support for the Eagles to this day. The New Jersey native in Trout grew up supporting the Eagles, and now attends many games at Lincoln Financial Field during the MLB offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs Fans
There aren’t many professional baseball players who have shown their support to the Chiefs recently, but Bobby Witt Jr. is a huge fan of the team. Witt, who has become a big fan of the team since joining the Kansas City Royals, is great friends with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and has attended a few games at Arrowhead Stadium.
In addition, Royals catcher Salvador Perez has also been seen at Chiefs games with his family, showing support to the city that has supported him for so many years.
