Real-life Jerry Maguire inspires SoberBowl, VIP event
Leigh Steinberg inspired the title character who cried out “Show me the money!” in the 1996. movie “Jerry Maguire.” But another line from the film, “Help me, help you” hovers over Super Bowl weekend.
Steinberg is at the center of two major Super Bowl events this weekend. He hosts his 37th annual Super Bowl VIP party on Saturday afternoon at Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel.
At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Steinberg is among the stars attending the SoberBowl Vegas ‘24 viewing party at Clark County Amphitheater.
That event is open to the public Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids 12-and-under; VIP tickets with meet-and-greets and VIP parking are $50. Ticket are available at the door for an additional $5; parking is free (Go to soberbowl.us for intel).
Steinberg’s annual Super Bowl parties provide a foundational opportunity for athletes who risk their mental and physical health. Such superstar former athletes as Floyd Mayweather, Joe Montana, Drew Brees and Terrell Owens are joined by actors Emile Hirsch, Rocker Billy F. Gibbons, actor Justin Hartley and actress Sophia Pernes.
The event features the 11th annual brain Health Summit, a red carpet, The Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Awards, the ICON Hall of Fame, the Player X experience and a charity poker event.
The SoberBowl the following afternoon and evening is to be filled with live music, comedy, food, and appearances by NFL legends. The game will be shown on multiple large screens, along with the side of the three-story Clark County Government Center.
The event’s roster is led by “The Voice” Season 24 champ Huntley, NFL legend Earl Campbell, ex-NFL QB and current broadcaster Ryan Leaf, rocker Chis Kael of Five Finger Death Punch, comic-actor Craig Gass, Vegas singer-songwriter Michael Richter, and local horn outfit the Soul Juice Band.
The event is billed as an afternoon of legends “while delivering a great party with messages of hope and recovery.” Kael, a hard-rocking bassist, understands that world. He got clean and sober on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, 2018. In a thriller, the Eagles beat the Pats, 41-33.
“I remember there being a game,” says Kael, a Vegas resident, “but I don’t remember much else.”
Kael is taking part in Sunday’s event to perform alongside Huntley, and also show that being sober is not the penalty phase of life.
“One of the things that scares me the most about getting sober was I thought sobriety wasn’t going to be fun,” Kael says. “All the stuff that I had been doing before centered on alcohol. So when alcohol was removed, I was like, man, am I still gonna enjoy this stuff? So to be able to be at SoberBowl, to show everyone else that it can be fun, is gonna be awesome.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
