A HAIR-RAISER
BATTLE OF THE BEARDS AS QUARTERBACKS KELCE AND KITTLE FACE OFF IN VEGAS
IN a game that can terrify even the greatest players, tonight it is the beard that should be feared in Super Bowl LVIII.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy of San Francisco 49ers are likely to be the stars in Sin City.
But both quarterbacks know that when trouble comes calling in the NFL showpiece, it is Travis Kelce and George Kittle they will look to for help.
Both play tight end with a heady mix of smash-mouth violence and balletic skill required to succeed in the most all-round position in the game, one that needs exponents to have a little ‘crazy’ in their DNA.
That crazy was honed in college football, where both were well-known among team-mates as hellraisers on and off the field.
Now, matured and the most exciting tight ends in the game, they clash for the biggest prize.
But when it comes to facial hair, San Francisco’s Kittle claims he has won the battle even before kick-off.
He said: “Who has a better beard? Me, because it’s red. It’s gingery.
“Who has the better sense of humour? He’s pretty good.”
Kelce sports the full, thick style, while Kittle goes hipster in a straggle that matches his wild hair. But don’t be fooled by fashion – when these two cross the white line, they bring energy, excitement and all-out commitment.
Kelce has been living in a goldfish bowl since his relationship with Taylor Swift went public in September, but he is comfortable with the attention.
“I feel like it’s only giving me energy,” said Kelce. “I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am in life and to have amazing things going for me.
“Ain’t no jitters for me, baby. I’m excited for this one. It’s going to be our biggest challenge yet.
“We’ve got a great team, and we’re going up against a great team.
“It’s going to be one for the ages. I’m ready to get this show on the road.”
While Kelce has won the Super Bowl twice with the Chiefs, Kittle has just one experience of the big game – the bitter loss to Kelce’s Chiefs four years ago.
If he can reverse that tonight, he may add to his tattooes – good guys and bad guys on different arms, including the Joker, a reference to his own multi-personalities of fun guy off the field, madman on it.
“I’m in between two right now,” said Kittle. “From the movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the Wolf – a huge fan of that. I want him on the back of my hand to go with my Hobbes tattoo.
“So this [left arm] is all villains, these [right arm] are all heroes. Stitch, too, as he’s kind of a psychopath.”
Two beards – but only one winner in Sin City’s gambling paradise.