Iconic Chiefs Bar In Philadelphia Staying Closed During Super Bowl Cites Admirable Reason And Safety Concerns

The vast majority of South Philadelphia will be cheering for the Eagles to beat the Chiefs on Sunday. Duh.

However, considering that Philly is the sixth-largest metropolis in the United States, there will be a small subset of Kansas City fans rooting against their current city's team during Super Bowl LVII. They just need a place to watch the game after Big Charlie's Saloon decided not to open.

Big Charlie's, a bar located less than two miles away from Lincoln Financial Field, is the premier (and only?) Chiefs bar in the city. It is packed with team gear from wall to wall.

Its faithful patrons pack the bar every Sunday during the fall.

Just not this coming Sunday.

Originally, Big Charlie's was set to host the city's biggest Chiefs watch party in Philadelphia. It started to take reservations for the big game and sold out almost immediately.

As a result of the high demand, the bar has decided to close.

While it might seem like a confusing decision from an outsider's perspective, owner Paul Staico's reasoning makes it rather admirable. The number of reservations far exceeded the capacity of his bar and he didn't want to turn anyone away.

People (who have) been supporting us for 40 years, we're going to tell them no because they're a day late? That wasn't happening. Can't do it. So what do you do? It was a brutal decision, but we're going to be closed.

Stacio's decision will be costly in terms of revenue. He is closing his bar for the biggest game of the year.

Though Stacio's primary reason for closing is commendable, the decision also stems from safety concerns. There is no way to guarantee that bad actors from other parts of town wouldn't target his bar as a place to cause chaos.

"I just don't want nonsense," Stacio told USA Today.

Considering past behaviors of Eagles fans, it makes sense. Why put your patrons at risk of danger?