Win or lose, this Sacramento-area Chiefs hangout was the place to be on Super Bowl Sunday
Melissa Anthony was raised in Kansas City and grew up a Chiefs fan. When she moved to Sacramento in 2018, one of the first things she wanted to do was find a space to enjoy her favorite football team with like-minded Red Coaters.
Anthony welcomed recommendations from family members who lived in Sacramento for more than 30 years, but they told her there weren’t any Chiefs fans in Sacramento, primarily because this was 49ers’ and Raiders’ territory.
Instead, Anthony did what any die-hard fan in a new city would do— she turned to social media for answers.
It was through a Facebook post she discovered Field House American Sports Pub was a haven for Chiefs fans, and she’s been present for each game since, including Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“The owner, Matt, said, ‘Hey, I got a bar, and I’m a Chiefs fan,’ and I’ve never left,” Anthony said.
What started as a small group of four people has over the years turned into a game day ritual for Chiefs fans in the capital region.
“This is what we do,” Anthony said Sunday. “We come here, hang out, have a good time and root for the game. ... We have turned this into a Chiefs bar, the only Chiefs bar in Sacramento. It has grown, and we love it. I love to see people come out rooting for the game itself. We all come together as a family, and we have one common interest, and that’s the Chiefs.”
Win, lose or draw, that’s Anthony’s team.
How bar came together with Chiefs fan group
Field House American Sports Pub owner Matthew Wagner said the Arden Arcade bar first opened in 2017. In November 2024, the sports pub moved to its current location at 1833 Fulton Ave. near Alta Arden Expressway.
Wagner, 40, was born and raised in Carmichael but became a Chiefs fan merely to spite his older brother, he said Sunday during the big game, which saw the Chiefs lose to the Philadelphia Eagles, 40-22.
“My brother was rooting for the (Miami) Dolphins. He’s a Dan Marino fan,” Wagner said. “I was a little kid, and what’s a brother going to do but root against his older brother? Right? So I started rooting against him.”
The Chiefs won that game and he has stuck with them ever since.
During Super Bowl LIX and every game day, Wagner can be seen sporting his Chiefs watch, shoes, team jersey while occasionally showing off his calf tattoo of the Chiefs logo.
“We built a really good fan base here,” Wagner said. “It’s like everybody’s really close. It’s kind of like they’re a part of the business. When I first bought the bar, I was the only Chiefs fan. I watched every game. Then I shouted out (Anthony) on Facebook who was looking for a place to go, who showed up with a couple of people and it just kept growing from there…now there’s a tight unit of people.”
Once word got out that Field House became the place for the Red Kingdom, Chiefs fans started showing up.
Theresa Gayner, born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, grew up watching the Chiefs with her father and brothers.
It became her love language. Now, she watches with her husband, Steve Heller, who had never watched football before their marriage.
“It’s part of my life. It’s part of my therapy,” Gayner said. “Just like a good movie or really good song ... it’s an escape. So, yeah, of course, when I met my husband, I had to introduce him to the world of football, and specifically the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Gayner runs a Chiefs fan page on Facebook based in Sacramento, Nor Cal Chiefs Chapter. It’s how she caught wind of Anthony, who runs the Sacramento Chiefs Page on Facebook.
“There were two groups in Sacramento, and we merged and became one powerhouse,” Heller said. “We didn’t know about each other. And then we met up with (Anthony) and realized, ‘hey, not only does she have a group, she has a great location.’”
Chiefs fans traveled from different areas such as Sonora, Modesto and Woodland to meet at the bar on game days.
However, Wagner said fans of all teams can be spotted in the bar.
“Obviously, being in Sacramento, we got a lot of the Raiders fans, the Niners fans, Cowboys are everywhere and Steelers, right? So everyone comes in,” Wagner said. “They want to talk a little smack here and there, but it’s a good camaraderie. We treat everyone like they’re welcome. We never ostracize people. ... Everybody’s happy and inviting and welcoming.”
A party is still a party
When the Chiefs came up short Sunday, Anthony could only be honest in her assessment.
“At the end of the day I’m a football fan. ... It is what it is, we didn’t want it this time ... but it’s OK, we’ll be back,” she said as a handful of Eagles fans at the bar cheered on Philadelphia.
Bruce Fox was one of them, yelling at the top of his lungs all evening, and said Field House made him fell welcome.
“I love this kind of competition,” Fox said. “That’s one reason why I don’t go to a Philly bar ... I like that competitiveness.
“And plus, the people that work here are great. This is a great family-owned bar. I know everybody works here. They work hard, and I don’t mind spending my money, it’s just a great place, man.”
No one watching the game was happier than Wagner’s son, James, who happens to be an Eagles fan, too.
The father and son attended Super Bowl LVII in 2023 as a gift for James’ 18th birthday. In that matchup, the Chiefs upset the Eagles with an amazing come-from-behind victory.
Now, two years later, James was glad to be at the bar with his dad, despite the rivalry.
“This year we deserved it,” he said of the Eagles. “My dad knows I love him. He got it last year. I got it this year. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM.
