INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The entire season, Jerry Walkowaik and his son Ben — two die-hard Rams fans — cheered as their team made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

But with tickets for the big game going for $6,000 a pop, they decided to check out a swanky tailgate party in Inglewood instead.

“I just couldn’t see spending that kind of money for that, so this was the next best thing,” Jerry Walkowaik said.

They ended up spending about $3,000 for two all-day passes for the Tailgater Concierge party, which included food, drinks and a live DJ. But just like in real estate, the selling point was location.

“We’re about as close as we can be without being in the stadium and it’s just an awesome experience,” Walkowaik said.

This year’s Super Bowl is one of the country’s first major sporting events with in-person parties since the COVID-19 pandemic began. That it’s happening in the entertainment capital of the world meant that tailgate party organizers had to step up their game.

“The stakes are really high in LA. They expect a lot, but we can deliver it,” said event co-founder Megan LaGrow.

For the Walkowaiks, it was a chance to enjoy the biggest game of the year, while spending some quality time together.

“It’s awesome. It’s something that I don’t take for granted at all,” Ben Walkowaik said. “The excitement, the ups and downs of the season, rehashing the game, the three-hour drive to and from, we analyze and direct the entire time. It’s just cool.”

And when their team ended up winning, that was just the icing on the cake.

“I don’t know what to say,” Jerry Walkowaik said. “I’m speechless.”