Based on some encounters I've been having recently, I thought it might be fun to start a thread for those of us who live outside of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska,
and the general surrounding area of the place the Chiefs call home.
What if anything are you seeing/hearing/witnessing from football fans regarding the Chiefs and their chances to beat the Pats, go to the Super Bowl, and win it all?
As a fan living well outside of the home base, it has been anything but fun in the past to try and explain why the Chiefs are a great organization despite the lack of trophies,
and why Kansas City's football atmosphere is second to none. But, as you might well imagine, the "arrowhead" is pointing WAY up,
and being a fan "out in the wild" ain't quite what it used to be.
The New Mexico Report, Albuquerque:
New Mexico is in a unique position regarding professional sports teams in that they have none, so people here who are NOT transplants from other markets have complete
free will to choose any professional football, baseball, or basketball team they like.
Sadly, many of them chose poorly and decided to be Donkey turds either because of Elway back in the day, or Manning as of late.
There is also the issue of Denver being roughly 500 miles to the north of ABQ, so that may have something to do with it as well.
The other Locos and Locas split time and fandom between Dallas( a fairly large local base ), Oakland( the next largest down though getting smaller and smaller in recent years ),
and San Francisco( a very small local fan base ).
I've been wearing my Chiefs beanie quite a bit this winter and as a result, I've had several people come up to me who want to talk football, Chiefs football.
What used to be at best a sideways look followed by "the Chiefs???", has become "The Chieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeefs, essay"( :-) ).
The respect level is WAY up and we all know the main reason why:
Spoiler!
Um...no. Actually, it's THIS guy:
And, quite a bit of the other guy pictured as well along with Kelce. These three players are well known among the people of New Mexico that I talk to along with Chris Jones here and there.
But mainly, people want to talk about Mahomes and with good reason; he's a once in-a lifetime player that fans of the game, regardless of who their team may be, LOVE to watch play.
The main question I get over and over is, "how did you guys FIND this kid"??? And I enjoy walking them through the entire story from start to finish because it IS an amazing story,
and one that will likely not be repeated again.
Apparently, more people are aware of the playoff history of the Chiefs and between the Chiefs and the Colts than I had imagined.
I bring this up because EVERYONE that I talk to is thoroughly convinced that the Chiefs are going to not only win, but tear New England a New Asshole in this upcoming game based on the state of the team
combined with getting that Colts/playoff monkey off of our backs. Most people are a little surprised when I temper my own response and take on the game, but I understand; they are living completely in the now
while I am still weighing the past as well as not foolishly discounting B/B in the playoffs.
That said, it's cool to meet all of these people who are convinced that our team is hands-down the best in the AFC, and who have every chance in the world to win it all. Refreshing!
Also, even the fans who are not completely lovey-dovey will admit that they want the Chiefs in the Super Bowl if for no other reason than to spare them another outing from New England,
something I believe any NFL fan who is NOT a Pats fan can agree on.
And finally, the gear is coming out and starting to show up. It is not uncommon for me to see someone in a Chiefs hat or beanie, or even a full blown getup, or to see an Arrowhead sticker
on a vehicle at least once or twice a week now. That's quite a step up from when I moved here in 2011, and there was absolutely NO swag in sight for miles other than my own.
At the very least, the Chiefs are making inroads in to New Mexico and as long as Reid and Mahomes are winning games, I believe it's safe to say that we can count on quite a few new fans out here as the years roll by.
Here in Idaho you have a lot of Cowboy and Bronco fans and since around 2006 you cant seem to swing a dead cat without hitting a Seahawk fan. There werent any around before then. They are the worst. But most everyone I talk to, including Raider fans, seem to think Mahomes is the real deal. Most everyone wants the Chiefs to beat the Pats. I'm sure if the Chiefs win the SB there will be lots of bandwagoners that will turn in their #12 Seahawk jerseys for #15 Chiefs jerseys. [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
95% of LA people about this Sunday: "Is there some kind of game this weekend? Oh that sounds fun, but the girlfriend and I are going to brunch, then a street fair."
They have no perception of anything sports related except USC or the Lakers when they're good.
I've been in a traffic jam during the first Q of the Super Bowl - trying to get to our party. My friend and I wanted to get out and yell at everybody and ask where the hell they were going.
I was at a party Sat night, I had to ask nicely to put the Cowboys/Rams game on w/o sound. If I didn't know the host pretty well I wouldn't have even tried. Luckily there was another football fan there.
This is totally standard at any party for any game except the Super Bowl, including game 7 of the World Series. I had to put on game 7 of the AZ/NYY world series at my friend's party, and the ending was so exciting a few people actually got into the game.
The other 5% are fans of other teams. There are no Rams fans.
What part of LA do you live in? I'm in Studio City and my feelings are:
There are shit tons of Chiefs fans. Three bars in my area are overflowing with red.
There are shit tons of Rams fans.
There are no Chargers fans.
As for people not caring about putting on sports at a party, well you nailed that one. Most transplants here are theater majors, after all. [Reply]
Here in Chicago, I mostly encounter either knowledgeable Bears fans, who at the beginning of the season couldn't care less about the "aww schucks" Chiefs but by week 4 after realizing this Mahomes guy was in the same draft as Trubisky, became sick to their stomach knowing that they let what could've been their version of Aaron Rodgers slip through their fingers. Then there's the same Bears fans who refer to the Cubs as "Cubbies!" and still don't care about the Chiefs because they just go to Bears games to relive their Big 10 frat, blackout drunk days ala Cub fan over the last 100 years. [Reply]
Man I've been wanting to start this exact thread but I don't have privileges yet I guess..but I live near Charlotte so before the year started all I heard is "This is our(Panthers) year"...."y'all shouldn't have gotten rid of Alex"....."Who's your QB again?".... "Texas tech QBs suck in the league"...
To mid season- "y'all gonna be one and do e again"
Now its Championship week and its "I hope KC wins but they can't stop the Pats" [Reply]
I work with tons of transplant football fans, and quite a few Rams fans in LA. Office to my left, Colts fan. Across the hall, one Rams, one Bears, and one Lions fan. Our work team is really split across the whole NFL. Nearly everyone would like the Chiefs to win, and they unanimously love Mahomes. Only ever had one Patriot fan here, but he got fired a couple of years ago for taking upskirt photos of women in the lunch line and under meeting tables. Good riddance, he was also predictably insufferable. [Reply]
In Central PA I'm surrounded by mostly Steelers fans but the number of Eagles fans (or people who say they always were Eagles fans) has gone way up of course. Eagles fans still really do love Andy Reid, at least the ones I know. But Steelers fans think we're cute and harmless since we never threaten them for anything.
My girlfriends family are from New York so they are Bills fans. They are bitter about football in general but are polite about the Chiefs to my face. I know for a fact that they they are jealous though.
The main thing I encounter as a middle school teacher is that kids mostly root for whoever is in style. There were a lot of Patriots fans when Brady was young and they won their first few Super Bowls in the early oughts. Not so many of them anymore. There are a TON of Giants fans amongst the kids because of ODB initially and now because Saquon being that a lot of them are Penn State fans. Also, Henry Hynoski is from a nearby town and he played on that 2011 Giants team. There are a lot of Broncos fans, and an odd number of Seahawks fans mainly because I think they like the colors but they also like Manning and Wilson. I have noticed one kid wearing a Mahomes shersey recently and some comments about Mahomes when they see my Chiefs pennants hanging in my room. The main thing with these kids though is if you lose one game, "aw the Chiefs suck, they lost to the Chargers." Dealing with 13 year olds after your team loses is a pain in the ass. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
Vikings fans just bitch about their own team. You say, “I’m a Chiefs fan,” and they go, “That’s nice. Fucking Kirk Cousins swindled us! I hate him!”
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
You know why these Patriot guys (and other opposing fans) are so aggravating still to this day?
Because the "ganggreen" infection this board contracted after Herm was hired was so bad, it won't ever be forgotten.
This week is NOTHING compared to those idiots. :-)
I thought they came here to warn you about the evils of Herm? Doesn't that deserve a "thank you"?
I mean, I'd rather hear that than how "grateful" I'm supposed to be for picking up three Belicunt cast-offs?
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
95% of LA people about this Sunday: "Is there some kind of game this weekend? Oh that sounds fun, but the girlfriend and I are going to brunch, then a street fair."
They have no perception of anything sports related except USC or the Lakers when they're good.
I've been in a traffic jam during the first Q of the Super Bowl - trying to get to our party. My friend and I wanted to get out and yell at everybody and ask where the hell they were going.
I was at a party Sat night, I had to ask nicely to put the Cowboys/Rams game on w/o sound. If I didn't know the host pretty well I wouldn't have even tried. Luckily there was another football fan there.
This is totally standard at any party for any game except the Super Bowl, including game 7 of the World Series. I had to put on game 7 of the AZ/NYY world series at my friend's party, and the ending was so exciting a few people actually got into the game.
The other 5% are fans of other teams. There are no Rams fans.
Jesus, sounds like the NFL has their work cut out for them in that City.
Anyway, if nothing else, it sure seems like we've got the "addition by subtraction"-vote locked up! :-)
NO ONE wants the Pats in a Super Bowl. How sweet would it be to become the team that Brady can no longer beat? I think it's possible, especially if the Chiefs have a good draft this year and start getting defensive holes filled. Beating Denver and New England every single time we meet would be just fantastic as far as I'm concerned. I would happily let Oakland have a game now and then in exchange for that, no problem. [Reply]
I've been to a lot of watch parties for other teams in LA. The Steelers ones are pretty bad. You'd think they would be the worst or the Raiders. But it isn't so.
For some reason there's this huge group of Baltimore Ravens fans here. They SUUUUUUCK. Imagine 150 skinny trashed idiots in head to toe purple Mardi Gras wanna be outfits with capes and beads running around the bar flapping their arms and going
"CAWWWWW!!!' at the top of their lungs.
There's always a fight. There's alway like ten people who get kicked out for being too drunk. Baltimore fucking sucks.
Also Maryland basketball fans are exactly the same. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Kiimosabi:
I've been to a lot of watch parties for other teams in LA. The Steelers ones are pretty bad. You'd think they would be the worst or the Raiders. But it isn't so.
For some reason there's this huge group of Baltimore Ravens fans here. They SUUUUUUCK. Imagine 150 skinny trashed idiots in head to toe purple Mardi Gras wanna be outfits with capes and beads running around the bar flapping their arms and going
"CAWWWWW!!!' at the top of their lungs.
There's always a fight. There's alway like ten people who get kicked out for being too drunk. Baltimore ****ing sucks.
Also Maryland basketball fans are exactly the same.
Bottom line:Patrick Mahomes is the Tiger Woods of the NFL without the off field personal drama. And right now all of the NFL fanbase love this kid and after he beats Tom Brady and then wins SB LIII then all of America will fall in love with this kid.:-)
Because this kid is sooooo much fun to watch and he is mature and humble beyond his years, don't be surprised if the Chiefs have a Cubs like following of the Chiefs coming from the rest of the nation because of Patrick Mahomes. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Kiimosabi:
I've been to a lot of watch parties for other teams in LA. The Steelers ones are pretty bad. You'd think they would be the worst or the Raiders. But it isn't so.
For some reason there's this huge group of Baltimore Ravens fans here. They SUUUUUUCK. Imagine 150 skinny trashed idiots in head to toe purple Mardi Gras wanna be outfits with capes and beads running around the bar flapping their arms and going
"CAWWWWW!!!' at the top of their lungs.
There's always a fight. There's alway like ten people who get kicked out for being too drunk. Baltimore fucking sucks.
Also Maryland basketball fans are exactly the same.
Originally Posted by Chiefshrink: Bottom line:Patrick Mahomes is the Tiger Woods of the NFL without the off field personal drama. And right now all of the NFL fanbase love this kid and after he beats Tom Brady and then wins SB LIII then all of America will fall in love with this kid.:-)
Because this kid is sooooo much fun to watch and he is mature and humble beyond his years, don't be surprised if the Chiefs have a Cubs like following of the Chiefs coming from the rest of the nation because of Patrick Mahomes.
I'll take this. True, too. On every count. :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Hate:
I thought they came here to warn you about the evils of Herm? Doesn't that deserve a "thank you"?
They didn't come here sincerely to warn us about the evils of Herm. They came here to laugh at us, under the guise of warning us about the evils of Herm. It was the most patronizing, passive-aggressive BS I've ever read on an Internet message board. It was literally the worst time ever here. Possibly the Alex Wars of the last few years were worse, but I was vacationing in Switzerland for a lot of that.
Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Hate:
I mean, I'd rather hear that than how "grateful" I'm supposed to be for picking up three Belicunt cast-offs?
It was really only two. Haley wasn't a cast-off from New England and with the Arizona thing, a lot of us were actually hopeful. Yeah, the Patriot fans were kind of annoying and patronizing but you have to remember, after the 2 years of Herm, a lot of us thought Pioli was the freaking 2nd coming! [Reply]
