Perception of the Chiefs outside of KC among football fans.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

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.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

It's doubled since last year. You WILL see someone rocking Chiefs swag on their car or person at least once a week now. We still haven't won the "Walmart war", but one Super Bowl victory will clear that up real fast.

[FlaChief58]

Been getting really good comments from everyone except cheatriots fan. All they can do is give me the "yeah well, how many rings does he have" shtick. They know their dynasty is coming to an end and this league is about to belong to Pat and the Chiefs.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Flachief58

Been getting really good comments from everyone except cheatriots fan. All they can do is give me the "yeah well, how many rings does he have" shtick. They know their dynasty is coming to an end and this league is about to belong to Pat and the Chiefs.

The thing I'm looking forward to most is the undefeated season that Tommy Bitch couldn't quite swing. That'll shut those ****s up real quick.

[bobbything]

Few things would bring me much more joy than a piddly-ass, small market team dominating for the next decade. It would be absolutely delicious.

We got a small taste of it in 14-15 with the Royals. I want more. MOAR!!

[FlaChief58]

Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Hate

The thing I'm looking forward to most is the undefeated season that Tommy Bitch couldn't quite swing. That'll shut those ****s up real quick.

I think this team has the firepower to do just that.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Flachief58

I think this team has the firepower to do just that.

That's my final team record for the year. This year. Right now.

[jettio]

Originally Posted by DJay23

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.

You are close to Brett Veach's hometown, Mt. Carmel. I think Henry Hynoski's father is from Mt. Carmel and had briefer NFL career than his son.

Mt. Carmel is my father's hometown, so I figure Brett Veach is supposed to be the GM when Chiefs get some trophies.

Tell those kids that Brett Veach is from Anthracite Region and they need to be inspired by that and get with it.

[scho63]

PM:

AM:



PM = Pre Mahomes
AM = After Mahomes

[Tribal Warfare]

PMII is getting the golden boy treatment by the refs according to the common opinion of the casual and rival fanbase

When I read that on Twitter, I LOL'd

[Ubeja Vontell]

A freak throwing to a 4x1 relay team.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Flachief58

Been getting really good comments from everyone except cheatriots fan. All they can do is give me the "yeah well, how many rings does he have" shtick. They know their dynasty is coming to an end and this league is about to belong to Pat and the Chiefs.

Id still take Dan Marino over Tom lockslipswithkids Brady. Tom has had the luxury of one of the best Olines and defenses Dan Marino never had.

[KC_Lee]

Originally Posted by Flachief58

Been getting really good comments from everyone except cheatriots fan. All they can do is give me the "yeah well, how many rings does he have" shtick. They know their dynasty is coming to an end and this league is about to belong to Pat and the Chiefs.

I counter that question with my own; "How many draft picks have the Pats lost because of cheating?"

Tends to end the convo quickly.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

PMII is getting the golden boy treatment by the refs according to the common opinion of the casual and rival fanbase

When I read that on Twitter, I LOL'd

I don’t see it. Defenses still getting away with some cheap hits on Mahomes that would never be allowed with Brady/Peyton/Brees, etc.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by DRM08

I don’t see it. Defenses still getting away with some cheap hits on Mahomes that would never be allowed with Brady/Peyton/Brees, etc.

I think that pretty much every fanbase thinks their team gets shafted on calls. We certainly benefited from at least one questionable holding call last week, and the optics of a flag getting thrown on the horse caller tackle on Patrick only after he is sitting there and griping at the ref looked very Peyton-esque (even though the call was clearly correct).

I personally don't think there's much bias one way or the other, but I understand why people see it that way.

[notorious]

We are going to be the most hated fanbase in the NFL after the Chiefs win a few Superbowls.

We have developed some sick tendencies coping with failure for decades. It's going to be horrifying seeing that combined with dominating success.