I have been a football fan since high school. Over the years Kansas City has had its ups and down with its NFL team, the Chiefs. For the last few years, it has been mostly downs. For various reasons, today was the first home game I've attended for the last two Chiefs' seasons. I was anxious to see the not-yet completed stadium renovation and had hopes that the game, played against last year's Super Bowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers, would not be a lopsided Pittsburgh blowout.
The stadium scoreboard graphics get wilder and wilder each year. The introduction (with very LOUD music) features robotic "transformer" Chiefs this year.
The once proud Arrowhead stadium used to rock on Sundays. The stands were filled with 77,000+ rabid Chiefs' fans. The tip of one of the Arrowheads, way up where the air is thin, was reserved for the few opposing fans who happened to be brave enough to venture into Arrowhead.
Today, however, was far different. The stands. about 20 per cent empty, were filled with probably 25 per cent Pittsburgh fans, decked out in their yellow and black, waving their yellow towels. All in all, most Kansas City fans are true midwesterners and cordial to opponents (not like the Buffalo Bills fans who pelted us with snowballs when we travelled to Buffalo for a playoff game many years ago - when the Chiefs were good and Joe Montana played for us).
I've been in this situation before when we've travelled to away Chiefs games and the stands were half full of our Chiefs' red and gold. It's a pitiful reflection on a local team when the opposing fans take over.
We were able to take some wind out of the Pittsburgh fans' sails by running the opening kick-off back for a touchdown. Warpaint the horse has made his reappearance to celebrate Chiefs' scores. He was always a fan favorite in the 60s and 70's - although now the horse is ridden by a buxom horse woman and not a pretend Indian Chief in full war headdress.
Our usually hapless Chiefs pulled it out in overtime, making the day a success with the star player a former college walk-on at a Division 3 college.
Go Chiefs!
No comments:
Post a Comment