Kansas City Marks The Rise of a New Evil Empire
Travis Kelce is one of the main figures of the Chiefs, garnering attention from both fans and haters of the team. Photo by All-Pro Reels via Flickr
For over 20 years, fans of the National Football League were tormented by the evil dynasty of the New England Patriots. During their reign as the league's premier team, they won six Super Bowls, 16 division championships and eight conference championships.
Whether it was through sketchy officiating, late-game comebacks, the greatest quarterback of all time or even numerous scandals, the New England Patriots always found a way to come out victorious.
In January 2020, Tom Brady threw his last pass as a New England Patriot. A game-ending pick-six ended the Patriots’ season in the wild-card round. It marked the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Patriots did not make it to the AFC championship game.
For many, it signaled a new era in the NFL. For the first time in over 20 years, many fanbases felt their team's chances to win the Super Bowl had greatly increased now that the Patriots dynasty had ended. Little did fans know that the same season the Patriots dynasty ended, a new one in Kansas City had begun.
Led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and future hall-of-fame tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs have competed in four of the last five Super Bowls, winning three of them.
The Chiefs have quickly become a common enemy for many NFL fanbases for many reasons.
Recently, there have been many debates about whether or not the refs favor the Chiefs in close games. Many questionable late-game calls have frustrated NFL fans.
“They are the fakest 11-1 team I've ever seen,” said Joe Nasser ‘27. “I have seen opposing teams get three consecutive illegal formation penalties in a row, which is just ridiculous.”
The Chiefs' hate reached new heights during the 2023 season when Kelce and pop star Taylor Swift made their relationship public.
Since the relationship went public, many Swift fans have begun paying more attention to football, bringing in a new audience and boosting NFL ratings.
Many longtime NFL fans became frustrated with the mega-pop star's TV exposure and felt it detracted from the game.
“It was all a money-making scheme,” said Joshua Griffith ‘27. “Although, it has been much better this year because the hype has sort of died down.”
While many fans hated the constant Swift coverage by the NFL, others felt that it was not a big deal and that people were being dramatic.
“It’s not her fault,” said Jamie Parrotta ‘27. “Everyone just started hating her when all she was trying to do was support her boyfriend like anyone else would.”
The addition of Swift to the Chiefs fan base put an even bigger spotlight on the team and turned many of its stars, such as Mahomes, Kelce and even head coach Andy Reid, into household names.
Because the Chiefs stars have become household names, many corporations have paid them to appear in commercials for companies such as State Farm, Subway and T-Mobile.
“It just feels like overkill at this point,” said Kyle Wurtzel ‘27. “I just feel like there are so many other players in the NFL who could be getting recognition instead of the same guys every time.”
Despite many flaws in the team's plays, the Chiefs hold a 12-1 record and are tied for the best record in the NFL.
After a narrow win on Black Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Reid admitted that the team has struggled to protect Mahomes.
"Pat took a few hits there, so we were struggling at times," Reid said. "I’ll tell you that it's disruptive to any offense if the quarterback’s getting hit and not able to get the ball off. So, that can be a problem. You got to do better than what we did there."
It is these glaring weaknesses that make fans so frustrated when they look at the records.
“They are awful for 90% of the game, and yet when the fourth quarter ends, they always win the game,” said lifelong Baltimore Ravens fan Jack Schaller ‘27. “The Ravens look better in every aspect and yet we have lost four more games.”
The Chiefs have four more regular-season games against the Browns, Texans, Steelers and Broncos. They look to finish strong and secure the number one seed in the AFC.