How the Chiefs became the NFL's villains
Familiarity breeds contempt as the dynasty Kansas City Chiefs have become the anti-heroes of pro football in America, sparking support for the Buffalo Bills to stop the ever-defending AFC Championship champions on Sunday.
The odds on the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs appearing in their fifth championship game in six seasons are slightly better than 50-50, much to the chagrin of fans across the country.
Judging by social media content and sports talk calls, many football diehards would like to see someone other than Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and his girlfriend Taylor Swift in action Party in New Orleans on February 9th.
“People are just tired of the Kansas City Chiefs,” University of New Haven sports management professor Rob Holub told NBC News. He recalled a time not so long ago when the Chiefs were an inspiring Cinderella story in their own right.
“America always wants a loser and always wants a new loser,” Holub said.
The Chiefs will host the Bills in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday at 6:30 pm ET, winning by 1 1/2 points to advance to the Super Bowl.
There are many reasons why American sports fans are keen to see new faces in the NFL championship game, whether real or imagined.
Been there, done that
The Chiefs are now firmly in the evil heel position, long occupied by the New England Patriots and their all-time great quarterback Tom Brady.
Americans have long complained about sports sequels. There was a time when the NBA Finals used to be the exclusive domain of Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors and LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite this supposed disdain that Americans have for the Chiefs, there seem to be a lot of eyes on them every Super Bowl.
“It's 'Here comes another dynasty. Do we really need another dynasty?'” said Daniel Green, director of Carnegie Mellon University's entertainment industry management master's program.
“But it's always fascinating to watch teams play. I'm sure Fox (this year's Super Bowl broadcaster) wanted the Chiefs to be on board because the storylines are so great,” Green said.
The 2019 Super Bowl drew 98.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen estimates, with the New England Patriots defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.
Three of the four big games Kansas City has been involved in since 2019 not only exceeded that number but broke records.
Last year, Kansas City's Super Bowl on CBS drew 123.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched telecast in history. They had 115 million viewers on Fox in 2023, 95.8 million viewers on CBS in 2021, and 102 million viewers on Fox in 2020.
“I watch a lot of sports talk shows where they talk about the Chiefs like they're like the new Dallas Cowboys. America has a love-hate relationship with the Chiefs,” said avid football fan, former U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman said. The fan has never been shy about sharing his rugby opinions on social media.
“They've got Taylor Swift, and in the last one, they've got Caitlyn Clark. They're just what's popular right now. When you get on X, I dare say that's the loser Twitter that will never be cool Where the gang is. Now, the Chiefs are the team they love to hate.”
Obviously, Kansas City has it figured out, right?
NFL conspiracy theorists have long believed that friends of the Chiefs wear black and white every Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers fans are still smarting from Mahomes' game-changing pass to Tyreek Hill in the fourth quarter of the 2020 Super Bowl. Niners pass rusher Nick Bosa appeared to be caught and prevented from taking a sack that could have put the game on the line for San Francisco.
To a rational, dispassionate observer, the Chiefs' lack of flags may simply be the result of Kansas City's superior talent. Missing out on Bosa's possession was just one of luck for the Chiefs, who still need to make several other key plays to complete Super Bowl LIV.
Bowman, a former college football player turned lawmaker, said he has no problem with the Chiefs getting some benefit from the Zebras.
“They actually earned some calls because they were so good,” Bowman said. “I'm saying some, not all, because I seemed to have some egregious calls (for Kansas City). But no, they've earned that right.”
But interestingly, the Chiefs have appeared in 17 playoff games since the formation of the Kansas City dynasty in the fall of 2019. In 14 of those games, the opposing team was given more penalty yards. There were 13 more yellow flags against KC opponents, including one draw.
The penalty imbalance has been particularly severe in KC's past 11 playoff games, with Chiefs opponents being hit by flags 10 times, including one tie. In 10 of those 11 games, KC opponents allowed more penalty yards.
“Yes, these data — these data don’t help (dispel conspiracy theories),” said Nicolette Aduma, senior associate director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society at Northeastern University in Boston.
“I mean, then we can have the NFL push back on them, but I don't know if they feel like that's their burden.”
Even football is not immune to political tribalism
In this era of heated 50-50 politics, it's hard to find a common goal that both liberals and conservatives can agree to dislike.
Yet the Chiefs found a way to draw nearly equal amounts of hate from both sides.
For die-hard supporters of President Donald Trump, the Chiefs are the ultimate symbol of liberal elitism, with Democratic-leaning Swift leading the pack and her pro-vaccine boyfriend Kelce not far behind.
The Chiefs aren't friends with die-hard liberals either, with Kansas City fans booing racial unity, ultra-conservative Harrison Butker kicking a field goal and clearly supporting MAGA's Brittany Mahomes (Brittany Mahomes) cheered.
“You'll hear, 'Oh, we just need to go back to the political football league and get rid of it,'” Aduma said. “Then we have this politically charged group.”
The contrasting political forces within the Chiefs' current have a real impact on keeping the team front and center in the public debate. This is good for profitability.
“It gets the conversation going, and then it gets the meme engine going, it gets all the algorithms going, and then magically, the Chiefs are the No. 1 search thing again,” Holub said.
Green said there was another era when players' political leanings were largely ignored.
“Because of the immediacy of media today, it's hard not to politicize things that we wouldn't even mention 20 years ago,” Green said. “I think everything seems to be viewed through the lens of identity politics, for better or worse.”
Buffalo Bills, America's Sweethearts – For Now
In the factional world of professional sports, it can be difficult to find a team that enjoys widespread sympathy and support.
If there was such a unicorn franchise, it might be the “Wide Right” Bills.
Buffalo is currently one of 12 teams in the NFL that have never won a Super Bowl. No one has lost more Super Bowls than the Bills and Minnesota Vikings, four combined.
Buffalo's most famous championship game loss came on Jan. 27, 1991, when Scott Norwood kicked a 47-yard field goal to the right side of the goal that would have won Super Bowl XXV Contest.
But led by superstar quarterback Josh Allen, Buffalo has rebuilt itself and emerged from the NFL wilderness to become one of the league's best teams and a perennial playoff contender.
But there's only one nagging little detail that's keeping the Bills from achieving full Super Bowl redemption — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs have defeated the Bills in all three playoff battles during the Mahomes era. When they met in the playoffs last year, Kansas City won 27-24 at Orchard Park, but Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard punt late in regulation.
Yes, Buzz's boots are on the right track.
Holub, a lecturer at the University of New Haven, said Buffalo is clearly the most emotionally popular city in America right now — though that lovable loser label may be fleeting.
“You know, once the Bills win, if the Bills win two or three more times (in the Super Bowl), we never want the Bills to win again,” Holub said with a laugh. “I think 'fickle' is a great word. We always want something new and shiny, and every time there's a new, shiny underdog.”