A generational curse—hailing from Buffalo in the ’60s, my dad doomed future generations of the Gullett family for generations by burdening us with the weight of cheering for the Buffalo Bills. Long before I was born the Bills set the record for most consecutive Super Bowl Appearances (four) and unfortunately the most consecutive Super Bowl losses (four) to go with it. Then, for two decades my beloved franchise was haunted not only by our inadequacy but the dominance of the second most hated football team in league history; Tom Brady’s Patriot dynasty. Just as the long-suffering city of Buffalo began to find hope in the savior of the franchise in Josh Allen it has dawned on us as well as the rest of the league that a new detestable power is rising in the Midwest: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. What makes them so infuriating, and do they have what it takes to torture the league for two decades like Brady did?
As technology advances the average fan is given a more and more precise look into the play-by-play field view cameras. Oftentimes they have a better view of the game and its controversial plays than the refs do, leading to bad calls. However, this is no excuse for the absurdity of the ref’s favoritism toward the Chiefs. Too often during important or even irrelevant games KC receives the benefit of a no-call or even a flag after a bad play that can save the drive. One of the most obvious examples of this was in week four against the Jets when Mahomes made a costly throw late in the game to give the Jets hope- that is until a flag was thrown seemingly as soon as Jets corner Michael Carter II secured the pick. Not to mention the terrible no-call on the blatant pass interference during the AFC championship against the Ravens that led to an interception, giving the ball back to Mahomes. Fans of every team who have played the Chiefs in the last three years all have horror stories like this.
Aside from favoritism from the officials and league that is clear as day, the Chiefs simply are as unlikeable as it gets. Whether it’s Brittany or Jackson Mahomes, or Taylor Swift being shown after seemingly every single play, it’s almost painful to watch Kansas City games anymore. Brittany and Jackson Mahomes specifically are at fault for the masses of America rooting against Kansas City with blunders like dancing on top of the late legend Sean Taylor’s memorial, throwing drinks on fans, trouble with the law, and a general sense of entitlement/superiority. Although it has been a quiet front so far this year, NFL fans can’t help but resent the pair because of the trouble they caused in prior years. Perhaps this silence from the two terrors is in part because Jackson Mahomes is fighting serious legal allegations. It’s simply not possible to happily put up with the antics of an immature child in a grown man’s body like that.
Not to mention, from the moment that All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and superstar singer Taylor Swift have gone public, the NFL has done nothing but put the focus on the famous musician. Now, instead of getting to watch football as one might expect, color commentators and social media accounts the likes of ESPN and Sportscenter are more fixated on recording Taylor Swift. First down Travis Kelce- Taylor Swift shot. Pacheco tackled for loss- Taylor Swift shot. Mecole Hardman punt return- Taylor Swift shot. Even a Jason Kelce play is liable to get chased by the most recent clip of Taylor just trying to watch a football game. Is she not sick of it yet too? It’s downright brain rot to watch and the NFL faithful got sick of it after about week four. Yet the NFL doesn’t seem to care, at the expense of the watching experience of loyal fans, networks were trying to reel in the millions of Swifties who just wanted to get a glimpse of their new occult obsession, Travis Kelce.
Although many may not like the Chiefs because they win a lot, it’s one thing to win with grace and then stay out of the media in the offseason like those of the Patriots Dynasty. It’s another matter altogether to win week in and week out and after the game(s) social media is flooded with simply ignorant clips of snotty Chiefs royalty. The Patriots up to this point were the most despised team/dynasty of all time simply for continued dominance and help from the refs now and again. However, it’s hard to envision a world where the Chiefs don’t overtake the 20 years of aversion towards the Patriots in a matter of only seven. Take that in, seven years of hate far exceeding two decades—if not downright sad, all in all, it’s impressive the level of resentment garnered by Mahomes and the Big Red.
