Once the plucky underdog, Chiefs have now become Goliath

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs were once the loveable NFL underdogs, led by the good-natured coach who couldn't win the big one, the plucky quarterback with the Kermit the Frog-like voice and the superstar tight end with charisma to spare. Five years after their first trip to the Super Bowl in five decades, though, things have changed. As the Chiefs prepare to face the Eagles on Sunday in New Orleans with an opportunity to win their record third consecutive Lombardi Trophy, football fans are seeing Andy Reid's bushy mustache popping up on TV commercials. They are hearing Patrick Mahomes' voice seemingly everywhere. And Travis Kelce? He's only dating the biggest pop star on the planet. All of that and more has contributed to a profound sense of Chiefs fatigue that has turned many NFL fans against them. "Chiefs fatigue was inevitable," explained Mike Lewis, author of "Fandom Analytics" and a professor of marketing at Emory University. "Pre-Mahomes, the Chiefs were an afterthought of a team — a small-market team was never a consistent winner. As the Chiefs grew into a dynasty, they became rivals to multiple teams, adversaries to overcome. "In 2025, the Chiefs are perhaps the main rivals for the Ravens, Steelers, Eagles, Chargers and any other team that aspires to championships. Now, the Chiefs are the team that prevents other fandoms from reaching the promised land." Indeed, the Chiefs have long been the rivals of the Raiders and Broncos, who play in the same division. But that team tucked away in Middle America also has become the biggest thorn in the side of the Bengals, whom they've played in consecutive AFC title games, and the Bills, whose season they have ended in four of the past five years. Including this one. Kansas City once again denied a Buffalo a spot in the Super Bowl with a 32-29 win in the AFC title game. "Fandom, at a fundamental level, is about identity. Being a fan is being part of community," Lewis said. "When an NFL fan's team wins, he wins. Likewise, when his team loses, he loses. All dynasties inspire fatigue and good-natured hate because it is tiring to lose to the same guys over and over." In that respect, Lewis said, the Chiefs have taken on the role that the Patriots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady held for more two decades — another once-floundering franchise that found the right mix of coach and quarterback and became a dynasty. "If you're a Pittsburgh fan and it's 10 years ago, and the Chiefs are floundering and they have a good year here or there, it's easy to be like, 'I kind of like the Chiefs too,' because they don't threaten your team," said Dr. Dan Wann, who teaches psychology and studies fandom at Murray State University. "When that team gets successful and passes you," Wann said, "it goes from, 'Oh, isn't that cute?' to 'They beat our (butt) again.' It changes the perspective. Think of the Cubs. They were the loveable losers, and then they started winning." Mahomes and Kelce are the most visible members of the most successful franchise in the NFL, so of course they hear what fans say about them, especially when the quarterback and tight end team up for celebrity golf tournaments and other events. They have their share of fans. Everyone still wants their photo or autograph. But they also hear plenty from the detractors. "I try not to listen to it too much," Mahomes said. "I try to to embrace who we have in this locker room, the personalities and how we enjoy playing football, and I believe if we play football the right way and compete, I'll always have my guys' backs." Even when conspiracy theorists claim that NFL officials are calling games so that Kansas City will win. That was one of the prevailing storylines from the AFC title game, though almost every data point — whether it be number of penalties, penalty yardage or the time in the game in which the flags flew — proved the exact opposite. Still, there were several Chiefs players, including linebacker Drue Tranquill, who spoke out against the perceived favoritism on social media. "Yeah, I don't care," Reid said of the conspiracies, quite matter-of-factly. "I don't get into that. I don't use it with the guys." Nevertheless, all those detractors seem to have galvanized the Chiefs, just as they have their fan base. Take the Kansas City-based streetwear brand Made Mobb, which sells a line of shirts and hoodies in Chiefs colors that read simply: "Villains." Another apparel company, Charlie Hustle, has shirts that read: "Kansas City Versus The World." Turn on the TV and there is Reid, chowing down on "chicken nuggies" or drawing up the "bundlerooskie" for insurance company State Farm. Or Mahomes, pitching Subway sandwiches, watching TV with the Coors Light bear or slinging a ball around the field in his Oakley sunglasses. Or Kelce, hosting game shows and dropping in on "Saturday Night Live." None of which is surprising when you consider that a study by digital marketing agency Hennessey Digital late last year found that Kelce was the NFL's most marketable player. Mahomes was right behind his good buddy at No. 2. It's all fun for Chiefs fans, who are rightfully proud of their own. It's oversaturation for fans of other NFL franchises. "Athletes and other entertainers need to be wary, every time you turn around, there they are. It can start to grate on peoples' nerves," Wann said. "People are going to be like, 'Oh, my gosh. Them again?' A good example is the Yankees. They are always the Saturday game of the week, and people get tired of it. I don't know if it's jealousy or too much of a good thing." Maybe a little bit of both. Some of that oversaturation is a byproduct of Kelce's relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, which has created thousands if not millions of new Chiefs fans, but which also has alienated other NFL fans. Over the past 18 months, they've grown weary of game broadcasts constantly showing Swift in stadium suites, often with celebrity pals such as WNBA star Caitlin Clark. At least, that's their perception. The reality is Swift had 54 seconds of screen time during the CBS broadcast of last year's Super Bowl, when the Chiefs rallied to beat San Francisco in overtime. The entire broadcast lasted 4 hours, 8 minutes. "These guys bring ratings and impressions," Lewis said, "but to other fandoms, it feels like rivals are tormenting them. Not only do they regularly lose to Mahomes, but they also have to see him and hear his 'non-traditional' voice in ad after ad. Kelce is the future Hall of Famer with movie star looks and is dating Taylor Swift. No fan wants to see their rivals living this well. "Taylor is part of the story as well," Lewis added. "She brings Swifties and anti-Swifties." They in turn become pro-Chiefs and anti-Chiefs. There are plenty of the former. There are becoming more and more of the latter. "Look, we love to see people on top fall, right? That's one thing we know from sports fan research," Wann said. "We love to see these people on top crumble and get theirs, and now they're down here with the rest of us losers. So you can get that at a team level. Everybody loves a championship story. But then you're like, 'You got to be kidding me. They're winning again.'"