Writer’s Block
By author
Chiefs fans and Arrowhead Addicts, I have to admit, the off season is rough. Looking at a blank computer screen every week with no games, no free agency, and the upcoming draft that is so overly covered because of the lack of free agency does not leave much for a writer to write about. I guess I could write about the lockout again, but to be honest, I’m tired of arguing with my friends on this site about the issue. It boils down to the whole Republican/Democrat argument over and over again which makes me hate turning on the television, so I think I am officially done with it. I hate politics. If you read my posts, or any of my comments I feel that my point of view is out there and to keep repeating myself like Trent Dilfer does with his takes on ESPN fourteen times after every Monday Night Football game is not only horribly redundant but a waste of your time.
A few months ago I went through my attic and found a box labeled “Scott’s Chiefs Stuff” in a forgotten corner and pulled it down to look through it. Inside I found a treasure trove of things from me and my family’s Kansas City Chiefs loving past that really put a lot in perspective for me. Inside there were pennants marked in pencil “Chiefs win Super Bowl” and others with Joe Montana’s goofy face and head two times larger than they should be. Inside there were two Steve Bono jerseys that I couldn’t wear now even if I wanted to. Any idea how hard it must have been for my mom to find two Steve Bono jerseys in kid’s sizes in Albuquerque, NM for me and my brother? Inside there were old shirts and hats, red ponchos and gloves. With this wave of memories and history coming over me I came to a realization.
The reasons that I love the Chiefs really have nothing to do with the game of football or the Chiefs organization. I find reasons to make them seem special to me: The Chiefs were started by Lamar Hunt who was pivotal in creating the NFL we see today, I think the Chiefs colors are the best out of any team, Arrowhead is the best stadium in the NFL, etc. Really though what it boils down to is that the Chiefs connect me to my family, friends, and now after several months to the writers and readers of this site. The KC Red and Gold are a tradition passed down from my grandparents, to my parents, to me, and to my children when/if I have/find them.
Recently I have been very aggravated with the Chiefs and NFL in general, and I still hold to my petition to boycott if there are lost games, but thinking back to that day in the attic where I found not just a box of my brother’s things but three generations of Rodgers/Vogel memorabilia made me realize that although football may not continue, football was not really the point at all. The Chiefs and NFL are merely a vehicle to help us connect to each other and find common ground to help maintain old relationships and build new ones. I love the Chiefs, I always have and always will. I do not love them for their savvy business dealings or championships though (good thing, they do not have a lot of either). I love them because they connect me to my family, my friends, the city I hail from, and further enrich my life by allowing me to meet new folks such as the fine people I get to converse with here on Arrowhead Addict.
I know this turned a little soggy towards the end, but really why do we love football? More often than not it was something we could do with the old man on Sundays. It is an excuse to go to the bar and drink crazy amounts of alcohol with the friends the women in your life hate. When we think about the reasons we love the Chiefs and love football, the entire shit storm going on at least for me seems farther away.
When I think about the great football moments I think about who I was with. I saw Dante Hall run back a kickoff return and a punt return for touchdowns in the same game for the first time in NFL history against the Rams because my brother got us club level tickets for my Christmas present. I remember me, my mom, my dad, and my brother all going berserk when Montana pulled it out against Elway in Mile High for the first Chiefs victory there in over a decade. If I had been by myself for those moments, they would be meaningless to me.
That’s all for now Chiefs fans and Arrowhead Addicts. Feel free to share any thoughts or comments along with any great memories you have of our favorite team. Also, feel free to sign my petition to boycott the NFL at the link below.