The Arrowhead Experience: A Journey To The Heart Of Chiefs Kingdom

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

There was something special about walking in to Arrowhead Stadium last night.

In started on the drive in. While waiting in traffic I looked around and all I could see was cars full of Chiefs fans. Sure, the occasional Packers van would drive by—Packers fans are known for being great travelers—but an easy nine out of ten cars were representing the Chiefs.

These were not your run of the mill fans either. I looked out the window and saw cars filled with five or six people all wearing jerseys. Whole families decked out, pumped up to watch preseason football, of all things.

I saw old people and young people, and just about everybody had a smile on their face and looked excited.

That continued into the parking lot, where the tailgating lived up to the expectations.

Nay, it wasn’t your average tailgate, so tailgating may not even be the right word to use for Arrowhead. It was a celebration.

It was a celebration of football, and specifically Chiefs football.

I’ll never forget walking through the parking lot as Arrowhead loomed in the distance. The sun was setting and it cast a beautiful orange-red light that silhouetted the massive stadium and everything around it.

At that moment I undoubtedly knew that I had entered the heart Chiefs Kingdom.

For as breath-taking as the walk in was, there’s always something about that first time you walk through the stairwell tunnel to find your seat.

I was in upper 300 deck, which means that as soon as you entered the stadium you could see everything. It was like standing on top of a cliff and looking out at the beauties of nature.

I could see the sea of red, and it was brilliant. Above me, the open sky was quickly darkening, but it just made the field seem to glow brighter as every passing second went on.

I could smell football in the air, and I watched as Chiefs fans cheered at the edge of their seat as if every play truly mattered. This was the fourth game of the preseason, but they were cheering as if it was the final moments of the Super Bowl.

That’s when I realized, in Chiefs Kingdom, every play does really matter.

When I first took the job as editor here at Arrowhead Addict I heard all about you, the Chiefs fans, and just how great you truly are.

I heard how knowledgable, passionate and loyal you are, and you’ve proved that to me over the weeks as I’ve given you my thoughts and you responded.

Nothing had prepared me for  walking into that stadium though, and it’s a moment that I’ll never really forget.

They say you can learn a lot about people by watching them in their natural habitat. I went to Arrowhead last night and I learned a lot about all of you.

I now understand the addiction.

It was more than a football game, it was a football experience.