The Kansas City Chiefs give us something to be thankful for

In these trying times, Jordan Mannix is thankful for the Chiefs recent success.

I’ve been struggling a bit with what to write recently. The constant malaise brought on by the world’s struggle with the coronavirus has left me feeling unenthusiastic and lacking creativity. I’ve found myself enjoying things less each day, even those things that usually bring me great joy. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m extremely lucky. It’s just been more difficult lately to stay positive; I’m sure there are a number of you that feel the same way.

Interestingly enough, when I begin to feel this way, even before the most recent events, I would try to sit back and reminisce on some of the most fun experiences I’ve had in my life. I’ve always found this to be extremely helpful, for as long as I can remember.

Lately, those fun experiences I’ve relived include the Kansas City Chiefs 2019 season. Just today I was sitting at my desk, from which I have worked remotely the last nine weeks, and took some time away to watch one of my favorite highlight videos. This video chronicles the Kansas City Chiefs victory in Super Bowl LIV and includes intimate moments of both Chiefs fans’ misery and their elation.

I’ve always found these types videos to be emotionally provocative. A recent video chronicling the Minneapolis Miracle comes to mind. It’s moving to see something as simple as the game of football bring such great joy to people—to see fans both young and old, some who have waited years and some who have waited half a century for a champion, finally witness one complete the ultimate objective.

As Kansas City Chiefs fans, we don’t have a long history of winning. We actually have a long history of heartbreak, but the saying goes: “joy wouldn’t feel so good if it weren’t for pain.” The elation we feel in Chiefs Kingdom, one we can relive for years and years, wouldn’t be so intense if we hadn’t endured the mediocrity.

I can only imagine what the fans from the ’60s and ’70s must feel looking back on this season. The past couple generations of Kansas City Chiefs fans thought they had it rough, but early generations of fans endured 50 seasons of heartbreak and downright mediocrity. The weight of joy and happiness those people must feel, I admit, makes me a bit envious in a way.

All this to say, I’m thankful to be a Chiefs fan. While there are things in life much more important than sports, it is still a blessing. In the 20 years or so that I’ve been religiously following the team, there have been objectively more rough times than good times, but it’s those rough times that make the good times so sweet. Now that our favorite team has finally reached the pinnacle, it looks like those good times are just beginning.