Kansas City Mayor says ‘classic’ parade ‘won’t happen’ if Chiefs win

Inside, we all likely knew that a potential second championship run for the Kansas City Chiefs would feel a bit different. After all, nothing can compare to the exhilaration of winning a Super Bowl after 50 seasons—an epic exhale of finally climbing to the summit of the NFL after decades of futility or failed attempts.

As the Chiefs stand among the NFL’s final four teams and prepare to host the Buffalo Bills for the AFC Championship at Arrowhead Stadium, local officials are mindful about what another Super Bowl celebration could resemble just one year after the last championship parade. This time around, K.C. Mayor Quinton Lucas says the festivities will look a lot different—and that’s not just because it’s the second such win in a row.

Given the ongoing threat of the coronavirus and current COVID-19 protocols in place, holding a parade “in a classic sense,” says Lucas, is not possible. During a recent press briefing, Lucas spoke about the importance of listening to public health officials before making plans and used a potential Super Bowl parade as an example.

"“A Chiefs parade in a classic sense as we knew it is highly unlikely and it won’t happen, but there will be different ways that we come up with to try and celebrate. Those are the sorts of things that I think I have learned—making sure you listen first, that we become incredibly creative, and I think as we’ve seen from our ability to have conversations now, from our ability to safely re-open a number of schools among other things, that we are learning how we are being creative listening to advice but also wearing masks and keeping people as safe as we can.”"

Of course, the Chiefs have to actually win two more games for any of these plans to matter, and nothing should be assumed given how tough the remaining contenders all look—including the Bills, the Green Bay Packers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, if a city doesn’t begin to plan well ahead of time, then such events—or other creative ventures like them—aren’t able to be pulled off.

While Kansas City officials figure out how they can celebrate responsibly, the Chiefs will go ahead and focus on what they can control—preparing for the Bills on Sunday evening. Both teams will face off at 5:40 C.T. on Sunday, Jan. 24.