"I feel guilty rooting for the Chiefs. They’re SO good. I’ve never actively rooted for a team that good."
There's something very disturbing about his kind of attitude. And I've seen it so many times. It seems like the kind of mind-set you need to have if "your team" is playing in a sport where there is literally no chance of winning a championship under the current situation. There and the Haves and the Have Nots and your team [for whatever reasons: market size + league revenue sharing rules + owner attitude] is a Have Not. So you have to come up with a reason to keep being a fan anyway. One solution: revel in the misery, wallow in it. Oh no, another terrible draft, and more key players are injured, truly we are cursed! But we are cursed TOGETHER, as fans of this loser team ...
I've seen it. I've lived it. But it's sad, and kind of WRONG.
Sometimes the fates align, and your team winds up with Joe Burrow, and your team gets to rise to the almost-top anyway. I bet plenty of Bengals fans feel very odd, now that they are suddenly able to root for a winner. But probably not "guilty". Because, yes, it's different if you are suddenly adopting a team you didn't grow up rooting for. Even with a few very real connections to KC, it's natural to feel a little bandwagon-y to make them Your Main Team at this point in their greatness.
Happy that you have so much confidence in the Chiefs; they seem to be playing to the level of their opponents however, which is, of course, concerning since they are playing a lot of losing teams - ie, one-win Houston took the Chiefs to overtime. My friend Bud, who wears a heart monitor to let him know when his HR is elevating, has had his alarm go off twice while watching 2 of the last 3 games against teams w/o winning records (which included the awesome Houston spanking). I haven't checked in with him today yet after the close win against the 4-12 Broncos. Hopefully Bud is okay.
I think it's almost certain that if Allen gets picked by the Browns he becomes a wanderer, much like Mayfield. Allen and Mayfield illuminate just how many things have to go right for a player -especially a QB tabbed to be a savior- for it to all work out.
Allen had the perfect infrastructure in Buffalo. A team with a real plan on how to gradually coach him up, improve their cap situation and surround him with talent. He's had the same key coaches pretty much since the get-go (except Daboll this year moving on).
Mayfield... did not
If Allen had to keep start over with a new coaching staff after his first season and had subpar coaching and a weak culture around him, he'd be middling... he might have hit on his second or third team because he's clearly the more talented of the two, but talent does not always trump all... I'm guessing he thanks his lucky stars often and so should we about where he ended up, because he's a pure joy to watch, he's a class act and he makes the game that much more interesting.
I like you Joe will continue to root for Baker to carve out a mighty redemption story!
Joe going on a search for a new football team, only to end up a Baker Mayfield stan (and no team!) is the twist ending we didn't expect.
(Also, I must have missed something: were Mayfield's commercials really "delightful"? I mean, his ads for Hulu were literally the worst I've ever seen. I get that it was purposeful--they were deliberately bad--but that still doesn't make them delightful.
I began rooting for the Chiefs as a six or seven year old because I thought the arrowhead logo was cool. I have no idea if they were any good that year, or what specific year it was. I became an Atlanta Braves fan because I thought tomahawks were cool.
I have never lived anywhere near these cities, I have no direct loyalty to them, and I do not live and die when they are good or bad, but they have been my favorite teams since I was old enough to have a favorite team.
With all that said, it is kind of ridiculous to me that Joe has no problem writing the word "Chiefs" or "Braves" when writing about them, but refuses to write the word "Indians" even though he was an Indians fan for like 50 years, and then bailed on them shortly after they became the Guardians.
Just root for the Chiefs. They are fantastic at football, they have the coolest logo in sports, the best stadium name, and in Joe's case he has more life and family history to them than anywhere else (except Cleveland, which he has chosen to give up).
Also, rooting for Buffalo would be a fine choice as well. If you are going to pick a new team based on this moment right now, they are a fine choice. Buffalo Bills is probably the coolest team name in football, and they are digging out of an historic blizzard right now, and they are good right now. So there is that.
I've always found Baker fun to watch even when he was planting the flag on my Buckeyes but maturity has never been one of his strong points. Neither has consistency in the NFL so I'm not getting too excited about his performance but I'm hopeful.
Why looks awfully good are those classic Rams jerseys. How about the Steelers uniforms they wore Saturday night in the Franco tribute? Don’t get me started on the Dolphins, Patriots, and Vikings.
You’re fine rooting for the Chiefs. In fact, you should given your connections. Bandwagon would be if you became a Cowboys fan. That would be like being a Yankees fan in baseball. It’s not really how good they are, it’s how popular they are. Feel good about rooting for the Chiefs. I went through this last year, and you only really cement your new fandom when you lose a playoff game and have to go through feeling bad about them losing a game they should have won.
This seems a good group to share my question. Amex has a promotion where if you buy an NBA jersey for a player and the player changes teams within a year, if you bought it with your Amex, they'll give you his new jersey free. My question is, wouldn't at least a large percentage of fans prefer a jersey of another player on their team? When LeBron decamped for LA, there must have been some Cavs fans who washed their hands of him and would have preferred another Cav's jersey. To take the most extreme example I can think of, pretty much zero Seattle Mariners wanted an Alex Rodriguez Texas Rangers jersey in 2001.
Actually, I think the NBA is different than MLB or the NFL. I think there are a lot of people who are fans of players in the NBA rather than teams, a lot more than do that in baseball or football.
You'll note I didn't say "all", but rather "a significant percentage". Sixers fans who wanted a Ben Simmons Nets jersey are probably few. More Jazz fans may have wanted a Donovan Mitchell Cavs jersey.
Police Chief. Chief Executive Officer. Commander-in-Chief. There's nothing wrong with using the word. The problem is the iconography. I really wish KC would ditch the Native American iconography (and definitely the tomahawk chop and chant).
They were named after KC Mayor Roe Bartle, who was fondly called Chief. Again, nothing wrong with the word, same with Brave. The former Guardians name is a problem.
Interesting, I didn't know that. In reading about it, I see that how he got the nickname is somewhat controversial. However, my point wasn't just about the name, it was everything associated with the team. As for "former Guardians " the players he named played for the Cleveland Indians and to avoid using the name is silly - especially when you root for the Chiefs. You can't change history.
Not everyone agrees with you about Chiefs and Braves being OK BTW.
My first job was as an usher in a theater in 1978, Heaven Can Wait was playing. I know every single inch of that film, it's funny because I don't think about that much until I actually see it.
It's like a dream
I'm a Reds, Bengals, Red Wings fan since the early 70s. There is some meat there, but a LOT of gristle.
Like life eh?
It's all been a joyful experience though, that's why I'm still here
Still plenty of room on the Bengals Bus. Lots of former Browns fans have hopped on board this year. Franchise QB, Team First Culture, Lunchpail Defense... don’t wait until after we beat the Bills or all the seats could be full!
While Buffalo is a fun talented team, your history with the Chiefs should carry the day. Your history with KC will enable you to weave in flashbacks from prior players / games with ease and be able to comment on stadium issues with knowledge of the area .
Don’t worry about how well the Chiefs look- just enjoy - you know they can deliver plenty of playoff heartache as well
He's not looking so good lately.
"I feel guilty rooting for the Chiefs. They’re SO good. I’ve never actively rooted for a team that good."
There's something very disturbing about his kind of attitude. And I've seen it so many times. It seems like the kind of mind-set you need to have if "your team" is playing in a sport where there is literally no chance of winning a championship under the current situation. There and the Haves and the Have Nots and your team [for whatever reasons: market size + league revenue sharing rules + owner attitude] is a Have Not. So you have to come up with a reason to keep being a fan anyway. One solution: revel in the misery, wallow in it. Oh no, another terrible draft, and more key players are injured, truly we are cursed! But we are cursed TOGETHER, as fans of this loser team ...
I've seen it. I've lived it. But it's sad, and kind of WRONG.
Sometimes the fates align, and your team winds up with Joe Burrow, and your team gets to rise to the almost-top anyway. I bet plenty of Bengals fans feel very odd, now that they are suddenly able to root for a winner. But probably not "guilty". Because, yes, it's different if you are suddenly adopting a team you didn't grow up rooting for. Even with a few very real connections to KC, it's natural to feel a little bandwagon-y to make them Your Main Team at this point in their greatness.
Just as I'm never going to root for a team that does The Chop, I'm not going to encourage anyone else to do that either. So there's that.
Happy that you have so much confidence in the Chiefs; they seem to be playing to the level of their opponents however, which is, of course, concerning since they are playing a lot of losing teams - ie, one-win Houston took the Chiefs to overtime. My friend Bud, who wears a heart monitor to let him know when his HR is elevating, has had his alarm go off twice while watching 2 of the last 3 games against teams w/o winning records (which included the awesome Houston spanking). I haven't checked in with him today yet after the close win against the 4-12 Broncos. Hopefully Bud is okay.
I think it's almost certain that if Allen gets picked by the Browns he becomes a wanderer, much like Mayfield. Allen and Mayfield illuminate just how many things have to go right for a player -especially a QB tabbed to be a savior- for it to all work out.
Allen had the perfect infrastructure in Buffalo. A team with a real plan on how to gradually coach him up, improve their cap situation and surround him with talent. He's had the same key coaches pretty much since the get-go (except Daboll this year moving on).
Mayfield... did not
If Allen had to keep start over with a new coaching staff after his first season and had subpar coaching and a weak culture around him, he'd be middling... he might have hit on his second or third team because he's clearly the more talented of the two, but talent does not always trump all... I'm guessing he thanks his lucky stars often and so should we about where he ended up, because he's a pure joy to watch, he's a class act and he makes the game that much more interesting.
I like you Joe will continue to root for Baker to carve out a mighty redemption story!
Joe going on a search for a new football team, only to end up a Baker Mayfield stan (and no team!) is the twist ending we didn't expect.
(Also, I must have missed something: were Mayfield's commercials really "delightful"? I mean, his ads for Hulu were literally the worst I've ever seen. I get that it was purposeful--they were deliberately bad--but that still doesn't make them delightful.
I think he mostly means the Progressive commercials where he was living at the stadium.
I began rooting for the Chiefs as a six or seven year old because I thought the arrowhead logo was cool. I have no idea if they were any good that year, or what specific year it was. I became an Atlanta Braves fan because I thought tomahawks were cool.
I have never lived anywhere near these cities, I have no direct loyalty to them, and I do not live and die when they are good or bad, but they have been my favorite teams since I was old enough to have a favorite team.
With all that said, it is kind of ridiculous to me that Joe has no problem writing the word "Chiefs" or "Braves" when writing about them, but refuses to write the word "Indians" even though he was an Indians fan for like 50 years, and then bailed on them shortly after they became the Guardians.
Just root for the Chiefs. They are fantastic at football, they have the coolest logo in sports, the best stadium name, and in Joe's case he has more life and family history to them than anywhere else (except Cleveland, which he has chosen to give up).
Also, rooting for Buffalo would be a fine choice as well. If you are going to pick a new team based on this moment right now, they are a fine choice. Buffalo Bills is probably the coolest team name in football, and they are digging out of an historic blizzard right now, and they are good right now. So there is that.
I don't think he's bailed on the Guardians.
And that's how I ended up watching Heaven Can Wait for the first time on Boxing Day.
and let's not forget the classy crotch-grab salute Baker gave the KU football fans....
You must've really liked Michael Jackson. ;)
Baker did it without a glove so it was a bit bland but still a good one
I've always found Baker fun to watch even when he was planting the flag on my Buckeyes but maturity has never been one of his strong points. Neither has consistency in the NFL so I'm not getting too excited about his performance but I'm hopeful.
Why looks awfully good are those classic Rams jerseys. How about the Steelers uniforms they wore Saturday night in the Franco tribute? Don’t get me started on the Dolphins, Patriots, and Vikings.
You’re fine rooting for the Chiefs. In fact, you should given your connections. Bandwagon would be if you became a Cowboys fan. That would be like being a Yankees fan in baseball. It’s not really how good they are, it’s how popular they are. Feel good about rooting for the Chiefs. I went through this last year, and you only really cement your new fandom when you lose a playoff game and have to go through feeling bad about them losing a game they should have won.
This seems a good group to share my question. Amex has a promotion where if you buy an NBA jersey for a player and the player changes teams within a year, if you bought it with your Amex, they'll give you his new jersey free. My question is, wouldn't at least a large percentage of fans prefer a jersey of another player on their team? When LeBron decamped for LA, there must have been some Cavs fans who washed their hands of him and would have preferred another Cav's jersey. To take the most extreme example I can think of, pretty much zero Seattle Mariners wanted an Alex Rodriguez Texas Rangers jersey in 2001.
Actually, I think the NBA is different than MLB or the NFL. I think there are a lot of people who are fans of players in the NBA rather than teams, a lot more than do that in baseball or football.
You'll note I didn't say "all", but rather "a significant percentage". Sixers fans who wanted a Ben Simmons Nets jersey are probably few. More Jazz fans may have wanted a Donovan Mitchell Cavs jersey.
That's an excellent question. Seems like an offer dreamed up by a casual-at-best sports fan.
So the guy who writes "former Guardians" instead of, gasp, Indians is going to root for the Chiefs. SMH.
Police Chief. Chief Executive Officer. Commander-in-Chief. There's nothing wrong with using the word. The problem is the iconography. I really wish KC would ditch the Native American iconography (and definitely the tomahawk chop and chant).
The Kansas City Chiefs have nothing to do with those words.
They were named after KC Mayor Roe Bartle, who was fondly called Chief. Again, nothing wrong with the word, same with Brave. The former Guardians name is a problem.
Interesting, I didn't know that. In reading about it, I see that how he got the nickname is somewhat controversial. However, my point wasn't just about the name, it was everything associated with the team. As for "former Guardians " the players he named played for the Cleveland Indians and to avoid using the name is silly - especially when you root for the Chiefs. You can't change history.
Not everyone agrees with you about Chiefs and Braves being OK BTW.
So glad Joe eliminated the Bengals early in his ‘search’. He clearly does not deserve them.
I'm only here for the Romeo Void content (it's a temporary thing).
My first job was as an usher in a theater in 1978, Heaven Can Wait was playing. I know every single inch of that film, it's funny because I don't think about that much until I actually see it.
It's like a dream
I'm a Reds, Bengals, Red Wings fan since the early 70s. There is some meat there, but a LOT of gristle.
Like life eh?
It's all been a joyful experience though, that's why I'm still here
Still plenty of room on the Bengals Bus. Lots of former Browns fans have hopped on board this year. Franchise QB, Team First Culture, Lunchpail Defense... don’t wait until after we beat the Bills or all the seats could be full!
While Buffalo is a fun talented team, your history with the Chiefs should carry the day. Your history with KC will enable you to weave in flashbacks from prior players / games with ease and be able to comment on stadium issues with knowledge of the area .
Don’t worry about how well the Chiefs look- just enjoy - you know they can deliver plenty of playoff heartache as well