An Ode to Chiefs Fan Fathers

When I was a child in the 90s I looked up to my dad as my hero.  He was a Chiefs fan.  So many times as a child I would watch Chiefs games with him, and I would ask so many questions.  He taught me what a holding penalty was, he taught me what pass interference was.  He taught me the phrase "Wrong team, right quarterback" while it seemed the Chiefs always came up short.

He was there with me, watching the 95 playoff game on our wooden box Zenith TV with knobs, where Lin Elliot missed three easy field goals to lose against the Colts.

After that game I went to bed, with my twin size NFL comforter, and I cried.  I was only 10 years old.  I lived in a small house in rural Missouri.  I never thought less of my father for being a Chiefs fan.

My dad taught me more than football, he taught me loyalty.  He taught me that losing happens in life, and it's not about who wins or loses, it's about doing your best and holding your head high.

Fast forward 20 years later and I'm a father myself.

There came a point where I questioned whether or not I should freely ask my son what team he should root for.  There came a time where I thought it might be safer for my son to root for the Patriots, or another big market team like the Steelers.

And then I remember my dad's favorite sweatshirt, an old, almost hideous Chief sweatshirt.  I remember the time many Chiefs players came to our small town in 1993 to play in a fundraising basketball game for our community due to the flood of '93.  I remember how Willie Davis was so awesome during that basketball game.  And I also remember how my dad was the leading scorer because the Chiefs players felt bad about running up the score and let him make about 10 layups in a row.

So as I am a father now to a handsome son, I have to teach him what it means to be loyal.  I have to teach him that heartbreak is a part of life, and you can't be a winner every day.  I have to teach him the Chiefs are my team, and allow him to see how much I love my team -- Just like my father let me see how much he loved his team.

My team will always be the Chiefs, just like my father.  I hope some day my son will share the same love for the Chiefs that I have.  If I follow my fathers example, I know he will be.

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I'd like to personally thank the Arrowhead Pride writers I know who are fathers and sacrifice a lot of their time to add to this awesome community:  MNChiefsfan, Matt Conner, the newly christened Joel, and I suppose myself.

And to the rest of you fathers out there, we know you're doing a great job.  Keep up the good work.