Perception of the Chiefs outside of KC among football fans.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Based on some encounters I've been having recently, I thought it might be fun to start a thread for those of us who live outside of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska,
and the general surrounding area of the place the Chiefs call home.

What if anything are you seeing/hearing/witnessing from football fans regarding the Chiefs and their chances to beat the Pats, go to the Super Bowl, and win it all?
As a fan living well outside of the home base, it has been anything but fun in the past to try and explain why the Chiefs are a great organization despite the lack of trophies,
and why Kansas City's football atmosphere is second to none. But, as you might well imagine, the "arrowhead" is pointing WAY up,
and being a fan "out in the wild" ain't quite what it used to be.



The New Mexico Report, Albuquerque:


New Mexico is in a unique position regarding professional sports teams in that they have none, so people here who are NOT transplants from other markets have complete
free will to choose any professional football, baseball, or basketball team they like.
Sadly, many of them chose poorly and decided to be Donkey turds either because of Elway back in the day, or Manning as of late.
There is also the issue of Denver being roughly 500 miles to the north of ABQ, so that may have something to do with it as well.
The other Locos and Locas split time and fandom between Dallas( a fairly large local base ), Oakland( the next largest down though getting smaller and smaller in recent years ),
and San Francisco( a very small local fan base ).
I've been wearing my Chiefs beanie quite a bit this winter and as a result, I've had several people come up to me who want to talk football, Chiefs football.
What used to be at best a sideways look followed by "the Chiefs???", has become "The Chieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeefs, essay"( ).
The respect level is WAY up and we all know the main reason why:

Spoiler!

Um...no. Actually, it's THIS guy:



And, quite a bit of the other guy pictured as well along with Kelce. These three players are well known among the people of New Mexico that I talk to along with Chris Jones here and there.
But mainly, people want to talk about Mahomes and with good reason; he's a once in-a lifetime player that fans of the game, regardless of who their team may be, LOVE to watch play.
The main question I get over and over is, "how did you guys FIND this kid"??? And I enjoy walking them through the entire story from start to finish because it IS an amazing story,
and one that will likely not be repeated again.
Apparently, more people are aware of the playoff history of the Chiefs and between the Chiefs and the Colts than I had imagined.
I bring this up because EVERYONE that I talk to is thoroughly convinced that the Chiefs are going to not only win, but tear New England a New Asshole in this upcoming game based on the state of the team
combined with getting that Colts/playoff monkey off of our backs. Most people are a little surprised when I temper my own response and take on the game, but I understand; they are living completely in the now
while I am still weighing the past as well as not foolishly discounting B/B in the playoffs.
That said, it's cool to meet all of these people who are convinced that our team is hands-down the best in the AFC, and who have every chance in the world to win it all. Refreshing!
Also, even the fans who are not completely lovey-dovey will admit that they want the Chiefs in the Super Bowl if for no other reason than to spare them another outing from New England,
something I believe any NFL fan who is NOT a Pats fan can agree on.

And finally, the gear is coming out and starting to show up. It is not uncommon for me to see someone in a Chiefs hat or beanie, or even a full blown getup, or to see an Arrowhead sticker
on a vehicle at least once or twice a week now. That's quite a step up from when I moved here in 2011, and there was absolutely NO swag in sight for miles other than my own.

At the very least, the Chiefs are making inroads in to New Mexico and as long as Reid and Mahomes are winning games, I believe it's safe to say that we can count on quite a few new fans out here as the years roll by.