Only in KC: Prelude to Chiefs vs. Washington? A tailgating show on ESPN

The Monday Night Football extravaganza got started with the sun up and the grills smoking in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot.

ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” show started broadcasting at about 5 p.m., more than two hours before the Chiefs kicked off against Washington. And with few missteps, the show was a hit with the tomahawk-chopping crowd.

Corey Reum and his party of seven wandered the west parking lots of Truman Sports Complex Monday afternoon, taking a peek at the tailgating scene.

The eight of them were here from Montana. They make a trip once a year to a city with professional sports to experience the fandom. For their fourth such expedition, they chose Kansas City.

The sea of red was impressive enough, Reum said.

But what drew them to Lot D at the east side of the stadium, where ESPN launched its first “Tailgating Hour” segment, was the roar of Chiefs fans doing the tomahawk chop.

“Lambeau, if you’re a Green Bay fan, is awesome, but this is right up top with it,” said Clay McGeshick, one of Reum’s coworkers. “I would have to say it’s a little bit better, and I hate to say that, coming from a Packers fan. … I think the crowd is bigger than Green Bay. It’s amazing.”

“The volume of the fans and the sea of red is no joke. It’s wall-to-wall red everywhere,” Reum added. “We didn’t even know this was here. (The chant) was very loud.”

The chant originated from spectators surrounding a demo-football field in a scene not unlike ESPN’s “College GameDay” show. Hall of Famer Steve Young, former defensive back Charles Woodson, the effervescent Suzy Kolber, former Packers and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, Vikings ex Randy Moss and other NFL luminaries did their thing as red-clad Chiefs fans roared in the background.

Instead of brandishing signs teasing Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, fans celebrated rookie Kareem Hunt’s impressive start with pun-filled posters like “Kareem the Skins.” And instead of waiting for Lee Corso to choose headgear, they cheered when Kolber and commended the tailgating food that she and the crew sampled.

“The best barbecue in Kansas City is in the parking lot,” she said. “The whole scene here is just so much fun.”

But the pre-fab schtick also elicited at least a few jeers when ESPN cut to a red-clad pit-man from Zarda, who served up some KC barbecue to Kolber & Co. on the open-air set. Excellent choice, except ... we’re pretty sure Moss and friends ate the St. Louis-style ribs with a fork.

That gaffe aside, it was mostly good fun in the leadup to the main event. With kickoff still a ways off, other memorable moments included Hasselbeck’s tour of the Chiefs’ locker room and equipment room, a recorded message from Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez, Travis Kelce’s swagger-thick entry into the stadium (was he wearing a shirt with the sleeves ripped off?), and ogling signed jerseys from Tony G, Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.

“It means a lot to this city for all the adversity we’ve had to overcome over the years,” said Michael Lumley of Baldwin, Kan. “It really warms my heart to see the city come together as it has. Especially with the Royals and the World Series and now this, it’s just incredible to see the entire city just unite together every Sunday for football.”

Still, recent events had a couple from Sioux Falls, S.D., enjoying the scene in a somber mood. Tim and Alicia Skadsen wore custom shirts with the words “Stop the Hate” across the front and “#VegasStrong” on the back, in an effort to raise awareness about mental-health issues following the mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas in the early hours of Monday morning.

“There’s bigger issues right now in America than just a football game on Monday night,” Tim Skadsen said. “(The violence) just doesn’t need to happen. It’s senseless. ... I’m gonna try and enjoy the game after the national anthem. That’s when I’ll take this off. But I’m wearing this for the people of Vegas.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Only in KC: Prelude to Chiefs vs. Washington? A tailgating show on ESPN."