The Kansas City Chiefs will eventually have to change their name. Here’s a meaty idea | Opinion

Born and raised in Overland Park, I have been a fan of Kansas City football my entire life. Some of the most monumental memories and bonding experiences I have with family and close friends involve Chiefs games, both good and bad. I suffered through years of Tyler Thigpen and Matt Cassel, and I still struggle with our newfound unpopularity as a dynasty brought to the mountaintop by the greatest quarterback of all time, Patrick Mahomes (sorry, not sorry, Tom Brady. Belichick carried you. We all have eyes.).

And yet, despite my unassailable bonafides as a Chiefs fan, I own no apparel with the team logo. Though not a slur and absent a mascot caricature in the logo, the Chiefs’ team name and the imagery associated with it are still racist. Native American activists and scholars have been making this point about the team for years. It is a matter of when, not if, the team needs to change the name.

With this in mind, I suggest a humble solution: a rebrand as the Kansas City Beefs.

Besides signaling to our Native American neighbors that this is a team that respects their history and contemporary struggles, I see four distinct benefits in switching the name to the Beefs. First, instead of honoring a single historical Kansas Citian, we can pay homage to the history of the industry that gave rise to our beloved city. Kansas City grew to prominence as the juncture point where cattle driven from as far south as Texas and Mexico boarded trains headed for the slaughterhouses of Chicago. Beef very literally is the reason our city is here today at all.

Second, the Kansas City Beefs would conjure up images of one of our top cultural exports: Kansas City barbecue. In our battles with Texas and South Carolina for the title of barbecue capital of the world, our world champion football team sporting the name of our signature historical industry would back up the talking our burnt ends do for themselves. Can you imagine the boost to local barbecue industry that a Beefs partnership could bring? The new Swiftie supporters alone could sustain Arthur Bryant’s or Slap’s for months.

Third, it pays honor to our traditions and cheers. I get goosebumps at the end of the national anthem hearing the roar of the Kansas City faithful adopt the song to match our team name. With the Beefs name, we don’t have to give that up. Likewise, the only thing capable of hyping up a Kansas City crowd more than the current cheers would be our hamburger-loving coach Andy Reid yelling to the stadium after a big win: “How ‘bout those BEEEEEEFS?!?”

Finally, and admittedly less structural than my other three points, can you imagine Creed Humphrey in a slickly designed shirt boldy emblazoned with “Beefs” across the chest? Watch out, Jason Kelce — there’s a new all-pro center gunning for sexiest man alive.

Kansas City is a proud town: proud of our history, proud of our cultures and traditions, proud of our food and proud of our world champion football team. Let’s maintain this history but give the team a new name that pays homage to our city and also recognizes the calls of Native American communities to move forward into a new era of Kansas City football.

So next season as Kansas City chases a three-peat, keep the Beefs in mind. We only stand to gain as a community.

Owen MacDonald has his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas and is now a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Illinois.