In Florida, bandwagon Chiefs fans hop aboard, loving Mahomes, Kelce and the energy
Just a few years ago, Kelly Alamonte didn’t care about the Kansas City Chiefs. But she did care about Travis Kelce, the handsome star of the reality dating show “Catching Kelce,” who, by the way, is also the Chiefs’ star tight end.
Soon Alamonte, who lives in Florida, started watching the team and learned the stats of the players who hadn’t starred in their own reality TV show.
“They’re actually a kick-ass team,” said Alamonte.
On Monday, Alamonte could be seen standing in a Patrick Mahomes T-shirt amid a crowd of 49ers fans as her newfound team walked onto the stage and into a media frenzy for Super Bowl Opening Night.
While die-hard fans have stubbornly stood by the Chiefs for 50 years of heartache, the team’s resurgence and this year’s Super Bowl run have attracted a different type of fan: the bandwagoner.
The years of two-win seasons and one-and-done playoff runs are foreign to them.
But now they’re hopping aboard because of star quarterback Mahomes. They’re drawn to the team’s young energy as the Chiefs gain national exposure. The Chiefs boast fans from across the country and are well on their way to being “North America’s team.”
Daniel Perez became a fan by chance when he bought Chiefs party plates for his son’s birthday. He doesn’t have tickets to the game, but he, and his family, are driving from Clearwater, Florida, to Miami to witness the festivities and excitement firsthand.
“I’ve been captivated and will keep watching them play,” Perez said.
In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, some of Florida’s few long-term fans say they’ve seen more Chiefs fans and memorabilia across the state. Complete strangers would yell, “Go Chiefs!” They’d see Chiefs bumper stickers. Their neighbors purchased yard decorations to proclaim their support.
Robby Simon, a Florida Chiefs fan originally from KC, said he’s seen a lot of Floridians climb aboard because of Mahomes.
“It’s his attitude,” Simon said. “He’s always the first person to compliment somebody.”
Members of Facebook fan groups responded to The Star’s question about bandwagon fans by proudly proclaiming the years or even decades they’d followed the Chiefs.
Some new fans simply didn’t have other options. “When your team is not going (to the Super Bowl) you need to pick one of the teams to become engaged in the game,” said Laura Scott, a Florida native who has been a Chiefs fan for years.
A Twitter map this week showed that while the West Cost is pulling for the 49ers, the Midwest and most of the East Coast are all about the Chiefs.
Mildred and Javier Giraldo fall into that category. The Miami Dolphins fans said they enjoy the Chiefs’ energy and wanted to cheer on the AFC in the Super Bowl.
“If they’re underdogs, then even more,” Mildred Giraldo said.
Although some Chiefs fans said their first impulse is to resent fans who skipped the years of suffering, many said they were grateful for an expanded fan base.
“When I run into Patriots fans, I feel as though it’s my duty to call them out by asking questions such as, ‘Who was the QB before Brady?’” said Brian Liveswood of Destin, Florida, who says he’s seen many new fans. “My reaction to these new Chiefs fans is, ‘Well, they’ve finally seen the light!’”
Anthony Amarosa, a Chiefs fan living in the Palm Beach area who grew up in New York, said he’s being mistaken for a bandwagon fan.
He can see where this could be insulting, but for him, it’s exciting.
“You can look at it one of two ways, but that’s a good thing. It means people are paying attention now,” Amarosa said. “There’s nothing bandwagon about a team that no one was paying attention to.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 12:07 PM.
