You all know the results, so there’s no need to recap them here. So, I’ll share some of my thoughts and things I noticed that may be interesting or only interesting to me. 

I wasn’t born a Chiefs fan.

Growing up in Southern Ontario, I had the Buffalo Bills imposed upon me because of geography and local television broadcasts. It wasn’t all bad, as the Jim Kelly-led Bills of the late 80s and early 90s played an exciting brand of football. Their hurry-up offence put up a lot of points and a lot of wins. The team won the AFC Championship for 4 straight years and subsequently lost in the Super Bowl for 4 consecutive years. 

• Super Bowl XXV: Buffalo Bills 19, New York Giants 20 (1991) – Wide Right by Scott Norwood 
• Super Bowl XXVI: Buffalo Bills 24, Washington Redskins 37 (1992) – The Bills score two late touchdowns to make it look less like the blowout it was. 
• Super Bowl XXVII: Buffalo Bills 17, Dallas Cowboys 52 (1993) – No late scores; this was ugly from start to finish.
• Super Bowl XXVIII: Buffalo Bills 13, Dallas Cowboys 30 (1994) – The Bills led 13-6 at the half and choked it away. 

Despite the four SB losses, they were still a good team. 

I’d moved to Vancouver before the 3 SB loss, so the geographical obligations had less effect. But I stuck with them until the Music City Miracle in 1999 when the Tennessee Titans pulled a trick play with laterals and tosses to score a touchdown and win the game. Crushing. 

With 4 SB losses, a declining team and one more stab in the chest, I declared myself an NFL Fan free agent. 

I Consulted a (Fantasy Football) Priest

In 2000, I started playing Fantasy Football through Yahoo Sports and in 2001, I drafted Priest Holmes to my fantasy team. He put up stellar numbers. 

With Holmes, quarterback Trent Green and tight end Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs weren’t a winning team, but they put up enough fantasy points to make it enjoyable. 

By 2002, I decided my NFL Fan Free Agency was over, and I was now a “die-hard” fan of the KC Chiefs. 

It was a wise decision. They didn’t make the Super Bowl until 2019 with Patrick Mahomes, but unlike the Buffalo Bills, there were no crushing defeats or embarrassing losses. You could say you supported the Chiefs in impolite company, and the ribbing would be minimal. 

So, while I wasn’t born a Chiefs fan, after 24 years, I can confidently say I’ve been a Chiefs fan longer than many of their fans have been alive. 

Mahomes is Great

I love sports and sports journalists, but I am tired of the predictable and unoriginal storylines that are often associated with sports. Tom Brady has recently retired from his outstanding career, yet the media seems to be forcing the idea that Mahomes is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). 

Yes, Mahomes is an incredibly talented athlete who could potentially challenge Brady's status, but let’s appreciate the accomplishments of Mahomes as they come. Let's take a moment, let it breathe, and acknowledge the greatness of both Brady and Mahomes.

His season was most impressive because he didn’t have any great or arguably good receivers to throw the ball to this season. Helped by an incredible defence, he made it work.

He’s great, but let’s give the greatest discussion a break for a few years, please. 

HALF-TIME SHOW

Usher was great, Lil ’Jon was great to see, and Alicia Keyes was fantastic. The performances are always great. 

The Super Bowl halftime show is an arduous undertaking. 

The typical halftime at an NFL game is about 13 minutes; it’s extended to 30 minutes at the Super Bowl for extra rest and TV commercials. The Usher show was 13 minutes, so the operations crew had about 7-8 minutes for set up and another 7-8 minutes to break it all down and be ready for the second half. 

One aspect people don’t usually talk about is the performers don’t get paid to do the show, BUT they’re given a budget which they routinely surpass and spend out of pocket, but it’s an investment. 

The performers are generally at the top of the streaming charts in the weeks following, PLUS they usually become one of the top touring acts for the rest of the year. 

So, when people were asking about Taylor Swift playing the Super Bowl, she was already at the top of the streaming charts and on the highest-grossing concert tour, so she didn’t need the Super Bowl for exposure.

Usher, he’ll do very well this year. 

OK, I made it this far, so let’s chat about Swift.

There was a lot of cynicism when Swift and Chiefs TE Travis Kelce started dating. People thought it was a PR stunt, but I saw it working. 

Admittedly, I don’t keep up with celebrity relationships, but like the Swifties in my life, our two worlds collided. We compared notes and learned all about Swift’s long line of musician and entertainer boyfriends. Kelce is different. He’s a dude, a jock, a big personality at the top of his profession that doesn’t intersect with Swift’s line of work. 

As an outsider, he never needs to compete. Everyone has an ego, and I’m guessing even the most secure musician will feel a little “less than” seeing the touring numbers, the record sales, and the sheer presence of the Swift Empire. 

Kelce, he doesn’t have any of it. He’s a champion. He’s dating a talented woman with an incredible job who is genuinely into him. 

There are a lot of guys who couldn’t handle it, but I think of Stedman Graham. Graham is Oprah Winfrey’s long-time partner. He’s a successful businessman, but he’s not Oprah; no one is. But he’s the man who is Oprah’s partner. When she’s talking about getting a house full of dogs. Graham is the one who says, “No, and here’s why.” (Made up scenario) 

Kelce is the type of guy who can be comfortable with his success, support Swift as she runs the entertainment industry, and be honest when the relationship requires honesty. 

Of course, I could be wrong. They could fall apart, and the rest of the NFL could have an album full of fight songs.