In a way, I'm jealous of my kids.
It's not because they have no responsibilities. After all,
part of the downfall of being young is that they can't drive a car or drink/eat
slushees. By the way, the slushee thing is non-negotiable. The actual reason
why I'm jealous of them directly pertains to a certain sporting event taking
place on Sunday evening: the Super Bowl.
It goes without saying that this is the biggest and most
important Super Bowl of my entire life. After all, it's not every year that the
Kansas City Chiefs play in the big game. In fact, it's well documented that the
Chiefs haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 1969 season. That was exactly
50 years ago! In other words, I have spent nearly 34 years as a Chiefs fan only
to see it end in futility year after year after year.
Unfortunately for me, it's not like there was another team
around to help me forget about that very futility. The Royals had their own set
of epic failures that plagued the team for almost three decades. Fortunately
for me, those woes finally ended with the thrilling playoff runs of 2014 and
2015.
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| Hey everyone! Remember me? |
At this point, people are likely wondering how this all ties
back to me being jealous of my kids. Simple, they haven't had to wait their
entire lives to see (what I hope will be) their favorite teams have success.
Ellie, who may or may not have been a World Series baby, was born into a world
where the Royals were reigning World Series champions and little Ethan has a
chance to see the Chiefs win a Super Bowl before his first birthday.
I'm obviously very excited for everything surrounding this
Super Bowl like no other that preceded it. One of the biggest reasons why is
because I get to share this experience with my kids. Ethan obviously will never
remember this experience but there's a chance Ellie will. In fact, she already
has made a habit out of being present in our family room for each and every
Chiefs game this season. It's not out of the ordinary to see her jumping up and
cheering her little heart out whenever she hears excitement in the announcers'
voices. She does occasionally misinterpret said excitement and cheer for the
Chiefs' opponent. When that happens, I just have to remember that she's only
three.
As a part of my goal to try and help Ellie remember this
time, the kids and I made a pilgrimage to Union Station on Thursday to
celebrate along with the rest of the city. Over the past few weeks,
Chiefs-themed displays have overtaken the historic building. From the red
banners on the outside to the massive 'Chiefs' wordmark and lighted 'AFC
Champions' sign, seemingly every metro resident is descending upon Union
Station to have their photo taken alongside the sights. The kids and I were no
different.
Unfortunately for us, between parking at Crown Center,
walking through the Link, and not immediately hopping in line, we missed our
chance at getting a picture with the 'AFC Champs' lighted sign. We did manage
to snag one with a giant lighted '87' though in honor of Travis Kelce. While I
was unbelievably stoked to take in all of the cool sights there, Ellie much
preferred our second stop of Fritz's for a train-themed lunch. Seriously, her
child-like enthusiasm for our food being delivered by model train was only met
by my child-like enthusiasm for giant, metal, lighted signs.
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| The color's not great but I assure you, we are there! |
By the time things are all said and done on Sunday evening,
I hope that I'm able to say my favorite team is the reigning Super Bowl
Champions. Even if the worst happens (it won't), I can at least say that it's
been a great ride. I can also promise that I have many, many years ahead of
encouraging my children to root for Kansas City sports teams. Hopefully they'll
get to see a brand new era of success during that time though instead of the
futility to which I've previously become accustomed.
Or at least that should be the case when Patrick Mahomes gets his way! #DaddyWrite
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