Chiefs: The Arrowhead Experience

 

 

 

Chiefs: The Arrowhead Experience

 

by Jason Seibel

 

Editor note: Some of you may not know Jason Seibel but I have counted him as a friend for years now, However, “friends” don’t necessarily make great writers but… that’s just who Jason is: a great writer. Jason wrote here in our first year when ArrowheadOne was just a baby. I am thrilled to have Jason grace us with his perspectives on the Kansas City Chiefs once again as he’ll begin by sharing a little bit about his trip to K.C. and Arrowhead Stadium for the Broncos game two days ago. Please give Jason a warm re-welcoming… because, HE’S BAAAACK!!

~Laddie Morse

 

 

If you’ve never been to a game at Arrowhead stadium, you have absolutely no idea what you are missing. While most of our readers here at ArrowheadOne are likely in the Kansas City area and have taken in a game or two (or 100) throughout their lifetimes, I know there are many of you dedicated readers who, like me, are displaced Chiefs fans from around the country. 

 

You faithfully tune in on your television, surely paying over $300 per year to DirecTV to subscribe to the Sunday Ticket package, and watch the Red and Yellow (or Gold depending on how you view colors on the spectrum). Depending on your age, you cheered when Lenny “The Cool” Dawson brought the only Lombardi Trophy in the Hunt family trophy case to Kansas City. You suffered through the garbage teams the Chiefs fielded through the 70’s and 80’s. You cheered when Martyball came to town, and then in the 90’s he did the impossible and brought Joe Montana and Marcus Allen to the City of Fountains.

 

You were alive to remember when the Chiefs made it to the AFC Championship game, only to fall short. You cheered the offensive powerhouse that Dick Vermeil put on the field just after the turn of the millennium. You listened to Herm Edwards when he said the Chiefs had to get younger and faster and you even screamed “Fire Pioli!” every Sunday. Finally, you wept with tears of joy when the team hired Andy Reid and started winning football games. And this year, you are beside yourself with excitement because of this young man named Patrick Mahomes.

 

You did all the things that every other Chiefs fan does, the only difference was, you did them from your home in Oregon or California, or Montana, Texas, Ohio, Florida or any other of the states in our union not within driving distance from One Arrowhead Drive. I count myself as one of you, as I have spent time all around the country (and the world during my time in the United States Air Force) but I never was close enough to attend Chiefs games in person.

 

I first went to Arrowhead in 2013. I was at the game where the crowd at Arrowhead broke a world record previously held by the crowd at Century Link Field in Seattle, Washington and let out a crowd roar of 137.5 decibels. I vowed I would be back. It took five years, but I finally made good on that promise and attended the game this past Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It was nothing short of amazing.

 

If you haven’t heard, Arrowhead Stadium is considered one of the most “college-like” experiences in the NFL. The tailgating atmosphere is unlike anything you could ever see at another NFL venue across the country. Fans start lining up at 5:30 in the morning to get in the gates and set up their spot for tailgating. However, if you’re from out of town, like me, you may not have a tailgate to attend. This is where social media like Twitter or Facebook comes in really handy.

 

When I made the decision to attend this game, the first thing I did was get on Twitter and start hitting up some of the more well-known personalities on the website. It doesn’t take much searching to find the people on Twitter who seem like they are welcoming to new fans. Kemberly Creager (@chiefsdiva) and Will Leek (@WilliamLeek40) are two of the best and folks who I converse with on a daily basis. Another great follow is Johnny Coltrane (@Chief_Wildcat). When I contacted these folks and let them know I would be attending the game, they immediately invited me to their tailgates without question.

 

From eating barbecue at the tailgate to the walk through the majestic gates of Arrowhead itself, the experience is nothing short of magical. No matter if it is your first time attending a game or your 101st, if you’re a Chiefs fan, you get the same feeling. Euphoria. Excitement. You can feel that you are a part of something. You are a part of Chiefs Kingdom.

 

The seats I had for this game were pretty good. I purchased them before the season started and they were relatively cheap. They were 116, Row 4 seats 22 and 23. For reference, we were located right on the 15-yard line. For the entire game, Dustin Colquitt, Harrison Butker and James Winchester hung out just in front of us, staying warm by snapping and kicking the ball through the game.

 

One of the things I love about sporting events, is how you can be around perfect strangers, but you live and die by the play on the field together. I love that when Travis Kelce found the end zone for the first time on Sunday, I was high-fiving perfect strangers up and down our row. I love that I was carrying on a conversation with a guy I didn’t know about what was considered holding and what wasn’t. For every bit of elation, there are plenty of people in Chiefs Kingdom to share in that.

 

One of my favorite things about watching a game at Arrowhead, is the Tomahawk Chop. The cue is generally played whenever the opposing team is about to punt to the Chiefs or during a kickoff. You have not lived until you have seen 70,000 people chopping their arms and singing the song. Even better than that, after the game is over, and the Chiefs win (which they have both times I’ve been in the stadium) there is a constant chorus of the “Tomahawk Chop” echoing through the hallowed halls as fans make their way to the exits. It is certainly a sight to behold and something to see in person.

 

If you haven’t made it to Arrowhead, regardless of where you are in the country, I will tell you that as a Chiefs fan you must make it a goal in your life. Now that the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and will be a perennial favorite to play in the Super Bowl every year, it’s even more important. Get to Arrowhead. Eat barbecue. Drink $10 beer and Tomahawk chop! Get off your couch and enjoy the game the way it was meant to be enjoyed. In person.

 

Join me next week as I break down the similarities and differences in Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. Did the Chiefs make the right decision in their quarterback choice? Find out next week!

 

 

Jason Seibel – ArrowheadOne

 

 

 

 

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