The Chiefs are playing in thier 4th Super Bowl in 5 years. Let’s let the craziness of that statement set in. It’s hard to even get to the Super Bowl, let alone 4 times in 5 years. Tom Brady made it to 9 Super Bowls total, an amazing feat, and he won 7 of them. The Chiefs are seen as the “villians” just like those Brady-led Patriots teams. Sure, winning creates jealousy and a longing for a new champion, something fresh, but this Chiefs team feels different. They are a group of Hall of Famers, Patrick Mahomes at QB, Travis Kelce at TE, and Andy Reid running the show, all of them future Hall of Famers. They still have those centerpieces, but the cast is otherwise very different. That has led to a transitionary period and some uncertainty, especially this season. The Chiefs struggled with offensive output via poor WR performance, they had the highest drop rate in the entire NFL this year. People in the media were saying “The Chiefs are starting to fall apart” or “They are reaching the end of their run.” Then the playoffs started, and the feeling of “theze Chiefs are dead” left and we were reminded that this is the same team, same DNA, just a different interation. They are not an offense heavy team anymore, Tyreek HIll, their lightning rod WR left the Heartland of America for the the glitz and glamour of Miami (oh and he got his bag too). They are now winning with thier defense? Yes, you heard that right, the Kansas CIty Chiefs, known for thier incredible offenses are winning with defense. I remember when their run first started, the Chiefs HAD to score 30+ points a game because those defensive units were so awful. That brings this all back to my view on the “the Chiefs are villians” take, people do simply hate them because they are winning differently. People can get used to an offense-centered team, but then change it to a struggling, defensive-minded team that was counted out, then they still win? that’s a bridge too far. People can accept a team that wins with offense, this Chiefs team was awesome to watch. Take away Tyreek Hill and insert a struggling WR core with a young but unproven defense, people expect a drop off, and it happened…for a little while. That’s what bothers people. They want to see a new champion, and they thought the Chiefs were “dead”, they had the odds against them and they STILL made it to the Super Bowl. It makes people ponder “When will this come to an end.” No one really knows the answer when a team can keep its core of HOFers and can adjust on the fly and win championships in a “rebuilding year.” Now add Mahomes & Kelce to numerous commercials, and insert an infectious, young, pop star like Taylor Swift into the mix. Adding that element means that people can’t “escape” the Chiefs. People are reminded of them everywhere they look. As an unapoolgetic “Swiftie” myself, (Yes, the rare male Swiftie) I am a fan and wish nothing but happiness and success for her and Travis. Love knows no political or socioeconomic bounds. It’s just love. The Patriots were seen as villians because they had a coach who wasn’t very likeable, heck he didn’t seem to have much of a personality at all, but he could win. Add to it numerous cheating “scandals” such as spygate and deflategate (which really was stupid in hindsight). You lose by 20+ points and you blame the football? This Chiefs team is different though, they are the emodiment of adversity and being able to bend to the seasons of change. That is what I think actually makes them likeable, they are proving that they can win without having more talent than the othet team. Hard work and dedication beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard is what someone once told me. That in itself is what America is all about. Picking yourself up off the mat when everything seems to be going wrong for you, you adjust, and push through. The Chiefs aren’t the “villians”, they are what success through advdersity looks like. They have likaable superstars, hell, their coach loves cheeseburgers more than I think he loves coaching. He named one of our plays after a corndog in last years Supeer Bowl, I rest my case. As a Chiefs fan, we must embrace that we are “villians.” It means that nobody will cheer for us anymore, we aren’t the darlings of the league anymore. Everyone is coming for our heads, and I like that. It puts a chip on our shoulder, as if we even needed one. So as we embark on another Super Bowl today, many wil ask in the words of Taylor Swift “Is It Over Now?” I certainly hope not. Let’s enjoy the ride Chiefs Kingdom, because tomorrow isn’t promised, you have to embrace every opportunity you have and cash in. How about those….CHIEFS!