Titles don’t mean everything, journey does
Win or lose today, Kansas City Chiefs fans must remember, these are the good years.
My dad is from Kansas City (and also from Mammoth Spring), so I have been raised as a Chiefs fan since I was born. My aunt from Wisconsin even got me a little Green Bay Packers outfit when I was a baby, but I wasn’t allowed to wear it because we were, and still are, very much a Chiefs household.
In today’s sports culture, especially on social media and sports talk shows, it’s all, “rings, rings, rings, rings, rings, rings, rings.”
Championships are important and especially important to some in GOAT (greatest of all time) arguments. But not everything has to be a GOAT argument — it gets tiresome.
As a fan, you shouldn’t get caught up in defending your favorite player on social media or insisting he’s the GOAT all the time.
I understand the urge, but don’t let those types of arguments and your thirst for rings overshadow the pure joy and excitement of watching a generational, oncein-a-lifetime talent, or simply just your enjoyment of watching your favorite team win plenty of games.
Not every fan is so lucky to have those things.
My dad and grandma went 50 years without seeing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and a lot of those seasons the Chiefs didn’t even sniff the biggest game of them all.
Even as a much younger Chiefs fan, that 2-14 season does not feel all that long ago. Trust me, tonight I will have my eyes glued to the screen and will hope so badly Patrick Mahomes picks up his second ring. If he doesn’t, no doubt the following hours will sting.
However, I also need to understand that it is extremely difficult to make the Super Bowl. Not every franchise gets to play in the Super Bowl three years out of four, and not every franchise has a two-time MVP, Super Bowl winner at the age of 27. I need to soak it all in and enjoy it — win or lose.
How many Super Bowl parties did I attend where I had no real interest in the game and nothing on the line? I feel grateful to be watching for more than just the purpose of eating wings and pizza.
When I was a student at Arkansas State University, I was a gigantic supporter of the women’s soccer team. In my first two years there, the soccer team was beginning to show signs of life, but both seasons ended with pretty average results.
Then, in my junior year, something clicked. We made it all the way to the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game (and got throttled).
In my senior year, we won the regular season Sun Belt title and made it to the championship game in the tournament once again, this time as favorites. In heartbreaking fashion and behind an extremely questionable red card, we fell 2-1.
To this day Arkansas State soccer has not captured a Sun Belt tournament title, but when I look back on my time there, I only have positive memories of outstanding individual and team performances, thrilling times watching matches with friends, and the growth of the program in my four years.
It was so fun to watch and be a part of, and yes, I would do it again with no tournament rings.
As sports fans we have to realize that it’s not always about the title. You can take joy from watching your team win 12 plus games a season. You can take joy in watching your team host five-straight AFC Championship games. You can take pride that you got to watch your team play in three of the last four Super Bowl games.
Because when those days come around when your team hovers around 8-9, doesn’t make the playoffs or even does something like go 2-15, you will yearn so badly for the times when it was fun to watch your team.
Rings and championships are great, yes, but sometimes it’s the journey and the spectacle of it all that can leave you with the best, lasting memories.