Sacred superstitions keep Chiefs fans hopeful for three-peat
By Kendra Simpson
Chiefs Training Camp helps the team get ready for the season and will hopefully help them earn a coveted three-peat Super Bowl win, but some fans think they won’t need the practice thanks to their own strategies.
Superstitions and football fans go hand-in-hand, and Chiefs fans are no exception. Some beliefs are founded on their longevity and consistency, like 33-year ticket holder Bill Smith. Smith has brought his “D-Fence” picket-fence sign to every game since Patrick Mahomes joined the team.
“I usually have it at every game,” Smith said. “It really needs to be redone, but I don’t know if I could not just take the sign and make a new one. I started to make a new one but then I thought, and everyone was telling me, ‘No, it wouldn’t be the same.’ And so far it’s brought us good luck.”
Long time Chiefs fan John Fuller has red and gold running through his blood. His father, godfather and grandparents were the first season ticket holders in Kansas City when the Chiefs played at Municipal Stadium. Because of this, he won’t let his wife, who’s a Bengals fan, touch anything in their home related to the Chiefs.
“That lady right over there is not allowed to touch any of my Kansas City Chiefs (items) … She’s not allowed to touch anything,” Fuller said. “And I got lots of it, so she literally doesn’t get to sit down.”
Of course, there are the classic superstitions that involve never washing a piece of clothing, and like any fandom, there are several fans who participate in the grand tradition.
“This jersey, I do not wash unless we lose the Super Bowl,” Chiefs fan Nicole Loeffler said. “Needless to say, this has been worn an entire season and I’m about to go get two days worth of sweat here at camp. I only wash it if we lose the Super Bowl.”
Superstitious or not, every Chiefs fan is hopeful for a three-peat Super Bowl win this year. Chiefs Training Camp will have seven more practices at Missouri Western before their first regular season game against the Ravens on Sept. 5.
