St. Joseph Chiefs fans show support with AFC title merch once again
By Riley Funk
While the Kansas City Chiefs are no strangers to championships in recent years, fans aren’t getting tired of repping the team with new merchandise after big wins.
The Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 on Sunday to win the AFC Championship and bring home the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
In the wake of the win, area stores saw an influx of new customers make purchases.
Taylor Faucett, store manager at Rally House, has been with the company for three years and has seen similar rushes from fans post-victory. She said the latest win for the Chiefs brought about a quick sell-out of locker room merchandise worn by players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
“We actually hit a record-breaking time for selling out of our T-shirts this year after the reopen. We sold out within 10 minutes of reopening our doors,” Faucett said.
Faucett said that work is being done to make sure Chiefs fans will have the merch to celebrate the win.
Faucett said the store is planning to get more AFC Championship gear, with shipments of the locker room T-shirts coming in every day from Monday until Saturday. Fans can expect the championship hats in St. Joseph on Wednesday and Thursday.
Many fans were eager on Monday to get the official shirt. With the win on Sunday cementing the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years, fans are not getting off the excitement train anytime soon.
Season ticket holders, such as Kevin DeHaven, say getting the latest merch marks a new chapter in a scrapbook of memories that he will one day share with those most important to him.
“I collect them all ‘cause you never know. The league is ever-changing, you never know when the ride will end,” DeHaven said. “I want to have all the memories I can get that I can always pass along to my kids and grandkids. For them to have those memories that grandpa was there or dad was there, they can have those memories to hold onto as well.”
Other fans were wearing their Chiefs merch loud and proud around St. Joseph Monday.
William M. Hurley said each Chiefs season is unique in its own right, but for him, this one feels different. Hurley alluded to the struggles that happened with the team mid-season.
“One time or another, you might say, ‘Well, is it going to be their year? But it ends up being their year,” Hurley said. “I think the Chiefs are ready to play. They are ready (for the Super Bowl). Their defense was fantastic.”
The team and the Chiefs Kingdom will now focus on the San Francisco 49ers for the 2024 Super Bowl. This is a familiar matchup for the Chiefs, who won 31-20 over the 49ers in 2020.
The 2024 Super Bowl will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and will be available to watch locally on KCJO 30.
