Kansas City – the home of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. Chiefs and Royals fans are known for their passion and outrageous team spirit. Locals embrace their teams, but if you’re not from the Kansas City area, it is a whole new experience in the sports world.
“I am from Ankeny, Iowa. There aren’t any pro sports in my town, so being close to Kansas City is a whole new atmosphere,” sophomore biochemistry major Rachel Schon said.
Some students’ hometowns do not have a professional sports team, so the Kansas City sports atmosphere can be a whole new experience for them.
“It’s fun because at home there wasn’t a professional sports team so the atmosphere was nonexistent, but now there’s a sense of camaraderie and everyone rallies together in hopes for wins,” Schon said. “I think the atmosphere is super exciting. I love watching sports and supporting competitive teams, and it’s nice that the people who live here feel the same way.”
Being a student at William Jewell College, there is an opportunity for students to adapt to the Kansas City sports culture if they do not have this back home. Students become accustomed to the Kansas City culture and usually become a Chiefs or Royals fan.
“I was not a [C]hiefs fan before moving here, but I am now,” Schon said.
There are a majority of students who already have hometown professional sports teams and have to adapt to being surrounded by the Chiefs and Royals culture.
“I am from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, which is about a half hour north of Milwaukee. We have the Milwaukee Brewers, our baseball team, Milwaukee [B]ucks our basketball team and the Green Bay Packers,” junior nursing and ACT-In [major] Kalli Murphy said.
The Chiefs culture is exciting for out-of-state students to have the opportunity to be in a community atmosphere with other students from the Kansas City area.
“I get excited about it because it’s the same frenzy we had up in Packer nation in 2011 where you will go anywhere in public and everyone is wearing green and gold even in [S]unday church. It’s a very similar pride that [I] see here on [C]hiefs game day,” Murphy said.
The Chiefs’ culture is contagious and can draw in anyone, even if they have another favorite team.
“I was not a Chiefs fan until I moved here! I have become a big Chiefs [fan,] and they have now become my number 2 team. I actually am a bigger fan of Patrick Mahomes over Aaron Rodgers! I will always support the [C]hiefs except when they play the [P]ackers,” Murphy said.
Being immersed in the Kansas City sports culture can go beyond sports. It can help bring a sense of home to some students or help them find a community, where they can have watch parties or attend a game together.
“I have actually become a much better Packers fan since moving here at Jewell because there is just something about representing where you came from, and it just shows a part of who you are. I bet everyone in this area has great memories of watching the Chiefs on game day with their family and friends and lots of food,” Murphy said. “That’s what all my memories come back to from home living in a household of sports fans. It just reminds me of my family and my home!”