The Chiefs are the new Patriots, the team everyone loves to hate

There’s a constant, unwavering cycle in American sports: We love you when you’re on the way up. We applaud you when you reach the top. We hate you when you stay there too long.

Welcome, Chiefs, to the loathing zone. You were a cute story before, but now America’s tired of you, your star quarterback, your teddy-bear-looking coach, your celebrity girlfriend, and most of all, your constant presence in the Super Bowl.

Congratulations, Kansas City. You’re the new Patriots.

The NFL is always more fun when the league has a common enemy, and for nearly 20 years, the New England Patriots happily filled that role, reaching Super Bowls in nearly half those seasons and winning six of them. Kansas City is on a path to that kind of success — four Super Bowls in five years, with two already won and a third possibly just days away. Now that is how you get everyone else to hate you.

Granted, the Chiefs can’t yet manage the bone-deep rage and disgust that the Patriots inspired in their day. Where Tom Brady looked like a throwback to the ‘80s movie jock who stuffed nerds in lockers, Patrick Mahomes vibes — and sounds — a whole lot like those same nerds, albeit a nerd with the ability to throw a football into orbit. In their respective commercials — which, of course, is how we judge our athletes’ image these days — Brady always comes off like an ex-high school bully playing nice for the cameras, while Mahomes never seems quite comfortable enough in his own skin to torment anyone else.

Patrick Mahomes celebrates another trip to the Super Bowl, his and the Kansas City Chiefs’ fourth in five seasons. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

And then there’s the sideline. While Bill Belichick glowered through every glorious Super Bowl run, Andy Reid just gives off a more genial vibe, from his frozen mustache to his amiable-doofus TV persona. Reid has the steel of a lethal coach — thanking the people of Baltimore for their “hospitality” after beating them on their own field…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-chiefs-are-the-new-patriots-the-team-everyone-loves-to-hate-195103941.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-01-29 19:51:03

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