The Passion of the Chiefs

For NFL fans August is a month of hope. Unlike baseball, where only a handful of teams really have a shot at winning, in professional football almost every one of the 32 teams starts the season with a legitimate chance. Granted, some team's path to glory is more difficult than others, but fans have hope. This is the year my team will raise the Lombardi Trophy. Let the celebrations begin!

As a devoted fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, reasons to celebrate have been in short supply lately. Over the last two seasons we have aspired to suck. Sometimes we have reached that lofty plateau, but frequently we have wandered in the sub-sucking nether world. Things have been even bleaker for the KC Royals, who have not been to the post-season in 25 years. That's right, a quarter century of futility, disappointment, frustration and failure. At least the Cubs have been to the playoffs. Come to think of it, almost everyone else has been to the playoffs. Ouch.
I am not a casual fan, at least not when it comes to football. I watch or listen to every Chiefs game and have, on a number of occasions, scared my children with my yelling at the radio/TV. Oh, the vocabulary they have learned from me on Sunday afternoons. All three of them are now ready for a stint in the Merchant Marines. Did I mention I was a minister?
I am not sure what compels me to be a fan. Unless you subscribe to the butterfly in the Amazon flapping its wings and making it rain in Kansas theory, then the fortunes of the Chiefs have nothing to do with my support. Sure, the club will get a few bucks every year from the merchandise I purchase and the tickets I buy (once every five years or so I make it to a game. This is one of those years!!!!) My beloved Chiefs win or lose no matter what I do. So, why do I invest so much emotional energy (and this year, so much money into one ticket)? What difference does it make? Why should I let the outcome of a game I have no control over dictate my mood for a whole week? And why, every August, do I hope?
I am not the only one asking these questions. My wife has no clue as to why I get so passionate about Chiefs football. Her uncle presided over our wedding and during his meditation encouraged her to develop an interest in the things I care about, including sports. She loves her uncle but completely ignored his advice (supposedly he said something to me about her interests. At least my wife claims he did. I don't remember any such sage counsel.) On Sunday afternoons she would rather take a nap than listen to Hall of Famer Lenny Dawson do color commentary for the Chiefs. And she generally reserves her screaming and yelling for me (I guess I am her Kansas City Chiefs. Cool.)
I am sure there are some deep seated psychological reasons for being a fan. No doubt I am either working through, or avoiding, some issues in my life via the NFL. So be it. For me, I am content to enjoy being passionate. Its fun to care about things, to share in the successes and failures of those things I attach myself to. The great thing about passion is that there is plenty of it to go around. I am intensely passionate about my kids, my wife, my faith community, and my God. For the record, yes, I have been known to swear like a sailor when I get upset with all of my other passions. That just comes with the territory.
Unlike the Chiefs, however, most of the other things I am passionate about I can participate in. I can make a difference in the life of my kids, my spouse, my community and even God. Sure, being passionate, actively passionate about someone or something will open me up to being hurt. But it is worth it. Life without passion, without caring and loving and yelling and colorful vocabulary is not really life. I would rather suffer through the disappointment of a 4-12 season than not care at all. Of course if the football gods were to bestow upon my Chiefs a 16-0 regular season record and a Super Bowl championship who am I to complain. Hey, it's August. I can hope.