If there's a good reason to scream CHIEFS!!! at the end of the anthem, please let me know
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LAWRENCE — What’s the point, really? Is it just something stupid that kids in college do that are hilarious to them and stupid to most of the rest of us? Is it rebellious? Is there an inside joke I’m not in on? Are Kansas basketball fans just REALLY big Chiefs fans?
And, while we’re asking questions, shouldn’t I be too young to be a grumpy old man?
Sorry. Can’t help it on this one. I think Mizzou’s Antlers are/were funny, I dig the Octagon of Doom’s angry vibe, I even giggle when KU football fans scream their obscenities at kickoff.
But I just can’t get behind the screaming CHIEFS!!! at the end of the national anthem.
I’m a hard guy to offend, and I’m not even sure I’m offended, not really, not in the true sense of that word. There is a bit of patriotism at work here, that can’t be denied. But that’s not the whole thing. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure why we sing the national anthem at sporting events. It just sounds so…stupid.
Full disclosure, I also think it’s ridiculous to do it at Arrowhead Stadium, but at least there, I get it. You’re at a Chiefs game, you’re stoked, probably drunk, whatever.
But this CHIEFS!!! thing at other places has gone too far. The guy who sang the anthem at the KU-Mizzou game last night — hell of a set of pipes, by the way — wrote a letter to KU fans pleading with them to give the Chiefs thing a rest last night.
Of course, they only screamed louder.
Here, look, I’m not trying to get preachy here. Goodness knows I do enough that reasonable people might think is stupid. So, honestly, if you’re into there’s a good reason — or even a bad one, I’m just looking for an explanation — this should go on, please, by all means, enlighten me here in the comments.
If you agree with me, make sure you’re also not easily offended before you check out this Facebook page.
There’s a cuss word on there.
I thought it was funny, you might think it’s offensive.
We all have different views, I suppose.
Phil Chapman
2 years, 3 months agoPlease, if this can stop everywhere (not just KU games) it would be a service paid to the collective intelligence of all Kansas City area residents. Unfortunately, for many Kansas Citians, a professional football franchise is their only national identity.
Ed jones
2 years, 3 months agoSam your 18 year old-ness is showing, put it away before you get called out for what you are - a snotty youth inspired hack.
Pádraig O'Connell
2 years, 3 months agoRedRoyal, I notice you went straight for the personal attacks. I take it you’re one of the mouthbreathers who loves to yell CHIEFS? And yet, you still can’t give a justification for the idiotic practice.
Sam R
2 years, 3 months agoI hate this too but it’s not some out of control ordeal. I’ve been to every home game this year and it is clearly coming from the upper rafters of GA and it is not all that many people participating. It’s just that when a handful of people sitting up high bellow “Chieeeeeefs” indoors, it tends to carry pretty well. It’s definitely not the main portions of the student section or the donor areas.
Ian McLean
2 years, 3 months agoAs a completely off-topic criticism, your conversational approach to writing this column necessitates an exorbitant volume of commas. Philip Larkin would be proud. And, I too, am pleased.
M Katzfey
2 years, 3 months agoJust as bad are the ‘…the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air …’ pyrotechnics and explosions that accompany the song at Arrowhead, causing the crowd to stop singing the lyrics and cheer because of some lame fireworks demonstration.
The NFL perpetuates the irreverence of the entire song by allowing this to happen. I was hoping this was a King Carl thing and Mr. Pioli would stop it, but so far that hasn’t occured.
Tyler Dixon
2 years, 3 months agoI do not understand why it is offensive? I’ve seen LOTS of military personnel yell it. Its just a tradition. I love it! And brewkatz, are you really complaining about the pyrotechnics at the game?! Next you’ll complain that the music is played too loud!!
Ian McLean
2 years, 3 months agoAlso, something I hadn’t considered: The fact that “Chiefs” replaces “Brave.” Of course, Brave can analogous for a Native.
Sam R
2 years, 3 months agoOU_Sooner - I think the point is that it’s completely out of place at Allen Fieldhouse. And I agree. Why are people doing a cheer for a professional football team from a different state at a college basketball game? Like I said earlier, its coming from the upper rafters by a several dozen individuals who probably rarely get to Allen Fieldhouse.
Clinton Thomas
2 years, 3 months agoWhen I was at Mizzou, the Kansas City area fans yelled “CHIEFS!” at the end of the anthem as an F* YOU to all the St. Louis area fans in attendance. I’m not sure if non-Mizzou alums are aware of it, but that campus is a constant battleground of Kansas City people vs. St. Louis people. Anything one side can do to annoy the other is fair game.
Marshall Miller
2 years, 3 months agoIt’s ABSOLUTE patriotism!! It’s the land of the free and the home of the CHIEFS baby!!
Rusty Porter
2 years, 3 months agoI am not one of the ‘college kids’ you refer to, haven’t been for twenty years, but I see no problem with this behavior. Sports are entertainment and as such should not be taken too seriously. A game is not a state event where we are welcoming foreign dignitaries to our soil. You yourself raise the question of why we even sing the national anthem at sporting events. It’s a game. It’s entertainment. Have fun with it.
You must be absolutely livid with Christina Aguilera. How un-American she must be - okay she actually could be a commie or something - I don’t follow her career.
I just can’t get too worked up about changing the words to a song at a sporting event. We all know the tune to ‘our’ national anthem was lifted from “God Save the Queen”. How patriotic is that? Did you also know that Buffalo Bill Cody was almost single handedly responsible for getting this song made into the national anthem? Seems it was his favorite song. Many would have preferred “America the Beautiful”. Harder to have fun with though: “ …From Chief to shining Chief!”
M Katzfey
2 years, 3 months agoTo OU_Sooner, don’t change someone’s comment around to fit your argument. I was not “… really complaining about the pyrotechnics at the game?!”, to quote you directly. I was only saying it’s not proper DURING the national anthem.
They can play the music as loud as they want, and shoot off whatever they want, just not during the Star Spangled Banner.
Mark Raggett
2 years, 3 months agoSam are you just bored? I mean football season is over and I can totally understand why this would have been brought up during the season, it is just about every season. I personally do not think this action is unpatriotic but I will agree that it really should only happen at Arrowhead and not in other venues where it really doesn’t make much sense. As Americans we have the freedom of speech so we have the right and freedom to yell that at the end of the Star Spangled Banner if we want to. If you do not like it… don’t do it but there’s a lot of people who do enjoy it and will contiue to do it regardless of what you write.
Tyler Dixon
2 years, 3 months agoTo brewkatz, I wasn’t twisting your words, sorry I wasn’t clearer with my choice of words. And I agree with seamus_mumford, I think Sam is just a shockwriter. Turning into another Whitlock. I enjoy 50% of everything he writes and the other is typical journalism, just shock and awe.
Colin Brainard
2 years, 3 months agoCHIEFS fans are not the only ones to do this. Where I now live, Orioles fans scream, en masse, “OOOOOO say does that star spangled…”, and Washington Capitals fans scream, “and the rocket’s RED glare…” because they, like Chiefs fans, value their team and their civic pride.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Huey Lewis was the one who started it, back in the Marty years.
If you are offended by this, I would suggest you stay away from sporting events. It’s a big scary world out there. Whither Posnanski and Whitlock?
Dave Feit
2 years, 3 months agoSo to summarize - no there is not a good reason to do this (other than pride in the local NFL team), but Sam is a snot-nosed punk who will never measure up to Whitlock and Poz simply for asking the question.
Stay classy, Chiefs chanters!
Sam R
2 years, 3 months agoAgain, I think most of the commenters are missing the point of this column. It’s to say that yelling home of the Chiefs AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE is out of place. Allen Fieldhouse is not the home of the Chiefs. It’s not even the same sport.
Aaron Riffie
2 years, 3 months agoThe MU student section(at least some of them) also yell “Chiefs” for MU basketball and football games.
At least this is one area some MU and KU fans can agree on!
Jeremiah Hines
2 years, 3 months agoWhat ever happened to freedom of speech? As another commented earlier: other places around the country do the same thing - i.e. The Redskins fans, Orioles fans, Caps fans (WOW - I never noticed it was all from the DC/Baltimore area). Also at Chicago Blackhawk games they cheer through the ENTIRE song. I don’t see the problem. Arrowhead IS, in fact, the home of the Chiefs.
Actually - the best version of AN Anthem I have heard was in Montreal during the NHL playoffs - those crazy Canucks sang their Canadian Anthem as loud as they could - it was impressive and I envied the fact that they did that and NOT ONE AMERICAN venue I have ever been in has matched their collective effort. Sad, but true. (Although I am a KC native and a fan of the Royals, Chiefs and KU - I work in Philadelphia as a Sports Cameraman. I have heard our anthem at LEAST 2,000 times in the last 17 years).
On the subject of it being done at “The Phog” - I get it - it isn’t Arrowhead or anther venue in DC/Baltimore - so singing: “Home of the Chiefs” doesn’t make sense. I completely agree with the arguement that it doesn’t fit at Allen Fieldhouse. No more than chanting “Home of the Tigers”. But there is a good majority of kids who grew up Chiefs fans in the stands, so let the kids be kids. I wouldn’t do it at “The Phog” but I have done it at Arrowhead. Bottom line? Freedom of speech allows us to sing or cheer what ever we want during the anthem no matter how appropriate or not it is.
Sco Jo
2 years, 3 months agoAt Chiefs games, I think they mostly do it because it’s awesome. Anywhere else, it’s pretty lame. Even the Royals fans don’t pull that and they’re right across the parking lot!
Patrick Horton
2 years, 3 months agoTHANK YOU SAM! Finally somebody said something about this. It is ridiculous that the word brave which represents all those who gave their lives or risked them for this country gets replaced by Chiefs which are a bunch of overpaid, millionaire football players. I’m a huge fan of the Chiefs but it’s still stupid this has to be said, especially at a Royals game or my cousin’s high school basketball game last week or anywhere. I completely agree with you. Thanks again from a veteran.
Ryan Parks
2 years, 3 months agoPeople do this because it’s a tradition. Several posters (in varying degrees of directness) have cited this as a reason. Like any tradition, it serves as a connection between people separated by time and distance.
When I hear it yelled I recall the games I attended as a youth (in the glory days of the 90’s) and still fill some of the awe and amazement that the sights and sounds of arrowhead impressed upon me.
As others have mentioned, it’s an identification mechanism. I attended a game in Seattle at the old Kingdome and, thanks to the yell, located most of the nearby Chiefs fans before the opening kickoff.
To those who say it is unpatriotic: First, I’ve sat next to my grandfather and uncle who collectively have three purple hearts and heard them both bellow with maximal pride, “Chiefs!” at the climax of the anthem of the nation they served. If they don’t think there’s a problem, who are you to say they’re wrong? Second, one of the principles we’ve enshrined in our constitution is freedom of speech. Advocating censorship of something that presents no danger to anyone (other than these apparently prevalent delicate sensibilities) clearly violates this principle. THAT is unpatriotic.
Finally, to those who imply that anyone who yells it is somehow unintelligent or an embarrassing to the fan base: grow up. If you’re too insecure with your community to tolerate the practice, go somewhere else. If you’re too insecure in yourself to refrain from insulting the intelligent of strangers… I guess you’re beyond hope.
Go Chiefs and God bless America.
Ryan Parks
2 years, 3 months agoAlso, as they say, “imitation is the highest form of flattery.” For what it’s worth the hockey fans in St. Louis (where I live) yell “Blues!” during the national anthem at their games.
Josh Mortensen
2 years, 3 months agoI’m more upset with the line “I’m a hard guy to offend”
Sam is easily the most negative writer I’ve ever tried reading. I dare you to find an article that doesn’t involve him complaining about Kansas City
Ugh
Chris Patrick
2 years, 3 months agoSMellinger, you’re worse than the crotchety old man that yells at me to take off my hat during the national anthem. At least the crotchety old man may have fought in some foreign war under hell conditions, albeit to fuel the military-industrial complex while being told that he’s defending our freedom and way of life.
Me, I don’t get as worked up and teary-eyed as you at the sight of flags and sound of anthems. I can love my country and way of life without being blinded by those who would use such imagery to lull us into submission.
So I’ll say “CHIEFS” at the end of the anthem because I enjoy it. It makes me feel good to hear it from 75,000 people at Arrowhead, and I’ve read accounts from opposing players who’ve said it’s one of the most unsettling things they’ve experienced from a hostile crowd. When I’m at another venue, I’ll still say it because it reminds me of those good times. Heck, I live in New York now, and I’ll still say it at a Yankees game, even though I’m the only one, just because it’s automatic.
Try to write an article that isn’t complaining about something mundane.
Ralph Couey
2 years, 3 months agoI’m thinking this isn’t much of a problem in Atlanta. At least during baseball season
Pádraig O'Connell
2 years, 3 months agoIt’s not about what happens at Arrowhead, you morons. Learn to read; this is about Allen Fieldhouse.
Michael Benson
2 years, 3 months agoBoy I now feel stoopid…
I always thought the yelling at the end of the national anthem started 30+ years ago at Bonner Springs High School games. Of course, they are the BRAVES.