Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs headlines for Thursday, February 6
Why did everyone turn on Chiefs? Explaining hate for sports dynasties | USA Today
The question isn’t so much whether this phenomenon exists in sports fandom, particularly in the United States, but why. And while psychologists have a few theories, they say research doesn’t provide a clear answer.
“We like underdogs. We like novelty. We like things that are unexpected,” said Tufts University psychology professor Sam Sommers, who co-authored a 2016 book on fandom titled “This is Your Brain on Sports*.*” “I think that’s my best sort of hypothesis for why it is: That it gets old quickly. We want to move on to something new and be surprised.”
According to survey data published Tuesday by data and technology company Numerator, 46% of the people who plan to watch Sunday’s game will be cheering for the Eagles, compared to 39% supporting the Chiefs. Yet among the Eagles supporters, nearly 1 in 4 said they were only cheering for Philadelphia because they want to see the Chiefs lose.
Some NFL fans would chalk this up to simple “Chiefs fatigue.” Since its first Super Bowl win of this run, in the 2019 season, the team has constantly been in the limelight − and two of its key players, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, have blossomed into all-around celebrities even outside the world of sports. (Kelce’s relationship with pop star Taylor Swift has only added to the perceived over-saturation.)
Super Bowl picks: Experts predict Chiefs-Eagles score, MVP | ESPN
The Chiefs have the advantage, 41-26
Of the 67 experts who weighed in, the Chiefs were favored by 41 of them (61.2%), while the Eagles claimed 26 votes (38.8%).
The Public’s Picks
The most common score predictions were 27-24 (picked by 10 of our experts), 27-23 (five) and 31-28 (five). The lowest combined total was 31 (17-14); the highest was 73 (38-35). The largest margin of victory predicted was 14 points (38-24). And 63 experts said this game will be decided by a touchdown or less.
Betting notes: ESPN BET currently favors Kansas City by 1.5 points, and the over/under is 49.5 points. Of the experts in this pool, 55 have the game going over that total, while 12 like the under.
The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls, and well, there’s a reason that’s never happened. At some point, you run into a team that’s designed to beat you and I feel like the Eagles match up with the Chiefs better than any team Kansas City has faced this season.
Is that the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra I hear? I think it is.
I’m starting to hear that song in...
