by Pa Rock
As I sit typing this with just one hand, it is Sunday afternoon a couple of hours before the beginning of Super Bowl LVII. This year's big game is being held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the Arizona Cardinals play football. I lived in Air Force housing at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, just off of Glendale Avenue from 2012 until 2014, and my home was less than two miles from the stadium.
This week I am in Roeland Park, Kansas, recuperating from a broken arm. Roeland Park is a suburb of Kansas City, and, as such, it is appropriately bedecked in Kansas City Chiefs decorations, clothing, and merchandise. The Chiefs normally play at Arrowhead Stadium which is on the Missouri side of the line, but they have plenty of supporters in Kansas!
Some celebrities, and in particular some Republican politicians, seem to have trouble understanding just exactly where Kansas City is, or that there are actually two Kansas Cities, the iconic one with the skyscrapers and major sports venues, theaters , and “riverboat” casinos in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other, a more restrained urban area in Kansas.
The fact that there are two Kansas Cities has led to some complaints and even jeers when a celebrity takes to the stage in Kansas City, Missouri, and begins their performance by commenting on how great it is to be back in Kansas.
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in February of 2020, Donald John Trump, a clueless and not-popularly-elected President of the United States, tweeted this little gem from aboard Air Force One as he was taking his weekly free ride from Washington, DC, to Miami, Florida:
The current clueless politician of the year is another Republican, Missouri’s Senator Josh Hawley. Senator Hawley, who owns a nice home in Virginia but has no fixed abode – nor even a recliner – in Missouri, joined in a hoary old tradition of wagering a local product against a local product of an equivalent office holder from the state of the opposing team. Hawley bet some Kansas City barbecued brisket against some Ohio barbecued ribs put up by Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio back when KC played Cincinnati to advance to the Super Bowl
Hawley’s bet with Vance was problematic because he wagered Kansas barbecue from a place that does not have any outlets in Missouri! Former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill has offered to meet Hawley in Kansas City, Missouri, and introduce him to some real barbecue from the state that he claims to represent in the United States Senate.
It is now several hours later and the Super Bowl – which Kansas City won 38-35 – is history. Tim and Erin hosted a Super Bowl get-together at their place, my first ever. It was interesting and fun. As soon as the game ended, neighbors began pouring out of their Kansas homes and into the streets – streets which were already alive with the sights and sounds of fireworks. The steady banging of fireworks along with joyous shouts from the neighborhood went on for more than an hour.
I still have problems with politicians who don’t understand the geography of their own nation or state, but after last night I am more acutely aware that the Kansas City Chiefs represent two states, and not just one.
And last night the Kansas City Chiefs made both if those states - Missouri and Kansas - proud.
Go Chiefs!
This week I am in Roeland Park, Kansas, recuperating from a broken arm. Roeland Park is a suburb of Kansas City, and, as such, it is appropriately bedecked in Kansas City Chiefs decorations, clothing, and merchandise. The Chiefs normally play at Arrowhead Stadium which is on the Missouri side of the line, but they have plenty of supporters in Kansas!
Some celebrities, and in particular some Republican politicians, seem to have trouble understanding just exactly where Kansas City is, or that there are actually two Kansas Cities, the iconic one with the skyscrapers and major sports venues, theaters , and “riverboat” casinos in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other, a more restrained urban area in Kansas.
The fact that there are two Kansas Cities has led to some complaints and even jeers when a celebrity takes to the stage in Kansas City, Missouri, and begins their performance by commenting on how great it is to be back in Kansas.
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in February of 2020, Donald John Trump, a clueless and not-popularly-elected President of the United States, tweeted this little gem from aboard Air Force One as he was taking his weekly free ride from Washington, DC, to Miami, Florida:
“Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great, and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure. You represented the Great State of Kansas and, in fact, the entire USA so very well. Our country is PROUD OF YOU.”
The current clueless politician of the year is another Republican, Missouri’s Senator Josh Hawley. Senator Hawley, who owns a nice home in Virginia but has no fixed abode – nor even a recliner – in Missouri, joined in a hoary old tradition of wagering a local product against a local product of an equivalent office holder from the state of the opposing team. Hawley bet some Kansas City barbecued brisket against some Ohio barbecued ribs put up by Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio back when KC played Cincinnati to advance to the Super Bowl
Hawley’s bet with Vance was problematic because he wagered Kansas barbecue from a place that does not have any outlets in Missouri! Former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill has offered to meet Hawley in Kansas City, Missouri, and introduce him to some real barbecue from the state that he claims to represent in the United States Senate.
It is now several hours later and the Super Bowl – which Kansas City won 38-35 – is history. Tim and Erin hosted a Super Bowl get-together at their place, my first ever. It was interesting and fun. As soon as the game ended, neighbors began pouring out of their Kansas homes and into the streets – streets which were already alive with the sights and sounds of fireworks. The steady banging of fireworks along with joyous shouts from the neighborhood went on for more than an hour.
I still have problems with politicians who don’t understand the geography of their own nation or state, but after last night I am more acutely aware that the Kansas City Chiefs represent two states, and not just one.
And last night the Kansas City Chiefs made both if those states - Missouri and Kansas - proud.
Go Chiefs!
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