Running down the field, Kara Miller, senior, carried the American flag across the snowy turf of Arrowhead Stadium at a Kansas City Chiefs home game in the sixth grade.

“With my family being season ticket members, we gain points we can use to participate in game-day experiences,” Miller said.

Miller has gone to Chiefs home games since she was young, and she said some of her favorite experiences have been the pregame events.

“We got to do things such as throw inflatable cheeseburgers into a gigantic cornhole,” Miller said. “It was weird, but fun things like this are what have always stuck out to me.”

Sunday Jan. 28 was the AFC Conference Championship and Miller’s family gathered with neighbors and friends to watch the game.

“The whole time everyone was just yelling, people jumping up and down,” Miller said.

Chiefs v. 49ers

With the Chief’s AFC Conference victory against the Baltimore Ravens, they have moved on to play in the Super Bowl this Sunday. If they manage to win, it will be their third Super Bowl victory within the past five years, allowing the Chiefs to be considered an NFL Dynasty.

“I think this would be so cool,” Miller said. “I’ve been watching the Chiefs for 10 years, watching them since they couldn’t even make it past the first round of playoffs. It’s been cool to see how far the team has come since we got Mahomes.”

Arnav Busani, senior, takes annual trips to San Francisco to visit family and watch his favorite NFL team, the 49ers, play.

Busani said he got to know the team through traveling to the city so often, and when Christian McCaffery, one of his favorite players, joined the 49ers, he became fully invested in the sport. Busani said he loves attending games in person because of the stadium’s livelihood compared to watching games on TV.

“It feels so real,” Busani said. “Being able to hear the crowd erupt any time a play happens is always super cool.”

With the 49ers making it to this season’s Super Bowl, this will be their second time playing the Chiefs in a Super Bowl matchup, and Busani said the 49ers have what it takes to win.

He said the 49ers as a team are entirely different compared to their last Super Bowl, with a new quarterback and running back Busani said are better.

“I also think just minimizing mistakes and not letting Mahomes throw for so many yards would definitely help them win,” Busani said. “Though I do also like the Chiefs because they’re the home team, so I hope they both have a good game.”

Forever Fans

Growing up for six years in New Orleans, surrounded by the culture of the New Orleans Saints, Wesley Miller, freshman, has been a loyal Saints football fan since birth.

“I went to a few games when I was pretty young, but now since I’m living in St. Louis, I’ll watch their games on TV whenever I can,” Miller said. “I’d love to go to another game. It’s a great atmosphere, and I love watching football.”

The love of the Saints is something Miller said he and his family have always shared.

“On Sunday afternoons when they’re playing, everyone will get together in the same room and watch the Saints play,” Miller said. “It’s pretty cool that it’s something that can really bring us together.”

Kevin Schultz, language arts teacher, became a committed Chicago Bears fan through a cherished childhood experience.

“I was watching the game with my grandparents, and I remember watching William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry score a touchdown,” Schultz said. “It brought my family so much joy and I became captivated by the moment, and from then on I’ve been a Bears fan.”

Staying committed to a team for Schultz comes from having an interest that is planted and, when rooted, never leaves.

“I’ll watch and enjoy any NFL team play, but every year what I really want would be for the Bears to win the Super Bowl,” Schultz said. “They’ll always be my team.”

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on February 5, 2024.