Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are showing solidarity with the George Floyd protests.
The Chiefs are still celebrating their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, and we don’t blame them. Yet, recent protests nationwide over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis have rightfully convinced them to halt such exuberance — at least for now.
Kansas City’s ReLIV campaign, which honored the team’s Super Bowl LIV title, was supposed to resume this week. Given the circumstances, the team is calling a timeout.
Patrick Mahomes and the entire Chiefs organization have given statements on the horrible video that has led to protests around the country, revealing their shock and disgust towards police violence and murder in the African-American community.
The Chiefs are delaying their ReLIV campaign until further notice.
“Part of the mission of the Chiefs is to ‘Unite Our Community,’ and we need unity now more than ever. We will get back to bringing you updates and an inside look at your team in the days to come, but for now, we encourage you to listen to, learn from, and most importantly, love one another,” the Chiefs said in a statement.
While most NFL fans are already looking forward to next season, Kansas City has given Chiefs Kingdom the opportunity to relive what, for most of them, has been the only Super Bowl title in their lifetime. Placing such celebrations on hold is not easy, but necessary due to the civil unrest we currently face as a country.
Without the obvious distractions at our fingertips, sports fans have nowhere to look to avert their eyes from such discomfort. All current “Core Four” American sports have suspended play, and NFL training camp is still months away.
Despite how painful it may be, facing such challenges is a necessity now more than ever, as we’ve been presented with an opportunity to make real change in a community which has been trying to speak directly to politicians and the general public for centuries.
It’s about time we listen to what’s important.