Kansas City fans revel in Super Bowl, sports success

LAS VEGAS (KMIZ)

Kathy Coker made sure she had plenty of red Kansas City Chiefs gear to match the football team's jerseys for Super Bowl LVIII.

On Friday, her first day in Las Vegas, she sported a red Chiefs hat, KC earrings and a red jersey that said "Shut Up Tony Romo."

"He's smart," Coker said of the CBS color commentator who will be calling the game on Sunday. "He knows his game. Maybe I'm a little hypersensitive, but he's pretty hard on us."

Coker and her husband, Corey, have joined the thousands of Chiefs fans who made the trip to Las Vegas for the game. The Wichita, Kansas, couple have been fans for years, tailgating with a group at Gate 5 of Arrowhead Stadium. The two have watched the team grow into one of the NFL's perennial Super Bowl contenders, making six straight AFC title games and playing in four of the last five Super Bowls.

The region has celebrated more than just the Chiefs' success recently. Kansas City hosted the NFL Draft in 2023. The Kansas City Current of the NWSL will open its stadium by the Missouri River this year. The city will host several World Cup soccer matches in 2026.

"It's just been insane," Corey Coker said. "There's always something going on. It's a Chiefs town and it always will be."

Shauna Ware, a Kansas City native now in Dallas and visiting Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, said she's enjoyed watching the success of the region through the Chiefs.

"It actually put us on the map," Ware said. "Football is an American sport, and Mahomes bringing this good energy has put us on the map."