These past few weeks have been extremely satisfying ones for any KC sports fans out there. Just the other night, Justin Maxwell ended the Royals home season with a walk off grand slam in the 10^th inning for a 4-0 win over the Rangers. The MLB team is now ranked third in the ACL and in my opinion, has a good chance of making the playoffs.  Sporting KC defeated Toronto FC 2-1 Saturday and is now preparing for the final playoff stretch. The team is currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Red Bulls with a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, and 6 ties.

Now for a team I never thought I would be writing about as it pertains to success…. the Chiefs. The NFL team is notorious for their losing seasons and only won 2 games last year. However, many loyal fans are delighted with the 3-0 run the Chiefs appear to be on currently. This is the first time they have such a record in 16 seasons, and things are looking up.

Let’s take a look at why the Chiefs are doing so well.

One of the more important changes made in the Chiefs organization is the replacement of Romeo Crennel with Andy Reid. Reid was the head coach in Philadelphia from 1999-2012, and led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and the Super Bowl in ’04 when the team went 13-3. He ended his career in Philly with a record of 133-93.

As head coach with the Chiefs, Reid has put 53 players on his roster. Reid is notorious for throwing the ball a lot, it is no surprise he has slotted in six wide receivers and three tight ends. As of now, only one of these players is reliable, so it can be assumed he is hoping that this quantity will turn to quality in time. However, this bounty of pass-catchers means not as many offensive linemen. There are only eight on the O-Line this year, which means injuries will be a huge concern. These players will need to remain healthy throughout the season or Reid will be forced to trade one of his receivers for another lineman. The special teams will be fantastic this year, and I’m predicting they will be one of the best in the league with quite a few players doubling up on positions. Again, there aren’t too many surprises in the back field. KC has a new quarter back in Alex Smith who is a cautious player. He isn’t a big shot, and I don’t think he ever will be, but he is consistent, accurate, and doesn’t crack under pressure like Matt Cassel or Brady Quinn.

However, the biggest reason the Chiefs have experienced some early success is their defense. The team plays a 3-4 formation this year, and their defensive tackles and linemen have stepped up their game and been more consistent. So far, the defense has allowed on average only 11.3 points per game (admittedly, the 28-2 win over Jacksonville might have helped). They will have to carry the team early on in the season so the offense can get in a good scoring position.

Due to an undefeated record thus far, I can always tell when a Chiefs game is on. My twitter timeline fills with comments like “CHIEFS!” and “Love my chiefs *cue football emoji and red and yellow hearts*” and “That pick six was sick”. While the continuous updates on the game are fantastic, I think it’s time we embrace the idea that not everyone is as big a fan as they say they are. You know who I’m talking about…. the fair weather fans.

Before I continue, let me straight up tell you I am not a hardcore Chiefs fan. Actually, I can’t really even call myself a fan at all. I watched a few of their games last season and felt a pull in my gut when they lost, but other than that their season did not concern me in the least. This year, I’ve watched all their games thus far, and while I’m glad they are doing well, I am not getting too worked up over their success.

A fair weather fan is defined as a fan of a sports team that only shows support while the team is doing well. During hard times, they mysteriously disappear and bandwagon onto other teams with more success. While they call themselves “dedicated fans” these people have no real loyalty to any team and seem to have their hearts set on annoying me with their pseudo support. I think any true fans of any team can agree… there is nothing more annoying than trying to hold a conversation about your team with a fair weather fan.

As the Chiefs have received a large amount of media for their performances, the fair weather fan bandwagon’s next stop is KC.  There are a few things to remember when spotting these faulty supporters out.

1. Whenever asked, “Who is your favorite team?” the fair weather fan (FWF for future reference) will reply with the best team in the league and give some see through reason as to why they support them.

Example: “Oh I’ve always liked the Chiefs!” When you saw them wearing an Eagles jersey just last week.

2. Once their “team” faces a loss or failure, the FWF will exhibit dislike and claim they never liked that team anyway.

Example: When the Chiefs lose, a fair weather fan would say, “Well they had it coming to them, the Chiefs suck. I never liked them anyway.”

3. If you spot them wearing a brand new jersey that has never been worn before, that’s probably a sign they realized they needed to start looking the part.

4. If the FWF does not know any of the players and cannot participate in any analysis of how the team plays, your warning alarms should be sounding in your head.

Example: “So who is the quarter back for the Chiefs?” – seasoned fan                                                                                                                                                         “Oh… you know… number 10 or 11 or something” – FWF

5. Upon accusation, the FWF tends to get very defensive and deny any affiliation with such an act.

Who knows how long the Chiefs will keep their winning streak going? No one really does given the inconsistency of the team’s performance in the past.  However, if the run continues, the bandwagoners will begin to trickle into Arrowhead in large masses. So my advice is, keep a lookout but don’t let them spoil your fun. Cheer on your Chiefs, win or lose, and don’t let those fair weather fans convert you to their lifestyle. And to all you fair weather fans out there—you know who you are—try picking a team and sticking with them for a season. Through their ups and downs, successes and failures… it’ll do you some good and give the rest of us a break from your incessant boasting on how your “team” is the best.