KC Royals: Did Royals Title Somehow Inspire The KC Chiefs?

Is it possible that the KC Royals run to the 2015 World Series title triggered the Kansas City Chiefs’ current seven-game winning streak?

The KC Royals began World Series play against the New York Mets on Oct. 27, 2015. At the time, the Kansas City Chiefs stood 1-5 after losing offensive centerpiece Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs have reeled off seven straight victories since that day. and are now playoff contenders at 8-5.

Honestly, any connection between the two events seems unlikely. The teams play different sports. Though the Chiefs and Royals are co-residents of the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, they inhabit two entirely separate stadiums. Logic suggests the Chiefs’ winning streak and the Kansas City Royals World Series win are just a happy coincidence.

Yet, the two teams are aware of one another. They’re millionaire athletes who play in the same community. As young, rich men about town, they inevitably run into each other at social events, restaurants, and nightclubs across the city.

If nothing else, the Kansas City Chiefs live in the same community. Given the dominance of everything Royals on radio, TV, and internet media the KC Chiefs were inundated with Kansas City Royals’ mania like everyone else in Kansas City.

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To me, there are only two possible affects that the KC Royals World Series victory could have had on the Chiefs: 1) the KC Royals “never say die” comeback wins in the playoffs could have helped the Chiefs believe they could overcome a 1-5 start, and 2) the outpouring of civic adulation for everything Royals could have inspired enough envy that the Chiefs found the mental edge to “get over the hump”. Once the victories started pile up, they gained momentum.

I don’t really buy into either theory. The KC Chiefs didn’t strike me as a team that lacked confidence. Remember, this is a roster that has reeled off two straight winning seasons ever since Andy Reid took over as coach, and Alex Smith took over at quarterback.

To me, the Chiefs poor start was more about a defense with four key players (SS Eric Berry, DE Mike DeVito, ILB Derrick Johnson, and NT Dontari Poe) starting the season trying to find their footing after suffering serve injuries the previous season; and an offense with an unsettled line. Add those two factors to a tough opening schedule, and their 1-5 start wasn’t really surprising when you consider that bad bounces contributed to early losses against Denver and Chicago.

No matter what reason tells me, however, there’s still a corner of my brain that wants to buy into the notion that winning is contagious. Maybe I simply want to make sense of two unlikely simultaneous events by presuming one caused the other. Maybe I simply don’t accept truism that correlation does not imply causation at a gut level. Or maybe I want to think that the KC Royals title can also make some improbable, but longed for success, in my own life more likely to occur.

Next: What The KC Royals Know About Pitching That Their Rivals Don't

Whatever the reason, KC Royals fans shouldn’t really overthink what’s happening to the sports teams in our city. We should just enjoy it.