SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will be making their third trip to the Superbowl in four years and many fans — especially here in the Ozarks — are hitting up stores trying to secure Chiefs gear.
Fastbreak Sports in Springfield is a sports memorabilia shop that sells merchandise from almost every major professional sports team.
Michael Collins, an employee with Fastbreak says even during the Chiefs’ rebuilding years, the love and support from fans here in the Ozarks never wavered.
“So, the great thing about Chiefs fans: even in the down times, they have been supportive. Five times in the AFC Championships, three times in the Super Bowl now. The influx in customers, the fan base, has been so prominent. It’s a kingdom, they call it,” said Collins.
But Chiefs fans aren’t the only ones who made an appearance at the store.
Collins told me that just before I walked in, an Eagles fan came to the store to buy a couple of Eagles items.
It’s something Collins said is really unique to them because they get to serve multiple fan bases.
“Not only do we have the Chiefs fans, but we do have the Eagles fans,” Collins said. “We have the Bengals fans. everybody who really either competes with any other team. We provide all of that for them.”
With the Kansas City Chiefs continuing to play championship football, Collins says fans come into the store to not just buy a jersey but everything from sunglasses to spatulas.
Collins said because they sell gear from all 32 NFL teams, whether it would’ve been the Eagles or the 49ers playing the Chiefs this Sunday, fans would’ve shown up in support like Chiefs fans have done for the past 30 years.