Chiefs – shannoninkansascity

Travis Kelce’s 87 and Running Walk the Walk

Last Thursday I attended Walk the Walk in downtown Kansas City, MO. Walk the Walk is a fashion show that is sponsored by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce that benefits a children’s charity called Operation Breakthrough. I learned about the event on Travis’ Facebook page and decided to go. I like to go out to various events in the city and I thought it would be fun to be around and maybe meet Travis Kelce.

I have had a crush on Travis for about two years now. I think it all started when I saw him Hit the Quan in the end zone that one Sunday a few season’s back. So I decided to test God’s will and see if it is in His plan for us to be together. I figured I had to put myself in position to be hit on by Mr. Kelce. Well evidently Travis isn’t my happily ever after because his girlfriend was there.

After buying my ticket for the event I found out that Travis had one. I felt a little cheated and I thought about not even taking the time to go. But I decided to go and support the children. Why not? It’s something out of the ordinary to do and it was a charity to benefit underprivileged children after all and not spinsters looking to date much younger professional athletes.

If you’re thinking about going next year and you would like to meet Travis you should. He makes himself accessible and he works the room. He’s not shy at all and is quite the talker. After the fashion show he said that he would stay around to meet everyone and take pictures.

I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity. He’s in a relationship now and I didn’t want to embarrass myself by fan girling out too bad. I’m unsure of how I would have reacted if I made direct eye contact with him. If he was unattended I may have had something to say but with his date in the room I had nothing.

But anyway, it was a lovely event that supported a great cause. Drinks and finger foods were served and the fashions were nice. I would actually considering going again next year regardless of Travis or my relationship status.

My Analysis of “Catching Kelce””

I know I’m way late. But I was a bit busy. In fact I didn’t even see the finale of “Catching Kelce” at the time it aired a few weeks ago. I had to have my mom DVR it for me and I watched it several days later. For those of you that don’t know, “Catching Kelce” was a dating show patterned after the “Bachelor” where Kansas City Chiefs tight end looked for love from a group of fifty starry eyed NFL wife hopefuls. I thought about trying out for the show myself but I am far too old. Yes, I looked into it.

I’ll skip right to the end. He picked a young woman from Kentucky named Maya Benberry. I was glad that he picked Maya because she is Black or at least mixed or something. I always cheer on Black people regardless of the contest. It could be the Olympics, a pageant, pro sports, political election or game shows. Before you label me a racist keep in mind that Black women are the least likely demographic to get married. And if you’ve ever watched “The Bachelor” you know that the Black women rarely even make the qualifying round. I’m a Black woman so I support Black people especially women. And regardless of race, if I was a betting woman I would always put my money on the long shot. Black girls are the long shot in everything.

So I’m really glad to see a handsome prosperous bachelor choosing a Black woman but I kind of wish he hadn’t picked that one. Maya was actually one of my least favorite people on the show and even from the field of Black women on the show I think he could have chosen better. I hope Travis is happy because I love him but I just don’t see it. But hind sight is 20/20 and I think she was his favorite from the start. The heart wants what the heart wants I suppose.

My favorite contestant on “Catching Kelce” was Cee Cee from Michigan. I thought she was super cute with a bubbly personality. She was light hearted, funny and didn’t seem to take the show too seriously. But I will say that the idea of Cee Cee and Travis operating as a couple gave me pause. If you are familiar with Travis you know that a pairing between him and a somewhat vapid party girl that enjoys drinking whose friends refer to her as “the Reckless One” may not be the best help mate from an athlete that was once described as having character flaws. Nonetheless Cee Cee was the greatest and I wish her well in life.

I was also fond of Avery. I saw a lot of myself in her. Avery has a reserved personality and was a bit mysterious. I think that Avery is an old fashioned woman that expects a man to earn her love, attention and affection even if you are an NFL star. She didn’t compete heavily with the other women for Travis nor did she dangle her body in front of him like Christmas ornament. I can tell that Avery wants to take her time in order to get to know a man.

People these days like instant validation. They don’t want to take the time to search a person’s mind and heart. The focus is usually sexual gratification, personal validation or ownership. That’s why romance is rare in these modern times. I don’t believe you can ever really fall in love with a person without learning their mind, heart and soul. Intimacy takes time but most don’t want to invest the time. Even Travis said that Avery was a lot of work because of her somewhat aloof personality. But maybe he was right. She might just not been that into him.

The two girls left standing at the finale in Kansas City were Maya and Veronica. They were two of the most competitive and assertive women on the show. They also both have huge boobs. The lovely blonde Veronica from New Jersey was the runner up. I liked Veronica. She seemed like fun and I think she would have been a good pick for Travis. I’m not concerned for her in the least. I’ll bet she ends up marrying one of the Philadelphia Eagles. She would probably like that better anyway.

Anyway, congratulations to Travis and Maya. I hope the two of them get married and turn the wedding into an E! channel special. I will be sure to tune in. But if it doesn’t work out I hope that there will be a “Catching Kelce II”. I know how difficult it can be to date in Kansas City. I understand Travis. So if there is a “Catching Kelce II” I hope they relax the age restrictions.

The Reason I’m a Sports Fan – Shannon in Kansas City

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It’s time for the NFL Playoffs. My favorite team, the Detroit Lions didn’t make the Playoffs and my second favorite team the Kansas City Chiefs lost in the second round which ended their season. Watching sports on TV or in person has become one of my favorite past times.

Sporting events are one of only a few examples of wholesome programming on TV. Almost everything on television these days is a vapid reality show, a show about murder or something that I consider to be demonic. I enjoy a few of the Real Housewife shows but all of the subsequent casts have saturated the airwaves with manufactured images of selfish, mean and sometimes violent women.

There are dozens upon dozens of TV shows about murder. “CSI”, “Forensic Files”, “Snapped”, “The First 48” are all compelling series but geez Louise don’t people get tired of stories about people killing other people. I sure do. And all of these shows use graphic and explicit images. I get it. He got his throat cut. I don’t need the bloody visual thank you very much.

Almost everything else on TV is somehow demonic and dark sided in nature. I don’t have much interest in zombies, vampires or people that communicate with the dead. At least I’m not interested enough to watch a weekly series about these subjects.

So much of American television programming is devoted to the occult, violence and reality TV that glorifies people for behaving in a way that would never be accepted in day to day life. It’s great to see a celebration of youth, strength, fitness and hard work. That’s what sports competitions are to me.

In a largely sedentary country with an obesity problem it’s great to see physically fit people using their bodies to reach accomplishments and earn a living. Seeing athletes on TV inspires me to get off the couch and move around. And they all look great. I have to say that some professional athletes are made of stardust. Stardust is the active ingredient in all of our dreams.

I think that athletes are so glamorous. They are young, rich and have the world by the tail. I love it and I wish it was me. I know that they are only human and they have personal struggles like we all do. In fact, when you follow the careers of athletes you know that a pro career is full of struggle. But I don’t know any of these guys personally and I only know what I see on TV and in the stadiums. And it is absolutely lovely and inspiring.

Professional athletes are great role models for children and all the rest of us. They are young, prosperous, athletic and in the prime of their lives. Many of them came from disadvantaged backgrounds and now they appear before crowds of thousands and millions on TV. The real stars are attractive, articulate and have a lot of personality. I sure want to be like that. I’m constantly working on it.

I’m glad for the NFL, NBA and MLB. There would be very little worthwhile to watch on TV without it. And they give us young stars to admire that will one day be legends that we remember with fondness and pride. In a world filled with divisions the camaraderie amongst fans transcends race and economic background. It is a thrill to watch a man fight for his pride and childhood dreams. There is nothing else like it. I love it!

#ChiefsKingdom #OnePride

Night Life Dress Code – Shannon in Kansas City

One of my new year resolutions was to practice and improve my Latin dance skills. There is a dance club in a casino in my area that has a Latin themed night every few weeks. I decided to go last night. I was in a festive mood because the Kansas City Chiefs won their first round playoff game.

When I got dressed for the club I decided to show my Kansas City Chiefs spirit and wear my Chiefs jersey, skinny black pants and high heeled black leather boots. It was feminine, cute and appropriate for that day in history. You’ll just have to take my word for it there are no pictures.

I showed up to the dance club and the bouncer said that they don’t allow sports jerseys. I turned and walked away without saying anything even though I was very offended and upset by this. I have been to this club before. It is not a high fashion crowd nor is Latin Night at the Voo Doo Lounge at Harrah’s Casino a black tie affair.

I later called the VooDoo Lounge and spoke with a supervisor about their policy. I asked what they assumed about me because I was wearing a sports jersey. He said he didn’t assume anything and that many people were turned away that night for wearing sports jerseys. He apologized and I believe he was sincere. I’m sure he’s not the person that makes these rules. But that did not make me feel any better about what happened.

I am African American, youngish (people think I’m a lot younger than what I am.) and I had on a sports jersey. I felt as if I had been profiled as a gang banger or some type of criminal. I’ve managed to live a pretty straight laced and somewhat accomplished life so far so this was pretty insulting to me.

I don’t exactly have a problem with night clubs having dress codes. I wouldn’t mind if they required men to wear suits and ties and women wear dresses or dress slacks and blouses. The problem that I have with night club dress codes is that they tend to be racist.

Night club dress codes tend to read as follows:

No jerseys
No plain white tees
No scarves or bandanas
No gym shoes

I even read about a dance club once having a policy that read:

No dreadlocks

All of these things are what some call urban culture and urban is synonymous with Black. They are pretty much saying that Blacks should stay away unless you conform to the mainstream norm. In their mind they are saying Blacks can come in as long as you act more White.

I have never heard of a night club with a policy that reads:

No tattoos
No body piercings
No unnaturally colored hair
No Doc Martins
No motorcycle related wear

I’ve never heard of a policy such as that and I couldn’t even imagine one like it being made or enforced. No business establishment wants to insult potential White patrons like that. The same establishments don’t extend the same respect to it’s potential Black clientele. Night club dress codes are just an indirect way to discriminate against Blacks.