Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan took to the podium on Monday to discuss a variety of important topics going into the 2021 season and beyond. Among those subjects included his vision of where the Chiefs are heading as a brand at an international scale.
Since the NFL’s Europa League ceased operations in 2007, the league has made a significant point of emphasis to find ways to expand their brand overseas each year. Kansas City has participated in two of these international games, playing the Detroit Lions in 2015 and taking on the Las Angeles Chargers in 2019.
Part of the NFL’s focus to expand their brand past U.S. borders is by ensuring top players that are considered icons get the national spotlight for such occasions. In the eyes of Donovan, no one in the league’s more iconic than quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Patrick is iconic, and he’s not alone,” said Donovan. “We think about the other players on our team and their social presence, their personalities. We feel like we are at a very unique, powerful point in our franchise, and there is a responsibility. I talk a lot about being prepared for success. There is a responsibility in our organization to utilize every opportunity to continue to grow, and international is one of the biggest lights that are out there for us. The league has done something in the past year, and hopefully, it will be finalized [in] the fourth quarter this year. It will allow franchisees to designate countries to be able to market into. And we are going extremely aggressively after that for exactly that reason. We’re going to maximize ‘right now.’”
While there have been various talented Chiefs that have come and gone through the club’s rich 62-year history, there’s no question the current state of the team is the best they’ve ever been and that is something Donovan recognizes.
“Patrick [Mahomes] and [Travis] Kelce and others… they’re well known worldwide,” said Donovan. “We’ve got to maximize that. We’ve got to take advantage of that. And we have the people, we have the process, we now have the opportunity with the league, and we absolutely think that’s one of the big growth opportunities for us,” he explained. “That sets you up for the future when you think about what we do in the organization, to be able to sit here today and to be able to say, ‘We were part of growing this,’ so that 10 years from now, we’re a worldwide team and we’ve got to do that right now.”
Donovan also took a moment to express how excited he is about the Chiefs’ 2021 season schedule and particularly the teams that will be traveling to Arrowhead Stadium this fall. Aside from their AFC West foes, the Chiefs will host the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
“This may be the most exciting home schedule in the history of our franchise when you think about not only the teams but [also] where the teams are within their success right now. So from a fan perspective, it’s off the charts.”
From an economic standpoint, Donovan has high expectations that One Arrowhead Drive will be THE place to watch an NFL game in 2021 and expects fans across the league to travel to Kansas City as the Chiefs’ brand continues to grow on an international scale.
“We’ve become this international brand, we’ve become this brand of iconic players,” said Donovan. “Here’s the thing that our fans have to be aware of… and we see it already through ticket sales: we’re a bucket list destination, with the most amazing opponents coming in with their fan bases. You’re going to see a lot of Browns fans at Arrowhead for that first game. You’re going to see a lot of Cowboys fans. You’re going to see a lot of Packers fans. You’re going to see a lot of Steelers fans,” he declared. “It’s reality. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I would say this: that we challenge the ‘Kingdom’ to make sure that they leave here with their ears hurting and [make sure] they understand what the Arrowhead experience is.”
