Dynasty or dynasty-busters: Which team to root for in Super Bowl LIX

Between the lines: While there won't be a need for Donna Kelce to split her allegiance this time around, fans whose team didn't make the game may still be trying to decide which team is worth rooting for: the dynasty or the dynasty busters.

We're here to help.

Case for the Chiefs

1. The chance to witness history

The first Super Bowl in NFL history was in 1967 and it featured the Green Bay Packers versus the Chiefs. KC lost that game, so it's only fitting that a team that played in Super Bowl I should become the first franchise to win three straight.

• Plus, three-peats in professional sports are rare. The NFL has never seen one. The last in the NBA came from 1999–2002; the MLB in 1998–2000 and NHL 1979–1983.

2. Another one for the Swifties

Yes, Taylor Swift is still dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Yes, she will more than likely be in attendance.

• Don't hate on it, embrace it. Swift has single-handedly raised the NFL's profile by becoming a somewhat regular at Chiefs games as she supports her beau.
• Not to mention Paul Rudd, who is a lifelong Chiefs fan and jokingly described watching the team in the Super Bowl as an awful experience.

3. Patrick Mahomes is generational

Sometimes, fans of a sport don't appreciate just how good a player has been until their prime has passed.

• Don't let that be the case with Mahomes. Since he's been in the league, he's done nothing but win. He's 89-23 as a starter, has two MVPs under his belt and is already a three-time Super Bowl champ.
• The torch from Tom Brady has clearly been passed and Mahomes will be the guy to beat for as long as he chooses to play in the NFL.

4. It's hard to not root for Andy Reid

Since he arrived in 2013, Reid hasn't lost a single season as the Chiefs' head coach.

• His national profile has also risen substantially with appearances in State Farm and Snickers commercials.

5. Chiefs Kingdom has earned it

When winning starts to happen, it's easy to be spoiled. That's not the case for Chiefs Kingdom.

• Fans continue to pack out road games, have made Arrowhead Stadium one of the hardest places to play (8-0 at home this season), and take over the end of the national anthem, declaring each site the "home of the Chieeeeffffssss."

Case for the Eagles

1. The chance to dethrone a dynasty

A ruling class in football is antithetical to our democratic roots.

• We're architects of freedom, not fiefdom. We're blue-collar, not blue bloods. We're Gritty, not glamorous.

Kansas City, which even calls its baseball team the Royals, has been spoiled with championships. Philly is looking for its second.

2. It's hard TO root for Andy Reid

Yes, Reid was wildly successful in his 14 seasons in Philly. But "Big Red" is a turncoat who's switched up since leaving in 2012.

• Now, having reaped the spoils of Chiefs championship success, he's moonlighting as a celebrity pitchman, appearing in annoying "Bundlerooski" commercials with Mahomes.

Nick Sirianni has a strong case for surpassing Reid as the Birds' best coach if he beats him in the Super Bowl.

• Sirianni just joined Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin as the only head coaches to take their teams to the Super Bowl twice in their first four seasons.
• Plus, Reid already has three Super Bowl rings with KC. He could never win the big one in Philly, so he kinda owes us one.

3. Celebrities don't make the Eagles. The Eagles make celebrities

Sure, Philly's got celebrity fans like actor Bradley Cooper and comedian Kevin Hart. But here, you get knighted for simply being devoted.

Case in point: Regular people have been transformed into sports influencers with huge followings.

• A struggling author was catapulted to the top of Amazon's best-seller list after A.J. Brown read his book on the sidelines.
• Even rapper Gillie Da Kid is enjoying a career renaissance as a hype man thanks to his viral "Blow the Whistle" dance videos.

4. Jalen Hurts deserves it more than Mahomes

Hurts has been doubted, scrutinized and maligned since being drafted in 2020 as Carson Wentz's backup.

• Yet all he does is win, as Sirianni said.

Since joining the Eagles, Hurts is 49-27-1 as a starter.

• He put together an MVP-caliber season in 2022–23, and just earned his most efficient regular season as a passer this year.
• If the Eagles win on Sunday, he'll join an elite list of NFL quarterbacks who have won a college national championship and Super Bowl.

5. Bird Gang > Chief Kingdom

Birds love is encoded in Philly's DNA, and this team is easy to get behind.

• Eagles fans eat, sleep and breathe football. And once you're initiated into the club, you're Bird Gang for life.
• Players are "invested in the community just like we're invested in them," Philly therapist Lisa Corbin tells Axios. "Being able to share in that joy and vicariously live through those players sets us [apart]."