Chiefs ban headdresses, face paint, look at chop
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs are putting in place new policies for fans during games at Arrowhead Stadium with regard to Native American imagery.
Among the changes: Fans are prohibited from wearing headdresses into the stadium. Face painting that is styled in a way as to imitate Native American cultures and traditions is also prohibited.
The Chiefs also said they would look into making changes to two favorite Arrowhead traditions among their fans: the Arrowhead Chop and the pregame beating of a drum, often by a former player or coach or other local celebrity.
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“In 2014, we began a dialogue with a group of local leaders from diverse American Indian backgrounds and experiences,” the Chiefs said in a statement. “As an organization, our goal was to gain a better understanding of the issues facing American Indian communities in our region and explore opportunities to both raise awareness of American Indian cultures and celebrate the rich traditions of tribes with a historic connection to the Kansas City area.
“We are grateful for the meaningful conversations we have had with all of these American Indian leaders. It is important that we continue the dialogue on these significant topics, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”
The Chiefs said this week they planned to have fans at their home games, at least early in the season. They said they would cap attendance for those games at 22 percent of Arrowhead’s capacity, which they listed last year at 72,936.
That would mean about 16,000 fans would attend their early-season games, including the NFL’s Sept. 10 opener matching the Chiefs and the Houston Texans.
