Clark Hunt Says Chiefs Have ‘Special Opportunity’ to Grow Brand

The clock is ticking on the Kansas City Chiefs' time at home for the week, as Andy Reid's club is soon boarding a plane and heading to Germany for a Week 9 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. This outing in Frankfurt is a part of the NFL's yearly initiative to expand its global presence, something that is becoming more and more popular over time. 

Not only is it a prime opportunity for the Chiefs to get back on track after a tough loss, but it's also a chance for Patrick Mahomes and company to send a statement against a talented opponent. In a battle of 6-2 teams, this showdown will factor into playoff seeding and have implications for the rest of the season. Adding the international component on top makes it even more intriguing.

On Tuesday, team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt spoke via Zoom ahead of this weekend's game. When asked about the role his team plays in helping grow the game around the world, he pointed to the players. 

"It’s certainly facilitates growing your brand, not only on a local or domestic basis, but when you have the face of the league in Patrick, and you mentioned Travis (Kelce) who certainly has an incredible brand, that makes it a lot easier," Hunt said. "I think that’s one of the things the league realized when they put the local marketing program in place to allow teams to market internationally is that it is hard for the league to do that marketing without the assistance of the teams and the players. 

"The teams really have the opportunity to showcase the players. Obviously, the best way to do that is to play a game in the market like we will be doing this weekend. That really facilitates it. Patrick – one of his key sponsors, Adidas, is based in Germany, so that’s another great tie that I’m sure Adidas will be using in their marketing – the fact that they have one of their global starts coming to play in Frankfurt.”

This weekend will be big for the Chiefs themselves, but also for their players and the local area as a whole. Plenty of eyes have been on Kansas City in the recent past, especially considering the NFL Draft and a Super Bowl parade have already taken place this calendar year. Hunt described this as a "special opportunity during this time period in Chiefs football," also pointing to the upcoming Germany game and World Cup as things that will be the icing on the cake. 

"One of the things that we have talked about in the context of the World Cup is that we really need to showcase that Kansas City is a great place to live, work and play and I think we’ll have that opportunity," Hunt said. "In some ways going to Germany this weekend is sort of full circle for me because my first introduction to Germany came in 1974 attending World Cup games in West Germany. I did go to Frankfurt on that trip and saw West Germany play Poland in what I think was a quarterfinal game. That’s something that’s in the back of my mind and I know when fans come to Kansas City in 2026, they are going to have the same kind of experience and hopefully want to come back as a result.”

Folks have joked about a potential NFL expansion team in the past, largely stemming from clubs' trips across the pond to the United Kingdom for games. There are many reasons why that isn't at the forefront of the league's focus — weekly travel being one of them — but it never hurts to leave a lasting impression when American football franchises do dip their toes in international waters. The Chiefs, an extremely popular brand with some of the best talents in the sport, can help do that. Hunt isn't sure what the final goal is for international NFL play, although he does think even more expansion for individual games is possible.

“I don’t know what the ultimate destination is going to be," Hunt said. "I do think that the league will continue to expand the series. We’ve had games in Mexico, the UK, Germany. I’m on the International Committee and I know the league is actively looking at other markets in Europe as well as South America and Asia to stage games. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next five or so years we saw more games played and also different geographic locations than where the league has been before.”