Kansas City Chiefs fans looking to unwind on the Main River during the team’s stay in Frankfurt, Germany will have such an opportunity aboard the team’s new vessel, dubbed The ChampionShip.
The red riverboat, emblazoned with the images of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, is offering fan access for €10 per person.
But for those who wish to view Sunday’s game aboard the ship, a €45 ticket can be purchased, offering food and non-alcoholic beverages. And for €5 more, alcohol will be provided as well.
Various experiences on the ship include a ‘draft moment,’ where fans can have their pictures taken holding a Chiefs jersey, as well as another photo opportunity in which participants are captured catching a pass.
There’s even a postgame press conference, where fans can field questions as if they’re head coach Andy Reid, Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs’ ChampionShip is seen drifting down the Main River in Frankfurt, Germany
One of the team’s three Lombardi Trophies is emblazoned on the side of the vessel
The ship will be docked near the Eiserner Steg (iron footbridge) in Frankfurt this Sunday
As for the game itself, the major storyline going into Sunday’s matchup is Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill facing his former team, the Chiefs.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt typically has a voice in most major trades involving his franchise, and that presumably includes the one that sent the record-setting wide receiver to the Dolphins for a package of draft picks early last year.
Hill was due for a big contract extension, and cash-strapped at the time, the Chiefs decided to send him to Miami, which also fulfilled his wishes. And while Hill has flourished alongside quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, helping to give the Dolphins the league’s No. 1 offense, the Chiefs used many of those picks to build the league’s No. 2-ranked pass and scoring defense.
‘I think that was a trade that worked out well for both parties,’ said Hunt, whose defending Super Bowl champions face Hill for the first time Sunday when the Chiefs (6-2) play the Dolphins (6-2) at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
‘Tyreek is an incredible player and has done well with the Dolphins,’ Hunt said, ‘but I also think it has benefited the Chiefs. The draft compensation we received — a lot of that capital was used to improve our defense.’
The Chiefs have made sure that any passers by will know the team has won three Super Bowls
Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins will face his former team, the Chiefs, this Sunday in Frankfurt
Still, given the way the Chiefs have struggled to find a reliable pass-catcher besides, and the way that Hill is putting up numbers this season, nobody would quibble if Hunt had a bit of buyer’s remorse.
It was the Chiefs who gave him a chance in 2016, when many NFL teams would not touch him in the draft after his off-the-field problems in college. And it was with the Chiefs that Hill became one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers, going to the Pro Bowl six times, making three All-Pro teams and setting a slew of records while winning a Super Bowl ring.
Hill has been at his best in his second season with the Dolphins, though. He leads the NFL with 1,014 yards receiving, putting him on pace to become the first 2,000-yard receiver, while leading the league with eight touchdown receptions.
Travis Kelce (left) and Patrick Mahomes (right) have now won two Super Bowls together
To put that in perspective, the entirety of the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps has combined for 1,185 yards and six touchdowns.
‘It’s just another game,’ Hill insisted. ‘It’s just like if you’re in high school and you move to a different city, it’s still ball. At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and do what I’ve been doing all year.’
The Chiefs had a few games during Hill’s tenure with them when opponents were to keep him under control, and perhaps Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can lean on those experiences to contain him Sunday.
‘He’s a great play. That’s the bottom line,’ Reid said. ‘You might slow him down, but he’s going to make plays somewhere. That’s what makes him the player he is. He has speed, quickness and he’s smart.’