OVERLAND-. Anthony Oropeza still remembers the day when Travis Kelce (Tight end of the Chiefs) walked into his studio at InterUrban ArtHouse in a suburb of Kansas Citywhere some of his acrylics and works hung on the walls.
Kelce had attended to present a donation to the community arts center and the first piece that caught his eye was one of Satchel Paige, the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame pitcher who later played for Cleveland, near where The Chiefs’ tight end grew.
Kelce then saw Oropeza’s painting with the name “:13 seconds” that depicted the dramatic ending of Kansas City’s game against Buffalo in 2022. Kelce made a crucial catch that left the team in field goal position in the divisional game. . He later caught a touchdown pass in overtime and the Chiefs advanced to the AFC championship game.
“That one there,” Kelce told Oropeza, “he looks familiar.”
Oropeza’s work has captured the attention of not only Kelce in recent years. Jarrod Dyson of the Kansas City Chiefs and the wife of St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols have commissioned some work from him. But almost all of his work focuses on the Chiefs and has helped him supplement his full-time job in the parks department.
“The success of the Chiefs, or more specifically the success and greatness of Patrick Mahomes, definitely helped his career,” he said. “It helps me pay for my kids’ education. It helped me meet some of the best Chiefs fans.
Certainly, the success of the Chiefs, who next Sunday will face the San Francisco 49ers in their fourth Super Bowl in five years, has been essential for dozens — if not hundreds — of small businesses like Oropeza’s studio.
In December, Econsult Solutions Inc. estimated the impact on the team’s finances and stadium operations at $1 billion.
“We are proud of our more than 60-year connection to the Kansas City region,” team president Mark Donovan said in a statement. “We know that the franchise and the stadium are key economic vehicles.”
Not only for large companies, but small businesses such as t-shirts, bakeries and local artists, among others.
RAYGUN, an irreverent clothing company with stores in the Midwest, has T-shirts with sassy slogans like “I rooted for Kansas City before it was cool” or “Come on Taylor Swift boyfriend” — a reference to Kelce, who has a relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift.
After the Chiefs beat the Bills in the divisional round, when Jason Kelce, Travis’s brother and a Philadelphia Eagles player, took off his jersey and jumped into the stands to celebrate, Eileen’s Colossal Cookies in Liberty, Missouri took note. He decorated cookies with the Eagles center’s image and the photos went viral.
These are some of the small businesses that have benefited from what has become a robust industry around the Chiefs.
Source: AP
