It seems in the year 2020 more so than ever, professional athletes are refusing to stick to sports by encouraging their fans to get out and vote.
But in the case of Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback has gone above and beyond to make a difference for his community on election day.
The 25-year-old reigning Super Bowl MVP revealed he paid half the costs to open and operate Arrowhead Stadium as a polling place Tuesday.
“I thought it was very important, not only just to get as many people out to vote as possible, but also to use a place as Arrowhead where we have a lot of fun, show a lot of love and unity, and use that as a place where people can come together and vote and use our voice,” Mahomes explained to Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche on the “Huddle & Flow” podcast.
“I thought Arrowhead was a perfect place for it and the Chiefs were all on board with it. Some of the other guys on the team, we all just made our effort strong and really got it to be a central point for everybody to go vote.”
Apparently, Chiefs coach Andy Reid and team president Mark Donovan were among the first two voters to cast their ballot shortly after the polling station opened.
“As they opened the gates, I don’t think there are very, very many polling places around the city or around the country where people were cheering as they walked in the door,” Donovan said, via KMBC News. “I think it has something to do with being in the stadium. But it was a pretty energetic atmosphere out there. There were a lot of people in line waiting.”
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