Tigers fans' rooting guide for Super Bowl LIX: Royals fans must not feel joy

The Kansas City Chiefs will square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, and plenty of fans are divided on whether to root for a chance to witness history with a Chiefs three-peat or a chance to watch a dynasty get de-throned. (Frankly, if there were spring training games on Sunday, we would probably rather be watching those. But alas, we still have a little over a week to go.)

It's understandable if the majority of Detroit fans want to boycott the Super Bowl altogether this year. After all, the Lions were the big game favorites for most of the season until they got knocked out in the Divisional Round of the playoffs by the Washington Commanders; we understand if you're still not over it.

We also understand if it's hard to root for the Eagles, as they are the Lions' NFC rivals, and it would be nice to see them get knocked down a peg. But if you are Detroit Tigers fan and you choose to let your baseball fandom dictate your Super Bowl rooting interests, the choice is clear: anyone but Kansas City.

Tigers fans rooting guide for Super Bowl LIX: Royals fans must not feel joy

An intensified rivalry between the Tigers and the Kansas City Royals began brewing last season. Yes, they're in the same division, but the gap between the two has closed significantly since the Tigers made their first postseason appearance in a decade last year. The Royals also made their first appearance since 2015.

The race to the top of the American League Central is shaping up to be dogfight in 2025, with the Tigers, Royals and Cleveland Guardians clustered in the middle of PECOTA's projected standings. (The Minnesota Twins are projected to run away with the division title, but they were last year, too, and we all saw how that turned out.)

Both the Royals and the Tigers have had a relatively quiet offseason, but Detroit's recent signing of Jack Flaherty to bolster their rotation should have Kansas City sweating a bit. Starting pitching depth was one area where the Royals had a clear advantage over the Tigers last season, but that gap appears to be closing.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been hyping up the Chiefs all postseason long, so it'd be great to see him take a morale hit heading into a new MLB season. Any advantage they can take they'll get.

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