KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twelve-year-old Ben Barker is a die-hard Chiefs fan living in Minnesota. Like millions of others, he and his family were tuning into the Chiefs playoff game against the Bills last Sunday.
When his family started to doubt his beloved team, Ben cheered harder and stood by the Chiefs.
“My entire family thought they were going to lose, and I really didn’t want that to happen," Ben said. "So I was trying to kinda maybe boost them to make them believe that the Chiefs had a chance to win."
His dad, Matt Barker, says never giving up is something he instills in his kids every day. But this time, it was a lesson for dad to practice what he preaches.
“I’m tearing up, and I’m looking at him. I was like, ‘I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of you that you didn’t lose hope. So proud,'” Barker said. “He knew how much it meant to me that he believed. It was awesome.”
Their home security camera caught his family’s interactions with 13 seconds left on the clock. A video of Ben yelling, “There’s not zeros! There’s still a chance!” was posted on Twitter by his dad,which caught the eyes of GEHA and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The family was surprised with gifts and five front-row seats to the AFC Championship Game Sunday night.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was a really, a surreal moment because honestly I was very not expecting it,” Ben said.
Chiefs Kingdom quickly rallied behind their biggest fan 400 miles away. Hy-Vee and the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center offered to cover the cost of the family's trip to KC.
“You get personal messages and it’s all uplifting stuff, and I think that was the part that blew me away the most,” Barker said. “I can’t express in words how grateful I am to GEHA and the Kansas City Chiefs.”
As the family hits the road to GEHA Field at Arrowhead, one thing is clear: win or lose, cheer until the clock hits zero.
