PHOENIX — The 2022 Chiefs Fan of the Year's Super Bowl LVII weekend was slightly delayed because of snow in Kansas City, Missouri, Thursday morning.
But after a three-hour delay, Dr. Amy Patel was in the air and on her way to Phoenix.
Patel had to arrive in Phoenix in time to attend the NFL Honors award ceremony where the league announces the season’s Most Valuable Player, among other accolades.
It’s also where the league announces its fan of the year.
While the honor went to a fan of the Seattle Seahawks for 2022, Patel still loved attending the event and meeting players and executives.
“It's just truly something I never would’ve imagined in my life and I’m so grateful,” she said.
This weekend, Patel will attend a pregame party hosted by Sports Illustrated. She appeared on the cover of the monthly magazine along with the 31 other fan of the year candidates.
Come Sunday, Patel and her husband will attend Super Bowl LVII.
“I really, truly feel like I won the lottery,” she said.
Before arriving in Phoenix, Patel flew to Ada, Ohio, to visit the Wilson Sporting Goods factory. Wilson makes the official game ball used in the NFL.
Both Patel and the Philadelphia Eagles Fan of the Year created footballs as part of a web series called Wilson Super Fan Tailgate Series.
“Crafting these footballs is an art," Patel said. "They have to perfect it. There are so many rules and regulations."
Fans attending the Super Bowl Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center can pay to build their own footballs just like Patel did — Wilson let her keep some of the balls she made.
By day, Patel is a breast radiologist at Liberty Hospital.
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