Kansas City Chiefs fans braved the bitter cold during their NFL Playoff game inside Arrowhead Stadium against the Miami Dolphins this past January.
It was minus-four degrees with a wind chill of minus-27 degrees at kickoff. As Chiefs fans watched their team win the game going away, 15 of them were forced to the hospital.
They were dangerous conditions for everyone on hand. We now have more information on this. It’s pretty sobering stuff. Several fans are going to have to schedule amputations after suffering frostbite injuries while attending the playoff game.
“The medical director at the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center says 70% of patients referred for frostbite injuries suffered during the bitter cold in January are now being advised to schedule amputations. Majority of them are Chiefs fans who attended the team’s frigid playoff game,” report from Fox 4 in Kansas City.
Ticket prices cratered leading up to the game with a ton of Chiefs fans opting to watch it from the confines of their homes. Despite the cold-weather situation, the NFL opted to play the game as scheduled. Whether they rethink this moving forward remains to be seen.
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This game represented the fourth-coldest in NFL history. Local public health officials strongly warned against prolonged exposure to the cold. Despite this, north of 76,000 fans made their way inside Arrowhead Stadium.