If I’m being entirely honest I have to admit that prior to today I had no idea who was governor of the state of Missouri. My thoughts on Missouri were pretty much limited to an extreme hatred of St. Louis (I’m from Chicago, so that’s natural), an even more extreme hatred of the abomination that is St. Louis style pizza and a grudging respect for the football team in Kansas City. But then I saw that the state’s 67-year-old governor Mike Parson was showing off some fresh ink at a Chiefs practice and, well, I finally found something to love about Missouri.
The tattoo is an amalgamation of a bunch of Parson’s interests and personal tastes, a small little banger with a ton of meaning packed into it. The governor said it so much better than I possibly could in a Facebook post, so let’s let him explain it.
Last week at Chiefs training camp, I had the opportunity to huddle with our Super Bowl 57 champions and show off my new ink.
When I was in the Army, I had several buddies get tattoos but I never did. I always told myself if I ever got one it would have to be significant. Well this tattoo is very significant to me in a lot of ways.
The “57” represents my time serving as Missouri’s 57th Governor. I was honored to earn 57% of the vote during our election in 2020. AND, as a lifelong Chiefs fan, serving as the 57th Governor when the Chiefs won the 57th Super Bowl was a welcomed bonus.
The outline of Missouri represents my love for this state and its people. This state has always been my home, and when I got out of the Army, I told myself on the tarmac in Springfield that I would never leave this state again.
The lightning bolt is a nod to Elvis Presley’s album and motto “taking care of business in a flash” – perfectly summarizing the actions of our Administration since day one. Through every challenge, we’ve always taken care of business.
This tattoo is even more special to me because my talented granddaughter drew and designed the whole thing.
The tattoo was a first for me and the first time Josh ever applied ink to a Governor – he did a great job!
I still think St. Louis pizza is the most vile creation known to man, but I’ll always love to see an elected official going out and getting tattooed. Way to go, Governor Parson!
