The Kansas City Chiefs have always been under the spotlight with their performance in the NFL. However, it is undeniable that their presence and impact reached a separate demographic, and to say the least, an even wider audience since Taylor Swift’s romance with the Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce. As girlies and boys who are here for #TheCulture, another subject brought to attention is a member of the Chiefs who is of Filipino heritage, Nikko Remigio.
Nikko Remigio proudly carries his Filipino heritage. As he said, “I love being Filipino: The family dynamic, the music, the dancing and the get-togethers—where you know there’s going to be like a thousand trays of lumpia and massive pots of rice to go with pounds of meat and fried fish—and the next morning you know we’re going to heat those leftovers up, fry an egg and make that a Filipino breakfast.”
The 24-year-old wide receiver’s father is a second-generation Filipino immigrant whose roots trace back to Iloilo and Muntinlupa. His mother, on the other hand, is a half-black and half-white woman from Southern California. With his mixed heritage, he talked about the struggles he faced in predominantly white settings, especially in the teams he has played for in the news engine of the University of California, Berkeley where he played college football.
In the same article, Remigio expresses his love and acknowledgement for his Filipino heritage, reflecting on a trip to the Philippines with his family as he shared his experience in connecting with his heritage and finally getting to see this side of his cultural ancestry which is a lot different than the environment he had grown used to in America.
Remigio moved to Fresno State University as a graduate transfer in 2022 after being in Berkeley. During his campaign, he remained undrafted. But soon after, his performance caught the attention of the Kansas City Chiefs, who were the reigning Super Bowl champions at the time. This led to him earning a spot in the team’s training camp. Remigio debuted in a match against the New Orleans Saints, in which he was able to show his prowess.
In August 2023, Remigio’s run hit a roadblock when he dislocated his shoulder, placing him on injured reserve. However, he remains optimistic about eventually returning to the field. Both Chiefs fans and Filipino supporters eagerly await to see Nikko Remigio in his element, returning to the field, his natural habitat.
