Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith has two Super Bowl rings. But long before he was protecting Patrick Mahomes, he was fascinated by another kind of ring. One that could only be destroyed by traveling across Middle-earth and tossing it into the fires of Mount Doom.
Back then, Smith wasn’t an NFL champion. He was a self-described chubby Black kid with glasses, a Game Boy and an imagination big enough to transport him from Jackson, Tennessee, to worlds filled with dragons, knights and extraordinary adventures.
“I wasn’t necessarily like a cool kid,” Smith said. “Before that, I was just sort of a nerdy, shy kid.”
These days, the 6-foot-6 football star doesn’t have much trouble embracing his inner nerd, and you’d be out of your mind to challenge him on it. While his job requires him to battle some of the most intimidating defensive linemen in professional football, he’s just as happy off the field discussing anime, video games, or the finer points of fantasy.
In other words, the blerds are doing just fine.
Black Boy Nerd Joy
Smith’s fascination with fantasy started with video games. He remembers childhood road trips spent playing Nintendo, eventually discovering The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a sprawling medieval-inspired world where players can explore, fight dragons, and spend an unreasonable amount of time doing just about anything other than saving the world.
“It was just really your medieval sandbox in a way,” he explained. “I just really loved that concept.”
He was introduced to Tolkien’s Middle-earth later, when he caught one of The Hobbit films during a Christmas break. He subsequently watched the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, discovering another universe to explore. Smith quickly admits he isn’t a Tolkien scholar. So please don’t run up on him to discuss the finer points of the Riders of Rohan.
For Smith, the appeal has always been the freedom these imaginary worlds provide. “I really just felt a sense of escape and happiness where I could really just do whatever I wanted,” he said.
Raised in a family of athletes, Smith was never expected to limit himself to football. His parents, Henry and the late Dorsetta Smith, supported his interests in art, gaming, and even singing in the school choir.
“My parents always sort of emphasized to us as kids to do what we want,” Smith said, laughing at their one additional condition, “And in that same breath, better make some money doing it.”
During one high school recruiting trip, Smith casually mentioned he had a choir recital back home the following morning. He assumed the college visit might be a reasonable excuse to skip it. His parents disagreed. The family made the long drive back to Jackson so he could honor his commitment.
“It was never a push or pull,” Smith recalled. “It was more so, okay, you’re great at football, but you’re also doing choir. How do we be great at both?”
A Team Effort
These days, Smith has discovered that the NFL locker room has more than a few fellow nerds.
Many of today’s players grew up watching anime on Cartoon Network’s Toonami, including Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. Now, shows such as Attack on Titan and Death Note are regular conversation starters among professional football players.
“It’s almost to a point where it’s like if you don’t watch it, you’re sort of weird,” he said of anime’s popularity in the locker room.
Gaming has undergone a similar transformation, with players debating Call of Duty versus Battlefield and bonding over fictional worlds that have become part of locker-room culture.
“Like, it’s cool as hell to be a blerd,” Smith said. “It’d be boring as hell not to be.”
For students finding their footing on college campuses, where fitting in can sometimes feel more important than standing out, Smith reminds us there’s no need to leave the things you love behind. The same interests that might make you feel different could be the ones that help you find your people.
The kid who once described himself as shy and uncool now plays a game for a living and video games for fun alongside some of the biggest stars in professional sports. And he hasn’t had to give up the things he loved growing up to get there.
Speaking of his teammates, consider the Fellowship of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Asked to assemble a group of players for a hypothetical quest across Middle-earth—or the AFC West—Smith starts with center Creed Humphrey, whose strength and good humor would make him a valuable companion. Defensive tackle Chris Jones earns a spot because, frankly, who wouldn’t want him around if a dragon appeared?
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce round out his selections. When the stakes are highest, Smith knows whom he can trust.
“We gotta go kill the dragon. We gotta go throw the magical ring across the volcano,” Smith explained. “I’ll take those two guys. They’re gonna clutch up.”
That leaves one question: What role would Smith play in his own Fellowship?
“I’ll be the narrator,” he said.
For the kid who once spent countless hours exploring imaginary worlds, that feels about right. After all, he already knows the power of a good story.