As a matter of pride – and also recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records – NFL fans in Seattle and Kansas City have been turning up the volume big-time. They want the distinction as the world’s loudest outdoor stadium, and this has stoked a battle of ear-splitting cheers that is spreading around the world.

In the last minute of an October home game against their long-time rival, the Oakland Raiders, the PA announcer for the Kansas City Chiefs informed the fans that a Guinness World Record had been achieved for an outdoor stadium at 137.5dB. The rest of the announcement was drowned out by another boisterous cheer.

News of the Chiefs’ record didn’t go over well with Joe Tafoya, a former Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman.Seattlefans previously held the record, thanks to a marketing effort by Tafoya. After hearing the news fromKansas City, Tafoya says his heart sank.  “Someone else takes it away from us in less than a month. So, we didn’t really get to enjoy it”, says Tafoya.

Seattle grabbed the record back during a Monday Night Football game earlier this month. The margin was about the narrowest possible: just one-tenth of a decibel point. At the same time, Seahawk fans shook things up so much in that game, it set off a small-scale earthquake, registering between a one and a two on the Richter scale.

But the noise may also be affecting the fans. Stacy Baldwin is aKansasear doctor who doesn’t like this fascination with setting decibel records.  “I think people need to understand that with the excitement and loudness come safety concerns for their hearing. And while it’s very fun in those moments, that one moment can cause a hearing loss that will last the rest of your life.”

-Content provided by NPR-