The one with the powerful email from the Chiefs fan
The Kansas City Star
(NOTE: *It’s been a lively week, of course, in the paper and on the blog and especially in my inbox.
I’m not sure how many emails I received, but I know they came from literally all over the world — a few soldiers in the Middle East, one guy from Southeast Asia — with all different thoughts on the Chiefs. The one that hit me the best, though, came from a young professional in the area who articulated what a lot of you have been saying.
Her name is Sarah, and I asked her permission to post her email here.*)
I wanted send you a couple thoughts I have about the current state of the two professional franchises in Kansas City. I really appreciate your articles over the past couple of days, I think they speak to the large sense of discontent in our area. I have had a deep sense of dread over the past couple of days, of which I spoke to my dad, sister, boyfriend about. We are all huge fans of the Chiefs and Royals, and have had long discussions of the states of our teams. I come from a little bit of a different perspective than most fans. When my sister I were growing up, we spent a lot of our time with our Dad. Our quality time with included playing basketball and wiffle ball outside, watching Chiefs and the Royals, and reading the sports section together in the morning. It has been a huge part of my life ever since, and what is going on with my two professional sports franchises recently has been extremely disheartening. I whole heartedly agree with what you had to say about the current Chiefs situation, but I am afraid that there is and even deeper problem. Kansas City is losing an entire generation a fans, from which I am unsure we can ever recover.
I had a moment on Monday. My boyfriend Greg had been talking about the Royals’ loss on Friday night (which was it’s own mini-nightmare) and I actually caught myself thinking, “who cares?” For the first time since I can remember, I was honestly disinterested about a sports conversation that we were having. I have found recently that the only time I have listen to games were when I was at Greg’s house. Now, at home, I’d rather watch whatever TLC has on. The 12 game losing streak in the second week of this season was mind-numbing. I’ve found myself going stretches of weeks this season not even knowing who they are playing, and only being mildly interested in what is going on. This is honestly the first time I can say that since I started seriously paying attention to baseball early on in high school.
On top of that, I knew the Chiefs were going to be terrible this season. I just knew it. Nothing happened in this offseason for me to think that anything would change from our 0-4 start last season. Putting together the way Weiss left a couple years ago, Peyton not even VISITING the Chiefs, Cassel coming back to steer the ship, Haley leaving in a huff, and with ZERO happening at the QB position at all—I just KNEW we were going to be terrible, and it is all because of the front office. Changes at the GM and ownership positions move at a pace much slower than the rest of football (unlike a special teams player that can be cut at the end of practice). Because of this, I think we are going to be terrible for at least the next 4-5 years.
After the football game on Sunday, we went and played wiffle ball with our friends, which I really like doing and we’ve had a great time with all summer. At one point I looked around realized we were all in a bad mood. And then it struck me— why does any of this matter? And, even more importantly, I feel like I’ve been caring less and less over the past 8 months about the Royals and the Chiefs. I can feel myself losing interest and feeling that used to come with sports. I simply and truthfully don’t get as much enjoyment out of it as I used to.
Another very large interest in my life is current events, policy, and world news. Outside of work, if I’m on the computer I spend most of the time reading about news and politics more than anything else. Second to that would be sports. For the past decade I have read SI.com, ESPN.com, cbssports, and the Kansas City sports page religiously. I read articles this week in the Star (only to validate what I was thinking about yesterday)…but this was the first Monday morning that I can remember that I opened up Monday Morning QB by Peter King, and immediately closed it. Because I honestly felt like it was an absolute waste of my time. I have never felt that before. For as much as I care about “real world” issues, I have never felt that sports was a trivial enterprise. In fact, a lot of the time it has been a wonderful escape from increasingly partisan politics, from the recession news, and escalating sectarian violence we see everywhere. It used to be a refuge. That feeling is slowly trickling away.
This is extremely painful. I love my Chiefs and Royals more than anything. I own more sports paraphernalia than is really reasonable for my yearly salary. When I was broke working for basically nothing right out of college, I still found $250 to buy Chiefs season tickets, and somehow scraped the money together once in a while for the crazy parking fees. I have spent more hours in the complex parking lot than I could ever count. And when I see David Glass and Clark Hunt reinvest almost nothing in their respective franchises, when the Chiefs are $20+ million under the salary cap, when we CONTINUALLY put our trust in Matt Cassel’s underwhelming talent, when the Royals have been mismanaged, underpaid, understaffed for years, and perpetually sign players either too young or too old— I think to myself…I just can’t care anymore. If all they are doing is thinking about their bottom line, then I am going to start thinking about mine. No more Chiefs/Royals games until something drastic is done. Because I simply don’t have the money or energy to care about something I am simply not getting enjoyment from anymore. But as a broke 20 something, that’s my cost/benefit analysis. I’m just done.
The other day, Greg got an awesome gift for me online. He ordered the 1985 World Series on DVD. We are currently in the middle of game 4. I have learned a lot from these games— that George Brett’s batting stance is a lot different than I thought it was. That Al Michaels 26 years ago sounds like current Al Michaels swallowed a bunch of helium. Bret Saberhagen’s mustache was really, really creepy in 1985. That I could say Buddy Biachalana’s name 80 times a day and never get tired of it. But I’ve also learned that Kansas City was an amazing baseball town. And it would be an amazing football town, too, if given the chance. We’ve been waiting for so long— I’ve seen more rebuilding years than productive years from these two teams. As much fun as it’s been to see 80’s sports fashion and watch Willie Wilson play in the outfield, seeing these games on DVD has honestly made me really sad. People from the coasts talk about how we have small market teams. But I know that Kansas City could be a sports mecca. We have more passion for our teams than 18 spoiled New Yorkers have combined for the Yankees or Jets. That even though I turned 7 two days after the last Chiefs playoff win, and never seen a meaningful October in baseball in my life, I have seen more games than any of my Packers or Bears friends have combined. But I honestly feel like that time has come to a close. I’m backing away from sports until these teams show me they can really do something. Because I’m tired, sad, frustrated, and, to put it bluntly, kind of just over it. Sure, I’ll watch the games. But I know my heart (and my dollars) aren’t in it anymore.
I can’t be the only one. My passion comes from the stories and lore passed to me by my father, and like any other oral tradition, they are waning. I graduated college in 2008, right into a recession. People my age will be more careful and attentive about where our time and dollars go than the generation before us, and, as most things in life, the investment of time and money will be carefully calculated against what we get out of the experience. And honestly, right now, I feel like being on the other side of sports right now. My indifference will put dollars in the bank and give me back my Sundays. I have had wonderful, unforgettable times with my teams, I feel right now that I am changing and moving on. With a heavy heart, and with many of my peers around me doing the same, I cannot support these teams anymore in the way I used to. They are simply asking too much.
I know a little bit about organizational planning and financial planning. I work for a non-profit where I write budgets and make strategic plans for a living. And I want these two owners to know they they are driving these franchises into the ground. Without investing in future stake holders, they will not be able to turn profits down the road. I honestly believe they are on the precipice right now. They could go one way by making sure they secure their fanbase, by signing players that get fans excited, loosening the grip on the “message” a little bit, and show they care a little less about their bottom line by investing more into more able personnel. Or, they could continue what they are doing now, which is bleed these franchises dry, and cut and run 15 years down the road when they are no longer profitable and sell the teams. I know this is a dooms day scenario, but right now I am not sure if I see things happening any other way.
Hopefully things change. Right now, I am not sure I believe they ever will. I have been waiting 20 years for something good to happen, and despite a glimpse of a good team in the Royals in 2003, and a couple brief playoff appearances for the Chiefs, there isn’t a whole lot of positives I see coming down the road. I am generally an optimistic person, but right now I honestly couldn’t have less faith.
I am not sure if you’ll read this, but it was good to get out there. Thanks for everything you do, I have really enjoyed watching you take the reins over the past couple of years. Sorry this was extremely long winded…but I guess that’s how most break up letters go.
Craig Schmidt
8 months agoI could not agree more with this. I was born in 85 and have grown up with the Chiefs and Royals. Montana was the last Chiefs QB to win a playoff game, and 2003 was the closest the Royals have been to the playoffs for as long as I can remember. Until recently, I have always blindly supported both teams. Until now. The Chiefs and Royals no longer have owners that are passionate about the sport and care about the fans that support the team. The almighty dollar is all that matters. Well, this time, my almighty dollar will stay in my almighty pocket. I will continue to support the Royals because I truly believe they are on the cusp of something great.
I have completely lost faith in the Chiefs. Until a forward thinking GM gets brought in who understands the value of a QB, this team will never go anywhere. 18 of the last 20 Superbowl winning QB’s are heading to HOF careers. The writing is on the wall, Pioli is just too stubborn to read it.
David Flynn
8 months agoI have had Chiefs season tickets for 20 years and the last 2 seasons have basically made me determined to drop them after this season unless something miraculous occurs, not betting on it. I try to catch 2 or 3 Royal games a year, but to do more right now is not right. If Glass allows Moore to get some higher priced, quality starters, then Glass just wants the revenue sharing, not a winner. And if the Chiefs continue, if Pioli is not gone after this year, then I worry about Clark’s desire too.
Time for me to keep my money and help pay my child’s college expenses.
Tim Hollingshead
8 months agoWell said Sarah - you’ve summed up the feelings of many. I also got an early start on being a fan when I met Buck Buchanan in ‘69 and have rooted for the Chiefs ever since. It’s great to have a local team to root for but the last few years I have found myself being more of a fan of the sport instead of KC specifically. I attended many of those Royals games in the 80’s but it’s tough to watch anymore. It’s not so much losing – I can handle that, it’s more that I don’t see hope of building better teams.
Randy Vick
8 months agoWell stated Sarah. My kids are a prime example of how the Royals and Chiefs are losing their fan base. My oldest son was 10 when the Royals won the World Series and I took him and my daughter (7) to Liberty Memorial and we were front row when the Royals arrived and spoke to a jam packed park full of cheering fans. My youngest son was just a baby. He’s never known the Royals to be anything to root for and has never become a fan. He’s a Braves fan and despite his big brother’s and sister’s and Dad’s loyalty to the Royals, he just chides us every Spring when we get our hopes up. He doesn’t wear the same rose colored glasses we do. Well, I’m on the other side of the world this year and was bummed that I would miss an exciting Royals season with my kids. Then came the opening day crash, followed closely by the 12 game losing streak. My oldest son, the die-hard Royals fan, and my daughter who still hangs as a Royals fan, have only been to one game this year. Sure would have been great over the years to be able to share the Royals and Chiefs experience with my kids. Now I fear my grandkids may not have any interest in the Chiefs or the Royals either. I guess I shouldn’t be amazed that Glass and Hunt don’t really care about all that mushy stuff, but are they really in professional sports ownership just to make a few million dollars over and above the millions they’ve already made? Did Lamar never share these kinds of experiences with Clark, or David with his son Donnie? I guess they live in a different world. Too bad for the Dads and Grandads and kids and grandkids in the KC area.
Claude Zipperer
8 months agoI don’t know how you call Sarah’s e-mail “powerful.” It’s simply “interminable.” Again and again, she takes three or four sentences to get across what could be expressed in a single phrase.
Worse, she’s clueless. Look at the third-from-the-last paragraph. There’s no such thing as an unprofitable NFL team.
The Chiefs could go 4-12 year after year and while their profits would be diminished, profit would remain. And worst case, for the Chiefs that is: They move to LA and make oodles.
Maybe you could have edited this e-mail to make it powerful but as-is, Sam, your weaknesses are showing.
Kyle Eschmann
8 months agoI’ve been a lifelong Chiefs/Royals fan, and graduates from Mizzou in 07. I currently live in Indiana have lived there from 1998 until now with the exception of having the time of my life at Mizzou. While I empathize ith her points(Royals 0-0 during my lifetime in the playoffs, Chiefs haven’t won since I was 4, and Mizzou is another story) I don’t see how I can ever give up on my teams. Even though I’ve lived in Indy, I’ve seen every Chiefs and Royals game through Sunday Ticket and
Kyle Eschmann
8 months agoI’ve been a lifelong Chiefs/Royals fan, and graduates from Mizzou in 07. I currently live in Indiana have lived there from 1998 until now with the exception of having the time of my life at Mizzou. While I empathize ith her points(Royals 0-0 during my lifetime in the playoffs, Chiefs haven’t won since I was 4, and Mizzou is another story) I don’t see how I can ever give up on my teams. Even though I’ve lived in Indy, I’ve seen every Chiefs and Royals game through Sunday Ticket and MLB.TV, and it has definitely been rough. I am ashamed to see the way KC organizations are run, I feel like I am the only Royals fan outside of Kansas City. To make things worse the local high school uses the same insignia as the Royals so whenever I proudly sport the large assortment of Royals gear that I own I get asked about high school football that I could care less about. I think the only reason I stick with my purebred loyalty to my KC teams is that when they do finally figure it out, it will make it that much sweeter. Until I was 12 I went to every Royals game and half of the Chiefs games every year. I think the investing time and money into the teams things isn’t true, when the economy is bad or when we are looking for jobs, we need something to turn to, if KC is going to lose interest in the local teams they will start favoring some other teams.
walt osborne
8 months agoSorry, I’m just not that negative… yet. I’ve watched Pioli take the Chiefs from being the worst football team in the NFL, absolutely devoid of talent, to a perennial playoff contender with a ton of talent. We won the west in 2010, missed it last year by one blocked field goal and I haven’t changed my prediction of 10-6 and the AFC West crown this year…yet.
Yes, Pioli is not perfect, we’ve all seen and commented on his multiple mistakes. Yes, we need a better QB. But I still think we’re going in the right direction.
Crennel is now 3-3 as our head coach. Our defense just played the last 20 minutes yesterday like we expected them to play this year. Daboll’s offense looks promising. I’m not ready to write them off…yet.
Paul Schroeder
8 months agoI was born in 1970. We lived in Kansas City from 1972-1980. We moved to San Diego in 1980. I now live in the San Francisco Area.
The Chiefs and Royals were the first teams I ever rooted for. My mom was a huge Royals fan. We had Chiefs season tickets.
I have continued to root for and follow both teams from afar for the last 32 years.
Growing up, the Chiefs were terrible, the Royals were great. It has been so disheartening to see the demise of both franchises. Like Sarah, I often find myself not caring.
I have the MLB package, and the Royals are frequently playing by the time I get home from work. I find myself not tuning into their games, because I can’t care about a team that is so far out of it and doesn’t appear to have any idea how to get out of it.
The same goes for the Chiefs. I have the NFL package this season, but I have hardly watched any Chiefs, because they are terrible, and I just can’t take it. I am shocked they won yesterday, but even a blind pig will find an acorn every now and then.
The funny (sad?) thing is, when a new season starts, I am just as excited as I was at 8 years old. That excitement dies when the Royals lose 12 in a row and the Chiefs show who they really are by putting up stink bombs in the first two games.