Small Market Finally Catches Up To Kansas City Chiefs

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 7:07 AM CDT in 2008 Off Season

The Kansas City Chiefs are undergoing renovations at Arrowhead stadium that plan to keep us not-as-far-behind the new billion dollar stadium craze. The new stadium and practice facility will bring with it an array of LED screens, revamped club-seating and suites, and many other treats that all the up-to-date stadiums have these days according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

The new screens will be nice. If I ever get tickets in club-seating I'm sure I would enjoy the renovations that are being done to them. But these aren't the reasons I go to Arrowhead stadium.

I go for the tailgating, the somehow-still-astonishing sea of red, the fans and most of all for my team.

I like that I can go there and look at the names of the past on the Chiefs Ring of Honor. Well, those are being replaced by LED screens. Okay, I can live with that. The LED screens will display those contained on the Ring of Honor sporadically throughout the game.

I like that I can challenge anyone to top the gameday experience at Arrowhead stadium.

The renovations cost money. From whom? A combination of people, including sponsorships. Tammy Fruits, VP of sales and marketing for the Chiefs said, "Some of these teams have absolutely crazy amounts of revenue they can raise through sponsorships. Revenues from naming rights are so significant. Even if we land ours, the naming rights for cities like Dallas and New York are probably going to be five times larger." [Ed. Emphasis mine]

Um, naming rights? Like my challenge for the best gameday experience might be changed to Sprint field at Arrowhead or something else completely not KC?

Fruits continues, "It is certainly our hope to incorporate the Arrowhead name and tradition into whatever we end up doing, not unlike Invesco Field at Mile High, that sort of thing."

Tammy, Tammy, Tammy. One thing you do not do in this town, at any point in your life, is compare US to the Denver Broncos. But even that's besides the bigger point.

I thought our charm was the tradition. The fact that we weren't sell-outs. The fact that we did sell out. No matter what. The Dallas' and New York's of the world can spend billions on their stadiums but they can't match our gameday experience or our tradition at Arrowhead.

Unfortunately, the second we change the name of Arrowhead to Corporate whatever, is the second we lose our edge

RIP Arrowhead Stadium: You fell to the (necessary?) desires of a front office to bring in an extra $5 million per year.

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Nauseous

Thinking about Sprint field at Arrowhead.

You just know its going to sound terrible.

by Chris on Jul 15, 2008 7:30 AM CDT 0 recs

That was an example

But it would be something like that. “Incorporate” the name Arrowhead into it.

Ugh. It’s like playing in a dome…it’s just not right.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 7:36 AM CDT up 0 recs

What if a local company bought the naming rights?

Boulevard stadium?

Gates stadium?

Hallmark stadium? Nah.

by Chris on Jul 15, 2008 7:43 AM CDT up 0 recs

Wayy too much money

Literally hundreds of millions are thrown into these naming rights over 20-30 year leases. Sprint was just an example, not that I’m endorsing their longevity or anything.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 8:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Gates would be sweet though

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 8:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Off topic

But can we please get a BBQ breakfast place somewhere in KC?

There’s money to be made!

by Chris on Jul 15, 2008 8:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

"Gates At Arrowhead Stadium"

That would actually be a sweet name for the place.

Oh well, it’s just a name anyway…and if it brings in some extra cash for the team and helps them be more competitive then I’m fine with them selling the naming rights. The only reason old stadiums didn’t do it in the past was because they hadn’t thought of it, not because of any sort of ethics or a dedication to asthetic choice.

Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.

by UCrawford on Jul 15, 2008 1:22 PM CDT up 0 recs

How about

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Field at Arrowhead?

by Mully on Jul 15, 2008 8:56 AM CDT up 0 recs

That's a good one

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 8:57 AM CDT up 0 recs

Incorporating Arrowhead into the name...

This new corporate name is like an arrow through my head.

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 8:45 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sell Your Tailgate Vehicle and Parking Space Areas Now!

Let’s not be left out of this corporate craze!
Let’s get paid to be a fan!
Here are some ideas for starters…

Flag from your car window:
When I’m not going to a Chiefs game, I’m at Country Club Plaza

While tailgating, ad for the top of your gas grill:
Think Black & Veatch for gas-powered energy!

Written in mustard on your hot dogs:
Spicy! Like Shelli Lockhart, FOX 4 News!

Chalk drawing on the pavement behind your car:
Need something built on a space like this?
Call JE Dunn Construction.

Back of your tailgating director’s chair:
I saved $1.04 on this chair at Price Chopper with my membership card.

Additional flags on your flag pole:
My team just beat the Raiders!
How do I celebrate?
By going to an AMC Entertainment movie!

Side of your red and gold bus:
My other car is from a Van Enterprises dealership!

Painted on the chests of your friends:
S P R I N T (one letter per person, of course)

Fine print on the black smudge under your eyes:
BBQ so good your eyes will water at Gates!

Bumper sticker you attach to your seat back in the stadium:
Gone to pee. My home toilet? Home Depot!

Bumper sticker you attach to your seat bottom in the stadium:
I’ll stand if I wanna stand, and I stand for change!
This bumper sticker approved by Citizens for Obama.

On the horizontal board on the fence that’s part of D Fence sign:
Stop them! It would be a Hallmark moment!

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 8:42 AM CDT 1 recs

Also, thank you primetime...

For straigtening out Tammy on the whole Bronco example thing! Good work!

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 8:50 AM CDT 0 recs

I mean of all references

Come on! We’re already sensitive about the idea of a corporate name being incorporated.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 9:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

Should have mentioned

That any revenue the Chiefs receive from the stadium naming rights they can keep. They don’t have to share that with the city.

Under the related posts section up there, read Chris’ old post about something similar to this titled “NO! NO! NO!”. I think he sums it up pretty well.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 9:10 AM CDT 0 recs

One solution

Here is a sponsorship solution…

by HIV 2 Elway on Jul 15, 2008 9:28 AM CDT 0 recs

Try again

Damn html…

Here is a solution.

by HIV 2 Elway on Jul 15, 2008 9:29 AM CDT up 0 recs

Nice

but then would the corporate name be Arrowhead Stadium at Arrowhead?

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 15, 2008 9:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

ha! good thinking!

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 10:16 AM CDT up 0 recs

On a serious note

do you think if we fans started a petition showing our desire that Arrowhead NOT receive a corporate name that anybody within the Chiefs organization would listen? I imagine we could get a LOT of names on it pretty quickly -

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 15, 2008 9:34 AM CDT 0 recs

Okay, to be serious for a minute

Shoot me now, but I can’t blame them for selling the naming rights. What I hear “Tammy” say is that they’re sensitive to the fact that there’s a lot of attachment to the word Arrowhead, and that it would stay in the name somehow. They obviously realize that a great deal of the franchise’s success is attributable to the college feel, fan loyalty and associated tailgating and comraderie. I don’t know that a petition simply saying “don’t sell the name” would be the way to go.

Assuming they will sell naming rights - which benefits the fans at least indirectly, btw, by reducing pressure on ticket prices and making revenue available for better players - what do we really want to protect? I’d say the colors, as one example. What if they sold to a company with a blue logo and part of the arrangement was an all new blue color scheme? No way, I say!

And what if they drop the name Arrowhead completely, like Candlestick? Well, fans, petitions and votes can make a difference:

In September 2004, Candlestick Park was renamed Monster Park after Monster Cable Products Inc. purchased the naming rights for four years. The stadium’s named reverted back to Candlestick Park in March 2008 after the stadium naming rights deal expired and a city ballot measure restricted the team from pursuing the highest bidder for the right to name the stadium.

Especially since we’re in a small market where it’s a little tougher to make a franchise financially viable, I am willing to sacrifice a little of the stadium name to ensure the Chiefs remain in KC for a long time. But let’s identify those things that make Arrowhead such a great venue and be vocal about retaining those things! And perhaps a petition that shows support for the most important aspects of what we want. Good thought, PV.

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 9:55 AM CDT up 0 recs

What are the chances

of a corporate sponsor buying the naming rights and leaving it “Arrowhead Stadium”?

by Mully on Jul 15, 2008 12:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Zilch

The only reason they would buy it is for the name.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 12:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

Honestly guys...

We’ve got a losing team in a small market while the economy is down and a new owner. I’d let them do whatever they can to recoup the renovation costs quickly so they don’t decide to move. It is a business after all, and these changes aren’t designed to make the Chiefs more “corporate”. They’re designed to make money. If the fans in one city get too resistant to change then there’s always 10 more cities looking for a team. I’m in Vegas and the mayor would literally kill to get any major sports team here.(he was a mob lawyer…he’ll kill to get just about anything done).

by JayrodT on Jul 15, 2008 11:57 AM CDT 0 recs

Well, Chiefs fans are unique

The majority of the city considers themselves a fan which to advertisers means $$$ with anything associated with the Chiefs. We are more educated than the normal NFL fan (per KC Business Journal) which means maybe we understand the economics of the game slightly more.

The owner is still in the family….

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 12:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hey Jayrod

Please post at least once in about a week. Just want to know that the mayor didn’t find you and that you’re still around—not buried in some new section of the Hoover Dam.

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 2:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

They

aren’t really paying anything for the renovations, the Jackson county taxpayers are. the money Clark Hunt is giving to the renovations is money he’s giving their construction company. There might not be any truth to that last statement, lol. It’s supposed to be Clark Hunts money that is being spent, not the organizations.

As a small market, like Green Bay, why should we let them pocket the revenue of renaming Jackson County’s property? Seems like B.S. to me. My thoughts are if these Kansas people want to come to games, they should have to pay higher prices for tickets. They contribute nothing, but get alot of association with the team. Also, I just hate everything about Kansas, so I’m pretty biased there.

have you seen my baseball?

by IISaiNtII on Jul 15, 2008 5:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

And that is why none of the bi-state B.S. did not pass

We would have been putting money towards Jackson Co property with none of the benefits. Higher ticket prices my a$$!

by Eric Allen on Jul 15, 2008 6:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

by higher prices i really meant

lower prices for JC residents. Since the state has helped build the other stadiums in St. Louis, I don’t see why I should pay taxes to renovate a stadium with zero benefit… Oh wait, I get to buy a ticket two days before “regular” people. woopee. Over the course of the 25 years this tax is in place, I calculated I alone will give just under $1200 for necessity expenses (ie- food, gas). take into account that I’m married, that doubles. Now bring a child into the mix for 20 or so of those years and that effectively triples if not more (kids aren’t cheap… neither are wives!). Jackson Co isn’t exactly brimming with wealthy people, either.

One thing I am glad to see is that Jackson Co businesses are getting most of the benefits from these renovations, thus keeping the money where it’s being generated.

have you seen my baseball?

by IISaiNtII on Jul 16, 2008 10:31 AM CDT up 0 recs

Whywould any organization

do that? I don’t know of any professional sports team that charges more to out-of-state and/or country fans. That would be a surefire way to absolutely kill attendance for a lot of teams in all different sports.

That kind of thinking is total crap. Charging higher prices for out-of-state fans would bilk way too many people.

Finally, I don’t know where the hatred of Kansas comes from, but as a proud Kansan, I resent it.

by Seth_C on Jul 15, 2008 10:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

People from Missouri suffer from an inferiority complex :)

by ChiefDJ on Jul 15, 2008 10:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

We suffer from...

Better BBQ, worse roads and houses that aren’t built by the thousand in less than a month.

by primetime 07 on Jul 16, 2008 12:33 AM CDT up 0 recs

At least someone saw it as it was intended...

A JOKE

have you seen my baseball?

by IISaiNtII on Jul 16, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sold out crowds

Sure we’ve got a losing team, and a small market, and the economy is down, but we’ve still sold out how many consecutive games? Chiefs fans are loyal and I think Lamar Hunt has been a big reason for that. He loved Football, the Chiefs, and Arrowhead. We always knew it was a business, but it always felt like the sport was more important to Lamar than the profits.

Wolfman

by HuddleClub on Jul 15, 2008 12:31 PM CDT 0 recs

Agreed

But just about every other team in the NFL sells out all their games as well.

Maybe when Lamar left, and Clark took over, we lost a little bit of our history.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 12:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

But just about every other team in the NFL sells out all their games as well.

Really? I thought that some of the other smaller market teams had trouble selling out, even the good ones (e.g. Jacksonville, which didn’t even ell out the home game against Miami, and a LOT of fnas drove up from Miami…yikes). Notice how we are using both meanings of “selling out”? Hope that doesn’t get confusing :)

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 15, 2008 1:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yeah and Jacksonville not selling out made the news for a reason

Because it’s unusual.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 1:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

unusual for a playoff team, yes.

but the chiefs were obviously far from a playoff team last year and still sold out. this whole renovation thing actually has me a bit concerned about where the team will head in the next few years, and what will become of the fans.

i don’t doubt for a second that the chiefs will follow the lead of the royals and try to restrict tailgating to grassy areas, as well as not allowing people to sit in the parking lot during a game. they’re taking out “regular people” seats to put in suites for the higher class.

i don’t know how many of you guys go to games regularly, but let me assure you, it’s VERY expensive for an average family. two people will cost >$120, three will be $180… and that’s just to get into the staduim with upper level nosebleed seats. my in-laws seats got raised $10/game to lower the upper level seat prices. Now they’re going to be paying something like $100/ticket per game. their seats are damn good, but i’ve sat right on the 50 on the lower level for the same price two years ago from tickets i got from… argh, i digress.

my point is, people complain about the price because it’s expensive, yet all they seem to want is more money making it harder for the fans to get out to the game and fill those seats. if you’re in a small market, you need to try to capitalize on every dollar you can get, and if the game keeps selling out, then ok. apparently people can handle the costs, but it’s going to get to a point where people aren’t going to pay to see the product they’re selling, ie- jacksonville.

have you seen my baseball?

by IISaiNtII on Jul 15, 2008 5:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

Jacksonville is more about the market

And not the product on the field.

my in-laws seats got raised $10/game to lower the upper level seat prices. Now they’re going to be paying something like $100/ticket per game.

Sitting in $100 tickets every game is a luxury that, for the most part, are owned by people whose gameday experience isn’t effected by the economy. The Chiefs made a move for the little people when they lessened the price of the “nosebleed” seats.

Me? Chris hooks me up with the revenue from his beer glove ads so I’m basically on the field.

by primetime 07 on Jul 16, 2008 12:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

my point was

That they’re seriously considering giving up their tickets that have been in the family since Arrowhead was built, because the cost is extremely outweighing the product. I know I’ve made sacrafices to be able to pay money to go see a game in better seats (eating rice for a month). You can’t say that because someone is a loyal fan and keeps contributing to the team’s revenue $500/game (at least) isn’t hurting their pocketbook.

Like everyone has said, it’s something that has been in their family since the beginning of Arrowhead and has become tradition. Obviously they can afford it, but how many people can? The upper deck seats are still going to run $41-83 a seat with taxes and other costs on top of that. Then you have to get into the parking lot which is another $22… consequently the same parking lot the royals charge $9 to park in (i understand the demand is greater)...

IF the 2011 year goes uncapped, we might have a rough time being in this small of a market. However, I don’t think this organization is hurting for money AT ALL. People will always gripe and complain about prices no matter what.

Personally, since the county I live in foots the entire bill, I’d like a little more than first stab at buying a ticket. Too bad the state thinks St. Louis is more important and we also got to help build the new Cardinals stadium and Rams dome(s). That’s right, the state of Missouri helped build those, but Jackson Co. gets to foot the bill for the Truman Sports Complex.

have you seen my baseball?

by IISaiNtII on Jul 16, 2008 10:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

Parking

I remember when you used to be able to park across Blue Ridge Cutoff for free…then for the longest time it was $5 dollars…until last season it was $10. If it goes to $15, I might just have to pay the $22 to park in the stadium, ‘cause I’m not walking 130 miles to save 7 bucks.

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 16, 2008 11:46 AM CDT up 0 recs

Tradition and Gameday Experience

Tradition and the Gameday Experience are great for us fans, but they don’t do squat to raise more money for the organization.

Chiefs fans rip the front office at every opportunity over raising ticket prices, adding paid parking, etc. Carl Peterson is the Prince of Darkness not so much because of his record with the team as for his unpopularity over raising ticket prices and other underhanded schemes to pilfer the poor fools that come to Chiefs games (that was sarcasm by the way).

We are coming up in a few years to a time when we will not have a salary cap, possibly for a couple of years, possibly from now on. If that happens, get used to watching the Chiefs the same as you do the Royals because the small market is going to kill us.

Right now they are being very smart in managing their income with an eye towards the future. It will be disappointing when Arrowhead finally takes on a corporate sponsor in the name, but you know what? They’ll still be the K.C. Chiefs. The name change on the stadium won’t mean jack to what goes on on the field except that it, along with all the other changes that are being made to bring in more income, it will help to make the small market Kansas City team more competitive financially.

Chiefs fans are kind of an enigma. We want the best team in the league on the field with the best paid superstars and the purity of our tradition, but we also want the cheapest tickets and “experience” possible. Unfortunately the two are mutually exclusive.

by ChiefDJ on Jul 15, 2008 4:55 PM CDT 0 recs

I know what you mean

That’s why I included the “necessary?” in the final sentence. It sucks but I at least understand why they are doing it.

by primetime 07 on Jul 15, 2008 5:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Nice rant =]

Good job.

If I may tweak a point… I do believe that tradition and the gameday experience do actually count for something on the bottom line. At least indirectly.

Think about trying to convince someone from another planet why they should join you for a Sunday afternoon at the stadium or even in front of a TV to watch an athletic contest. And what makes this contest better to watch than the high school volleyball game during the week?

We get to know the game, the players, the memories, the comraderie, time with friends and family. We are after an entertainment experience. The rest of our lives don’t really depend on who wins the Super Bowl. Tradition, context, and experiences are ultimately what they are really selling. So the image, logo, name, setting and human drama all play a part in selling the product to fans in the stadium, and - more importantly to today’s NFL revenue stream - the television audience. (In fact, we could probably make the case that fans in the stadium are more like extras on a reality TV program, providing live sound effects and interesting visuals between plays.)

But to your main soapbox point: When people talk about government policy, or the way companies treat them or the Chiefs, they often just look at half the equation. Thanks for the reminder and reality check.

by sunny D on Jul 15, 2008 5:13 PM CDT up 0 recs

While I agree that the “experience” helps to keep people coming back, it also costs the organization money that they have to recoup. I remember the huge stink made when they started charging for parking. But it wasn’t just a way to gouge the customer a little more. The tailgating and events that go on in the parking lot cost the organization money it wasn’t recouping. They have to pay for extra security, for unhappy customers who have to walk twice as far because guys who don’t even have a ticket to get in the stadium are out there tailgating watching the game from their car.

If you’ve ever run your own business, you realize just how fast those types of things add up.

by ChiefDJ on Jul 15, 2008 10:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

I do certainly hope your team doesn't sell out thier stadium naming rights....

As a Broncos fan, I am disgusted at the stadium being named “Invesco Field at Mile High”. It sounds corny and stupid. I still call the place the “New Mile High”.

My objection of the Broncos’ stadium name was the fact that the stadium was 85-90% funded by taxpayer dollars. If the stadium was privately funded and built, then they could name it whatever they want.

Please keep fighting to keep your stadium “Arrowhead”.

fader nation is a conquered nation

by mdierk on Jul 16, 2008 5:13 PM CDT 0 recs