Thanks a million, Clark. I don’t care what you say about our team, the economy, or whatever. Clark...

really?

you blame Clark for the fans not coming out to see the game?

seems a bit unfair to me.

you can blame the economy, the team’s record, talent level, coaching, and the weak opponent…

but, any extraordinary effort by an owner to artificially get a “sellout” would have been a farce anyway, and probably a waste of money, IMHO

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 6:16 PM CST reply actions

In defense of jk86

Clark Hunt could have prevented the idea of blackouts in KC all together by making us the fans beleive that we have a good football team by not keeping the salary cap so low. Carl Peterson did this very well. I think Clark is a penny pinching owner which is something no good sports owner should ever be.

by ChiefsNfl on Dec 17, 2009 6:39 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

well...

are you saying Carl put a better team on the field?

if NOT… you are saying that Carl was better because he wasted more money?

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:14 PM CST up reply actions

I think he's saying Carl was a much better salesman

And he was. He was great at convincing the public that this years Chiefs team will be special…he got a lot of ticket buyers even in years where we weren’t so hot. Carl was the master Kool-Aid drinker manipulator. :)

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:18 PM CST up reply actions

also

Carl was the GM, Clark is the Owner…
so really, you should be comparing Carl Peterson with Scott Pioli

I also don’t think that Clark is too much of a penny-pincher. He spent big to get Pioli/Haley, and seems willing to build this team right.

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:19 PM CST up reply actions

Exactly, and how many times this year have we not heard from Scott Pioli?

Carl told people what they wanted to hear and was a great communicator (until people got tired of his crap). Pioli on the other hand is like the guy behind the curtain on Wizard of Oz. lol. I’m not saying its good or bad, but yes, I think the GM to GM comparison would be better.

My point was— The Hunts loved Carl because he made them money (profit) through ticket sales. And since they underspent historically in the past, they were making out with quite a bit of profit.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:21 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

yeah, Pioli has made Haley the face of the franchise

for better or worse, he’s MUCH more hands off, at least in the public eye, than CP.

I bet Pioli isn’t a hands off guy behind close doors, as he’s running the whole show.

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:23 PM CST up reply actions

All I know is Jackson County taxpayers are in for higher taxes for a long time in the future.

And they won’t even be able to watch the team they’re helping pay for this weekend on TV. Does that seem fair?

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 6:50 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

jackson county residents are paying for a stadium renovation for the royals and chiefs

not paying for the team. just to be clear.

The only players I hurt with my words are the ones who have an inflated opinion of their ability. I can't worry about that.
Bill Parcells

Knowledge is confidence. And confidence lets you play fast.
Bill Parcells

by kcguy on Dec 17, 2009 7:04 PM CST up reply actions

No, I'm clear. I know that.

But still, money from their taxes in Jackson county are going towards the renovations but they can’t watch it on T.V. They are contributing to the team in a way.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:06 PM CST up reply actions

You could even argue the county taxpayers are the most important dimension of this situation

Both teams all but said it was very possible the teams would let their leases run out, potentially leading to the team moving to another city. Getting those requested renovations approved was an important step in making sure the Chiefs stay anchored in Kansas City. In the press and media they subtly threatened the possibility. That was only 2 years ago.

I just think they could have considered the fact that a lot of people can’t afford $100 or more for a game with Christmas right around the corner. And, they could have made themselves look good to the press and media by buying up the tickets and giving them away to charitable organizations (Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters). The positive publicity could be a lot better than people like me who will be slightly irritated by this whole debacle in weeks to come. I’m absolutely sure I’m not alone in my stance.

I’ll support this team no matter what, but this just doesn’t seem right.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:11 PM CST up reply actions

the charity idea is a nice one

No one could argue that that wouldn’t be a good thing to do, PR wise.

but, logistically you can only do that with so many tickets… not sure how many short of a sellout they were, but presumably it was more than the 5,500 number I heard last week…

you’re talking about half a million dollars in tickets, and thousands of people to give them to in a couple of days time…

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:17 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, you wouldn't need to give them all away (It would be a bitch to distribute)

Just a few hundred, and burn the rest….just so the game gets on TV.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:20 PM CST up reply actions

I guess you could

say “free admission” to the first 10,000 people who show up without tickets

:)

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:21 PM CST up reply actions

Exactly! How cool could it be to have Clark standing at the nearby Denny's handing out tickets to people who wanted them.

Of course it would piss off the paying customers— that’s why I think they’ve balked at this kind of a thing…but how could a paying customer get pissed if you give some free tickets to underprivileged children?

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:23 PM CST up reply actions

I swear I should apply for a PR position with the team! LOL.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 7:23 PM CST up reply actions

Well, it's still a business

And next season when we’re in the same situation the fans won’t be motivated to buy tickets to the game because they think Clark and Co. will do the same thing again.

Not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with you, just presenting another side to the argument.

Arrowhead Pride

by Joel Thorman on Dec 17, 2009 7:24 PM CST up reply actions

that's true

I’m always looking at the business side of things, and the smart use of money :)

other than letting lots of people watch the game, it could certainly be throwing away a lot of cash and potential future sales

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:27 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah

I think future sales is the big thing here.

Arrowhead Pride

by Joel Thorman on Dec 17, 2009 9:51 PM CST up reply actions

Don't forget the tax $$ from the state too

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 7:03 AM CST up reply actions

Don't forget the tax $$ from the state too

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 7:04 AM CST up reply actions

The state isn't contributing.

We’re not St. Louis.

If you only knew...

by IISaiNtII on Dec 18, 2009 8:24 AM CST up reply actions

umm

didn’t the state give them a huge chunk of money to move training camp to st. joe?

I know some of that money goes to the school but Hunt done all right on it too.

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 8:28 AM CST up reply actions

Was talking about the stadium

not the training camp. The state is basically building that, though, yes.

If you only knew...

by IISaiNtII on Dec 18, 2009 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

yeah, that's what I figured.

some how ,to most folks anyway, that money isn’t ever considered or is forgotten, when the subject of Hunt’s debt to fans and tax payers alike comes up.

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 8:37 AM CST up reply actions

The state is ponying up quite a bit

but St. Joe and it’s county are as well (considering they’re not a very dense population)

Kansas City Chiefs via Missouri Development Finance Board $10 million
City of St. Joseph $2.25 million
Buchanan County $2.25 million
Missouri Western State University via Max Experience $1.2 million

If you only knew...

by IISaiNtII on Dec 18, 2009 8:41 AM CST up reply actions

Part of what I meant too

is the folks in St. Joe are outside the 75 mile blackout radius. They’ll get the game on TV. But the Jackson County people who live 15 blocks from the stadium and can’t afford it, won’t be able to see it on TV.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 18, 2009 9:13 AM CST up reply actions

I got your meaning

and I agree it sucks!

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 9:17 AM CST up reply actions

I didn't think St. Joe is out of the radius?

If you only knew...

by IISaiNtII on Dec 18, 2009 9:46 AM CST up reply actions

You are right!

I looked it up and its apparently 65 miles away. good call.

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 18, 2009 1:56 PM CST up reply actions

Chiefs Nfl is right

Many have said that the reason Peterson got to stay so long is he sold tickets. Even if we were barely competitive, he got the butts in the seats. Butts in the seats=profit. Our salary has always been very low by NFL standards.

All I’m saying is he shouldn’t turn your back on Jackson County when they’re footing the bill for a 200+ million renovation project. I’ll listen, happily, on the radio.

Go Chiefs!

I'm not a Cassel fan or a Tamba Hali Fan or a Jamaal Charles fan. I'm a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

by jk86 on Dec 17, 2009 6:57 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

devil's advocate

did CARL really put any butts in seats?

or was it the competitive team?

AND, I would argue that LOTS of games in the last couple years were not truely sellouts, as there were lots of seats without butts in them

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 17, 2009 7:20 PM CST up reply actions

Simple solution

Clark not fork over the money……but inform everyone on monday that parking is free…….he knew this was coming…….but really what has clark gave us since taking over……a terrible team

by cassel4prez on Dec 17, 2009 7:38 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

PR wise, it sucks. Business wise, it's the right call.

Like others have said, you don’t want to set the precident that you will buy up tickets when there might be a black out. Also, when it comes time to renew season tickets they can use it as leverage. “We don’t want more blackouts like last year.” and “You can’t be sure that they’ll be on TV, so this is the only way to be sure you catch all the games.” etc.

Feeling "The Love" and "Drinking the Kool AId"

by KCporkchop on Dec 17, 2009 8:29 PM CST reply actions

I think clark

would only believe in that theory if he knew that kc wasnt going to be competetive in the future…..but tickets will pick up if we start winning….so i hope hes not content with having a losing team

by cassel4prez on Dec 17, 2009 10:40 PM CST up reply actions

I don't think there is anything Clark could have done...

Sorry.

Don't forget to be an AP-vangelist...Tell A Friend...

by woodman212 on Dec 18, 2009 3:34 AM CST reply actions

If those extra tickets were donated to local charities

They would have had a nice tax write-off, as well as a nice PR move. Maybe they need to hire a CPA that’s in tune with the Chiefs fans on things like this.

It doesn’t cost them anything to not have the game on TV, since they already get the TV $, but PR wise, they could have had a real win here.

"The way this works is you string together some good games, some good practices and you get momentum and you gain confidence," linebacker Mike Vrabel said. "It can be a real positive for your team. It builds on itself."

by cpa913 on Dec 18, 2009 8:29 AM CST reply actions

I guess that was already mentioned

Good idea, though.

"The way this works is you string together some good games, some good practices and you get momentum and you gain confidence," linebacker Mike Vrabel said. "It can be a real positive for your team. It builds on itself."

by cpa913 on Dec 18, 2009 8:45 AM CST up reply actions

I agree jk86

I’m extremely disappointed in Hunt. This fan base has shown the team nearly unwavering support for almost 20 consecutive seasons and he couldn’t give the fans back 1 game. Next season there will be hope again and people will buy tickets to start the season off. He’s showing a lack class to the fans, and a lack of trust in his hand-picked management to make this team a quality product worth shelling out over $100/game (or $1800 per person per season).

All of you that are saying it’s good business sense and the right move… WHY? Because it’s saving a billionaire half a million dollars (which by the way, he would have only had to pay the Browns 1/3-2/3 of that cost for the gate to make it a sellout). Do you think that KC and it’s 10% unemployment rate and terribly low incomes give two shits about a billionaire owner having to part with a few hundred grand when the county is paying a couple hundred million to refurbish that stadium that the Chiefs borrow from the county.

I was honestly expecting a blackout. I was hoping (apparently falsely) that Hunt would step up and do something to show the fans the respect that they have shown this team through 3 absolutely SHIT seasons. He didn’t.

If you only knew...

by IISaiNtII on Dec 18, 2009 8:38 AM CST reply actions 2 recs

Look...

This could be a blessing in disguise. The ownership is fairly hands off when it comes to football ops but, the first blackout in 19 years is going to piss Clark off bigtime! I guarantee you that he will be telling Pioli to do whatever he has to do to get asses in the seats and make sure that this doesn’t happen next year. Maybe it will give Pioli a little extra motivation to get us some help in free agency this offseason and acquire some players who will be difference makers.

It’s not that he’s not already motivated but, you know what I’m saying.

by Chiefsfan1970 on Dec 18, 2009 9:15 AM CST reply actions

Amen IISaiNtII

And IMHO Piolli didn’t seem very apologetic about the Chiefs ummm thriftyness during the off season, when Looney read a question from a fan (season ticket holder) asking why.

I’m sure most of you seen it on KCChiefs.com.

He comes off with something like… “my Grand Father use to say, just because ya got money in your pocket doesn’t mean ya have to spend it” then goes on to dispute the rumored 30 mill $ the chiefs are under the cap, saying it’s more like 15 mill $. LOL Really ONLY 15 mill under?!!?

HA!

by JohnNdallas on Dec 18, 2009 9:16 AM CST reply actions