Editors Note | The Way We Were
It’s been a long and discouraging era for Kansas City sports fans. But does anyone ever give thought to the thrills our younger generation has never experienced—like a championship team, or a Major League playoff game, a World Series or a Super Bowl?
With the exception of Kansas basketball—we’ve had little to cheer about in the last twenty years.
It’s been a long and discouraging era for KC sports fans. Everyone knows that. But does anyone ever give thought to the thrills our younger generation has never experienced—like a championship team, or a Major League playoff game, World Series or a Super Bowl? With the exception of Kansas basketball—and for a Mizzou guy this is no exception—we’ve had little to cheer about in the last twenty years.
Some of my fondest memories are of the glory years of the Chiefs and of the spirit with which they played back when pro football players were ordinary guys who sold cars in the off season. This was back, too, when kids could enjoy a Chiefs game at Municipal Stadium in the Huddle Club for a couple of bucks including a hot dog and peanuts. Sadly, the Chiefs haven’t been to a Super Bowl for 35 years.
Regrettably, the Royals haven’t fared much better. It has been 20 years since we fielded a contending baseball team. Forty-something and older folks like me can remember those spirited teams of 1976 through 1985 when the Royals were in the playoffs seven out of ten years. Today, only us elders remember the wonderful/infamous game six comeback win against the Cardinals and a game seven blowout that yielded what may be the only World Series title KC will ever see.
Happily for our children the Internet has delivered a fantasy world of sports success because they ain’t finding it at the ballpark. I wonder just how incredible it must be for kids in New England today. They are too young to fret about the election just past but old enough to experience the reality-based glory of the Super Bowl champion Patriots and baseball’s World Champion Red Soxs.
The Unavailable Dollar
Last year, alas, a call to the Kansas City Royals marketing department, confirmed for me that winning was much lower on the list of priorities than selling season tickets and creating revenue-generating entertainment venues for the fans. I was shocked when a Royals (formerly Astros) marketing manager told me that the organization ‘was about enhancing the fan experience at the ballpark and winning enough games to keep them coming back.’ What kind of mission is that! Where’s Vince Lombardi when we need him?
Thankfully, this person is not on the coaching staff, but it does pose the question of the attitude among the Royals administration. Other than a few competitors like George Brett and an understandably discouraged Mike Sweeney, this organization, particularly the administration, does not seem to care enough about winning.
To be fair I researched recent accomplishments among the Royals organization. According to the Royals’ website, of the 30 most significant milestones since Kauffman Stadium opened in April 1973, nine occurred during the last decade. But of these nine, only one had to do with success on the field—beating the Astros in 1997 in KC’s first interleague game—hardly a milestone by champion standards. The rest were about ownership changes, attendance, Brett being named to the Hall of Fame, and increases in parking fees—I joke only about the last one.
Some other interesting facts: Of the thirty MLB franchises, the Royals have the 4th lowest payroll; 5th lowest attendance; 3rd lowest media revenue, and the 7th lowest operating revenue from concessions, parking, luxury boxes and club seats.
The Royals performance might change with a new downtown stadium, but I tend to doubt it. Despite building the Truman Sports Complex in what many believe was the wrong location, we designed, built and maintain it extremely well. Even today Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums remain the envy of most sports fans and franchises. Downtown or elsewhere, it’s hard to expect this city and its fans to support a franchise that yields so little emotional return.
To be fair, the Chiefs produced the best start in its history in 2003. Unfortunately, they’re plagued by a first-round-of-playoffs curse that even Dick Vermeil can’t shake. This season ended better than it began, but we can’t compete at 7 and 9.
To win in either sport requires an investment in top-level players, and in baseball, barring a rule change, that may not happen again. In the meantime, let us continue to play video clips from championship years on the JumboTron to the tune ‘The Way We Were’ so our kids might just know that KC once was among America’s most exciting—and accomplished—professional sports cities. And let us purge from either organization even a peanut vendor who doesn’t believe that winning should be the team’s top priority.
Regards,
Editor-In-Chief & Publisher jsweeney@ingramsonline.com