Okay...it's not Rembrandt,
but it does make the point.
Copyright © 2017
by Ralph F. Couey
The relationship between a professional sports team and its fans is necessarily complex. Technically (and legally) speaking, the team is a private club owned by private individuals. Membership is strictly limited to a relatively few supremely qualified individuals. But the clubs are identified primarily by a city, and thus fans assume a sense of ownership themselves. This sense is strengthened by the fact that the club's revenue is dependent on ticket sales, concessions, parking, sales of team logo gear, everything from professional quality jerseys to key chains. The only exception to this is the Green Bay Packers, which is owned by the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The team's identity is completely and totally linked with the city in which they play. So any success adds luster to the city and it's citizens. Likewise, failure can sully the name and reputation of both.
Kansas City, Missouri is in so many ways the quintessential midwestern American city. That ethos touches every aspect of community life, especially with regards to its sports franchises.
The Royals' two-year run stirred emotions to a fever pitch, ending in an epic parade and victory celebration attended by upwards of two million people, all dressed in blue. True to midwest ethics, on that day, out of those two million fans, there was only one arrest, a guy who had imbibed too much of the spirits of joy. Also of note, on the night of the win over the Mets, there were nearly-orgasmic celebrations, but no riots. No stores were trashed, no cars set on fire. To Kansas Citians, the relationship between them and their teams is very much like a really big family, and in a time when the eyes of the world were on them, nobody wanted to embarrass the kin.
Across the plain of asphalt that is the Truman Sports Complex parking lot lies the home field of the city's NFL franchise, the Chiefs. The team arrived here from Texas in 1963, having lost the AFL-NFL battle for possession of Dallas against the Cowboys. The team was immediately embraced by the city, packing old Municipal Stadium to the rafters for every home game. The Chiefs were immediately successful, in the hunt till the end almost every year, winning the league championship in 1966 and 1969, and appearing in Super Bowls I and IV. A dominant second half by the Packers resulted in their defeat, but the Chiefs then dominated the Minnesota Vikings in their second appearance, rolling to a 23-7 triumph. It looked like the Chiefs were on the verge of a superb run, but a lackluster 1970 campaign was followed by a loss in an epic playoff game against the Dolphins who the following year would achieve the NFL's only perfect season.
After that, things got bad. The rest of the 1970's and the entire decade of the '80's was a long stretch of really bad football. Things got exciting with the arrival of Carl Peterson and Marty Schottenheimer in 1990. But regardless of their success in the season, they were disasters in the playoffs. The latter part of that decade passed with yearly disappointments. It wasn't until 2003, the third year of Dick Vermeil's tenure, that things got better. The offense was red hot, but the defense struggled, losing the playoff contest against the Peyton Manning-led Colts, remembered as the game without a punt. If the defense had put up one stop against the Colts, the Chiefs likely would have gone to the Super Bowl.
Then came an era of truly bad teams until 2013 when the Chiefs went 11-5. They qualified for the Wild Card game against the Colts, this time quarterbacked by Andrew Luck. The Chiefs had a 28-point lead at halftime, and lost the game. In 2015, they finally won a playoff game against the Texans, but lost to the Patriots in the divisional round. They went back to the playoffs in 2016, but lost to the Steelers, due in large part to some epically poor officiating.
This year was supposed to be the year. All the pieces were in place, a group of veterans who knew how to win and some scintillating rookies who were hoped to light up the games. The Chiefs started 5-0, with important wins over the Patriots and Eagles. They were spoken of widely as locks for the Super Bowl, and their quarterback Alex Smith was certain to be the league MVP.
Then something happened.
Back to back losses against the Steelers and Raiders, in what were eminently winnable games. A brief dominance of a bad Denver team was followed by a loss to the Cowboys, and losses to three really bad teams, the Giants, Bills, and Jets. In those losses, the Chiefs have looked increasingly confused and despondent. The energy that was so much a part of those first five games has evaporated. The Jets game featured a rejuvenated Alex Smith in an impressive performance after four bad games, but was countered by a Chiefs defense that could not even get out of their own way.
The season that started with such optimism and joy has gone into the trash heap. True, there are still games to play, but the consensus among the fans is that even if they make the playoffs, the Chiefs will likely embarrass themselves, and us as well.
It hasn't just been the losses. It has been the character of those defeats. The Giants are a team that was accused of quitting on their coach. The Chiefs have looked like a team that has quit on themselves. The causes are too numerous to be enumerated here. I will refer you instead to the Kansas City Star's stellar group of sportswriters. But from the perspective of the fan base, this utter collapse was not entirely unexpected.
One thing required most of all for a Chief's fan is a well-calloused heart. The team has repeatedly delivered epic disappointments, but like the abused half of a bad relationship, the fans keep coming back. At Arrowhead Stadium, empty seats have been noticeably rare. Part of this is that unique familial relationship between the folks on the field and the folks in the stands. You just don't abandon the members of your family when they hit a rough patch. But there is a shift underway, brought into focus through the lens of social media. For the first time, in my memory, people have begun to reach the point when Enough is Enough. They are turning their Sundays to more productive, or just more emotionally fulfilling activities. Part of this is undoubtedly related to the broad trend of the NFL's falling popularity. The introduction of political activism in what has always been a game has damaged the brand. The growing number of players suffering Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has brought to light the sometimes frightening level of violence endemic to the sport, not just at the pro level, but all the way to Pee Wee League. But for Kansas City fans, the point may have been reached where their hearts have become not just broken, but irreparably shattered.
Looking back now, I can see that it wasn't only the players and coaches behind the collapse, but that there actually may be something fundamentally and fatally flawed in the organization itself. Whether policies, procedures, strategy or ethos, there is something at the very heart of the Chiefs that has made them allergic to success.
The Chiefs have always been a family-run organization. The Hunt's beginning with Lamar, have led them from the beginning. In fact, it was Lamar who helped launch the AFL those many years ago. Lamar, even with all his millions, remained a kind of everyman in the eyes of Kansas Citians. He was respected, even beloved. He was always considered approachable and accessible. He just didn't act like the oil tycoon that he was, rather like the neighborhood grocer.
But human lives don't last forever. Lamar died, and control of the team passed to his son. Clark Hunt was a relative unknown. Kansas Citians have never really gotten to know him, and he seems to lack that affectionate warmth that was so much a part of his father. And his record has been less than stellar. His ascension to the top spot in 2006 was followed by a string of really bad hirings of general managers and head coaches. In 2013, he made what was considered to be his first good decision, hiring Andy Reid as Head Coach. But today, five seasons hence, nothing has gone right.
It is perhaps a sacrilege to even suggest divorcing the Chiefs from the Hunt family. There's certainly no guarantee that new ownership would be totally committed to achieving championship results...or even keeping the Chiefs in Kansas City. Things could definitely be worse.
But I think it is obvious that something drastic needs to happen, something that would fundamentally change the culture and ethos of the entire organization. Because in the final analysis, there is only one thing that will keep this trickle of disaffected fans from turning into a flood.
A Super Bowl.
It is, I readily admit, a tall order. But for a team that hasn't been to the Big Dance in nearly a half-century, there can be no other goal.
If this were a marriage, then the fans and the team would be neck-deep in counseling, desperate to save the family. It has gotten that critical, and a breaking point is rapidly approaching. It will be up to the parties involved whether this long, heartfelt, and tumultuous relationship can be saved.
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