Tickets Are Available … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

If anything this just makes me not want to watch the Chiefs play live. My wife and I had planned on going to the Steelers game when we visit friends and family for Thanksgiving. So much for that idea. I can’t go up to Kansas City for an August game, and I wouldn’t want to. Not every Chiefs fan lives in the Kansas City area you know.

Besides I’ve been to a preseason game. They’re a waste of time. They’re boring. You see the starters for a whole quarter, and then you see the B and C teams. Those B and C teams don’t exactly play great quality football, either. On top of that the coaches aren’t playing the preseason game to win; they’re playing them to evaluate their players in “game situations”. I don’t mind watching something like in the comfort of my own home while I’m doing something else, but I’m not paying regular season prices to see that.

I was planning on coming home from Iraq this fall to watch my beloved Chiefs play two of my favorite teams from my 70s childhood. Now that is gone. I refuse to buy tickets for pre-season games I won’t even be able to attend just to see the games that I can. I’ve got the feeling that this pairing strategy is going to badly backfire on the Chiefs front office. It really feels like a slap in the face to the regular working man/woman who just want to come out to Arrowhead and root on our Chiefs. There may be an Arrowhead on the helmet but there is definitely a blue falcon in the front office.

Never understood why pre-season games aren’t half price. From a business stand point, I would rather have a full stadium at half price and get the parking/concessions than the way they are doing it. It could also be promoted as a “recession” break and develop some good relations with the fan base. I suppose there are contracts that don’t allow that sort of thing though.

preseason is worthless, and the only way for those games to be more worthwhile is if they carried the same meaning of a regular season game.

That is why I agree with Goodell’s idea to reduce preseason games and increase regular season games.

“Coming off a 2-14 season and in the country’s worst economy in 30 years, the only hope the folks on the business side of the Chiefs have right now is the fellows on the football side get the ‘09 Chiefs up and winning very quickly and often.”

Having a season-long training camp (the ‘08 regular season) seems to turn people off from having to pay regular price for games that don’t count. They made that BUSINESS decision last year and are now paying the business consequences for that decision. Their decision-making wasn’t just bad for the win-loss percentage, it was bad for business. The real bite from the way CP and Herm ran the business these past years will come from the tv side when they don’t sell out their home games.

For the two guys that planed on going to one of the two games, I think you’ll be able to get tickets, Just wait until Aug 30. to make your purchase.

I recall that Rams/Steelers game, it was pathetic to see a team play at home in front of the visiting teams home crowd. Gonna suck to see that disgrace happen at Arrowhead.

Atta Boy Juniorrrrr!

I don’t like it either.

But…

Some seem to think this is a Chiefs exlcusive. It’s not. They’re merely following the trend.

I don’t see what the big deal is. Those of us with season tickets have had to buy the preseason games since time began. We don’t want to go to those games either, but you’d be surprised how easy they are to hock off on someone who is football-rabid and just wants to go to a game. Sure, you might take a bit of a loss, but I’ve consistently been able to get at least 75% of the ticket price for my preseason seats.

It sounds to me like people just want an excuse to bitch about something else that “Junior” has screwed up. I like how he’s become the whipping boy now that King Carl and Herm the Living Fig Newton are gone.

SG— I was going to say if they won so many of the first 10 or 11 games and 1 or 2 with 20+ points this —-?
CP&Herm left monster clean up, Clark’s done the right moves, but there is still one big wall to climb—a lot of other team’s have also improved, leaving the ease of catch up very-very tough.
WINS are like rabbits, when you reach in that hat to pull one out and you find one that really wasnt there. This makes you bigger than Houdinie — but that’s football, the greatest show in open space today. If you don’t go, you lose a grip on being part of the game, that’s not at home, it ain’t the same!

People are just SO upset that Herm Edwards is gone- the residual fallout has people at wits end…

daddy-o, ’search’ & ‘check’ & jr. affirming…

Yes, unfortunatley…the “game” we all love so much is a business. And “business” is usually not pretty.

Forget all this crap…BRING ON THE SEASON!!!

Josh,

Congrats on being one of the “real fans” Jr will have Thume deliver you a Badge of honer.

Do Cracker Jacks still have a PRIZE in every box?

Herm Edwards is to tour Chiefs what GW Bush is to our country. Complete and total incompetence.

hey great article wow an article on tickets wow great job. jesus i no it must be hard to be creative and come up with something new everyday but cmon who cares about tickets tell us something about every draft pic go research their college carrers and stuff and tell us how u think they will fit in 2 our team

anonymous,

I take pride in being a “real fan”. If that was meant as an attack, sorry, but it wasn’t taken that way.

Honor is spelled with two “o’s”. There is no “e”. Remedial spelling, 101.

And yes, the last I checked Cracker Jack (no “s” at the end) still has a prize. Crunch-n-Munch, however, does not.

Josh,

No it wasn’t an “attack” it was just a simple rebuff to your criticism of those that feel that the Hunt’s have gotten a free pass for far to long.
IF you have no problem with Hunt using money made off of Chiefs fans* to build soccer stadiums and fund soccer teams in other city’s, while the Chiefs continue to SUCK, more power to ya! Maybe, God gives people like you an extra mark in the plus column in the book of life for such charity.

Thanks for the spell check too!

Cracker JackS was used in plural, Grammatically correct or not, I couldn’t care less.

* Even people that don’t give a damn about football at all, are paying for Hunt’s investments in other states, by way of taxes.

“Herm Edwards is to tour Chiefs what GW Bush is to our country. Complete and total incompetence.”

Doesn’t seem appropriate to insult Mr. Bush like that.

Meanwhile, Herm Edwards smiles the $illy $imper of $ati$faction: $4 mil from the Chiefs, & some more mil$ from ESPN…heh heh heh.

Is Herm > > ’search’ & ‘check’ ? To borrow from Duane Thomas - “evidently.”

& both affirming… meanwhile, Chiefs fan$ dance to the tune played on their collective heads by jr. and Rin

2, 3, 4

Enjoy!

anonymous,

If you really think that Hunt uses money from the Chiefs to fund soccer teams in other cities (spelled plural, not with an apostrophe “s”), then you’re delusional. He couldn’t do that legally, even if he wanted to.

The world isn’t out to get you and the sky isn’t falling. Welcome to reality. Sometimes your favorite team sucks. Look at the Saints. Without a few bright spots over the years, that team has pepetually been a train wreck. Be happy that you have an owner who cares about his team enough to renig on his previous decision (that being, to stick with Herm) because he saw his fanbase didn’t support it. Sure, it’s a business and the bottom line means a great deal to Clark (why do we call him Junior? Lamar Hunt, Junior isn’t running this team)-if it didn’t mean a lot to him, he’d be a moron, but let’s call a spade a spade. He’s trying his best to make this franchise successful, even going so far as to get rid of the man his father trusted with the day to day operations of his franchise (King Carl). If it were all about money, he would have stuck with Carl, because let’s face it, the King always found a new way to keep our butts in the seats…even when the product on the field was lackluster.

This ticket deal isn’t new and it isn’t exclusive to the Chiefs. If it brings more revenue to the team, I’m all for it.

Yeah, Rin…I’m sure it does put a smile on Herm’s face. To know that he sucked SO BAD as our Head Coach, that the organization was willing to pay his salary anyway for another year…just to have his sorry ass out of Arrowhead as soon as possible.

The smile is there because he knows he ripped us off. BIG time.

Herm: “Think I’ll have another sarsaparilla & one more Fig Newton as I watch the little people work - and the even smaller folk who complain bout how tough life is as a Chiefs fan these days…”

heh heh heh

daddy-o

Who is the delusional one, one that convinces himself that JR is committed to winning or (to use your words) one who truly calls a spade a spade. Jr fired Peterson for the very reason you stated he kept him for all those years, season ticket sales are down drastically! But of Course the “Real Fans” like your self, did their damnedest to keep Peterson employed, with your BLIND TRUST and gullibility, or as I like to say being a SUCKER or CHUMP! The only thing JR is committed to is his bottom line.

I won’t embarrass you by addressing your ignorant comment on the illegality of investing money made in one City/State else where.

Now I’m done with you on this topic, babble on if you feel it necessary.

PS
I’m certain everyone is anxiously awaiting your critic of my writing skills or lack there of. IF you need help getting a little lead in your pencil, I hear Viagra helps. But you probably can’t afford a trip to see the Dr., with being so charitable and all.

Rin Tin Tin says:

“and the even smaller folk who complain bout how tough life is as a Chiefs fan these days…”

That’s about to change. Are you ready, Rin? What’s your “schtick” gonna’ be when Pioli and Haley turn things around? And when they do…will you have the balls to admit you were wrong?

Are YOU ready for some football?

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Not to jump in on other’s arguments, but…

I cannot see how in the hell anyone can say that Clark Hunt is not committed to building a winning franchise here. If you think it’s all about making money…don’t you think that winning a Super Bowl would MAKE you the most money?

We got a new head coach–new gm–new qb–new arrowhead–new ect ect ect–

what else you need?

First let us all agree the Chiefs will not see the superbowl in 09 (unless they buy tickets). The NFL, Chiefs owner, managements, and some rational fans realize this. So like any business, the Chiefs need to figure a way to sell their product. They chose to do it this way. Either buy into it or “scalp” tickets like everyone else.

Josh read you ideas but you do not know much about corporations or how they operate. Clark has at least 2 ways to move Chief’s profits to his soccer teams. All legal and pretty simple to do and I image he has tons of legal advise on how to do this. The Hunt family was wealthy from oil but the Chiefs (NFL) are his most valuable asset because of television not home attendance. Moving money is an after thought for any corp.

Thanks, Scott. I’m glad someone sees the light.

Oh, and anonymous, congrats. No grammatical errors. Did you type that out in Word and run a spell check before you copied and pasted it on the site or did Mommy help you wif doze big wurds?

Scott,

IF the stadium is full by doing the bare minimum, Chiefs don’t need to spend the money it takes to win a Super Bowl.

gorillafan,
“what else you need?”

WINS! PLAYOFFS! CHAMPIONSHIPS! And not by doing it the “Patriot way” or Jerry Jones style, which is by hook and crook.

I’m as excited about Pioli and Haley as any one, but tell me you honestly feel that the Chiefs did everything possible, personnel wise, they could have during this off season.

I know! I know! Such Blasphemy! How dare I question the almighty Jr!

Cliche’ as hell, but, SHOW ME!!

tm1946,

Yes, SOME corporations CAN move money from one investment to another, but there are laws in place that keep OTHERS from being able to do so.

Look it up before you make blanket statements.

Scott winning the superbowl is an ego booster for any owner. The real money is what you get on the side like merchandizing. That is why Dallas, Pitts., Green Bay, and NY teams make tons of money more than the Chiefs. So Clark Hunt may or may not be interested in the superbowl. In fact there is a case that can be made that Lamar and Clark could care less about post season play. It would have been nice but the real bucks come from television (do not forget the Chiefs have been so bad they are not on prime time anymore). Sorry but there is nothing to support the fact that the Hunt family is more interested in the NFL shield than KC and the Chiefs.

“there is a case that can be made that Lamar and Clark could care less about post season play”

So make the case.

Most of us believe that Clark DOES care about winning and making the playoffs, at least partly because that increases all the revenue streams you mentioned. For example: the Chiefs were on T.V. all the time back when they regularly went to the playoffs; now, not so much.

Another example: Where I live, 2 states and some 300 miles from K.C., you saw kids wearing Chiefs merchandise all the time in the ’90’s, now, not so much.

tm1946 says:
“The real money is what you get on the side like merchandizing. That is why Dallas, Pitts., Green Bay, and NY teams make tons of money more than the Chiefs.”

Because those teams have traditionally been GOOD…and have won Super Bowls. Why would anyone (outside of a Chiefs fan) want a Chiefs jersey? If we were a powerhouse team…it would be “cool” to sport the merchandise.

Same with television. When we become good again, we’ll get back into the “prime” games. Football fans will want to watch us play…not just Chiefs fans.

Anonymous,

What else should Pioli have done “personnel wise”? I know there are still holes to fill..but, there is only so much you can do in one off-season. Pissing away millions on over-priced free agents does not equal success.

Specifics are always had but I will try a few. While Lamar was alive he/carl were leaders in adding more team to the playoffs. Remember when the Chiefs made a NFL issue about hair sticking out of helmets. During this same time the team was slipping with no backup capable of replacing starters. Sorry it is vague but it was commonly stated the Lamar was one of the owners who worried more about NFL shield than his team. Look at Dallas owner, may be a nut but he will spend his money to buy players. His team sells more gear than most.

As for Clark, we may like what he did getting rid of carl/herm but what about 08, talk about a team lost for a season. Just for discussion what happen to all the money he did not spend on free agents in 08 and 09, Josh will not believe it but corporation have other uses for money rather than spend it on players especially if superbowls are a nice but unimportant side issue.

None of this is proof but when was the last time you remember Lamar or Clark cam out and flat said The Chiefs are to WIN the superbowl and nothing else (like butts in the seats, blame carl all you want).

tm1946,

When was the last time Clark came out and flat said “The Chiefs are to WIN the Super Bowl and nothing else”?

From an AP Interview by AP Sports writer, Doug Tucker, 7/30/2007:

“But I am keenly interested in the strategy that we’re using to build the football team over a three- and five-year period. I feel a responsibility to help us win the trophy that has my dad’s name on it and ultimately the Super Bowl.”

Key things that Clark says here: “I feel the responsibility to”, “win the trophy”, and “ultimately the Super Bowl”.

…Doesn’t sound like someone just trying to put butts in the seats to me…

Winning the Super Bowl would put more “butts in seats” than anything else possibly could.

I guess I’m just not seeing this point that the Hunt’s supposidly don’t care about winning…but only filling the stadium.

And of course the Hunt’s want to make money from the team. Do you know of any business that does NOT want to make a profit?

“what happen to all the money he did not spend on free agents in 08 and 09″

I think this illustrates that these arguments come down to, in a large part, philosophical differences as to the best way to build a winning team.

I think there are owners (the Hunt family may or may not fall into this category) that put more emphasis on winning frugally. It’s easy to argue that the more free-spending teams of the Free Agency era (e.g., Redskins, Cowboys, RaiDUHs) have not fared as well as those that have been a little more conservative in the free agent market (Pats, Steelers, Eagles).

Still, it’s understandable that fans ask questions when their team is consistently losing and there’s all that unspent cap money.

“Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it.” - Harry Truman

daddy-o

Hank Stram’s “They’re Playing My Game” comes to mind…despite the difference eras, similarities new era/Arrowhead early ’70s & ‘09. Differences? To be sure - on the surface.

Once, it was Steadman business, Stram football.

Then some 14 years of Master Jack/the long and winding road.

Then, the three-headed President, CEO and GM Carl ‘uber alles’ (and if he wasn’t literally the Head Coach too then he might as well have been - hired every friend the football world do said for him.)

Comes now 2009 (split duties so they say): Thum business, Pioli football. Scott signs a former crony of his name o Todd, Denny keeps tradition alive July comes to an end/draft choices be MIA.

‘The Mentor’s words give pause:

“A (then)new (Arrowhead) $43 mil state of the art stadium was built… seemed part a huge expansion dwarfed the team…we were going into the stadium business a big way: concessions, parking, luxury boxes & corporate suites - we were big business.”

- the gift that keeps on giving - 2009 $, 375 mil cost, and ‘concessions’ consumed ‘by’ fans at the game - said consuming ‘them’ otherwise, beyond.

The good news comes by way company line - “The suites will increase in size, reconstructed to create an upscale environment all the features expected in today’s professional sport venue.”

- that ought to make Joe Fan feel better (as he walks longingly past/looks enviously upon said.)
The price of $ucce$$? “Whomp - there it is.”

“Lamar was diversifying too, investing in a theme park for kids/families (Worlds of Fun) and sports ventures like World Tennis & the Dallas Tornadoes soccer team. Winning & losing gave way to profit margins & overhead.”

- Lamar was also a part owner of the NBA Chicago Bulls; (today Hunt Jr. owns two soccer teams.)

“Could a football team really be operated like an MBA program? I didn’t believe so. You can’t take the game and the fans for granted.”

- Jr. has (shazam!) an MBA.

Circa 2009 a ‘new’ stadium as it were; outside ownership interests; an MBA in the house; some things never change…

“Circa 2009 a ‘new’ stadium as it were; outside ownership interests; an MBA in the house;”

Excerpts from Robert Kraft biography at https://www.patriots.com

“The construction of Gillette Stadium was the first project of The Kraft Group’s real estate development team. In 2007, The Kraft Group expanded the site development with the construction of Patriot Place, a 1.3 million square foot mixed-use lifestyle center and entertainment destination.”

“Robert Kraft, a founding investor of Major League Soccer (MLS), today accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.”

“A native of Brookline, Mass., Kraft attended local public schools before entering Columbia University on an academic scholarship. Upon graduation, he received a fellowship to attend Harvard Business School, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration.”

“Kraft serves on the board of directors for Viacom and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He also serves on the executive committee for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he established the Robert K. Kraft Family Blood Donor Center. He is a trustee emeritus at Columbia and is a trustee at Boston College.”

Definitely a recipe for disaster.

ILChiefsFan,

With all do respect, what does Kraft and his rather impressive education have to do with Jr?

Did I miss a something?

Never mind. I see now.

I’m kind of a moron. You’ll have to forgive me.

anonymous said

“Did I miss a something?”

- no ‘real’ anonymous - you ‘got it’ and be doing just fine…ILLChief on the other, still ‘is’.

One has to be to offer up a non sequitur in lieu of the obvious parallels Chiefs early 1970’s and Jr.s machinations of late.

To extoll all the differences between a Kraft and a Hunt would take limitless internet paper, but a single example speaks volumes:

The biggest difference is Kraft wasn’t ‘given’ a pro football team by dadda - no - he bought said aft proving himself a success in other endeavors.

Kraft didn’t take another mans leftovers as a Jr. has from first dadda and now tries to same fromst a Kraft himself by way his proven business acumen as well knack for keeping the requisite nee right man - a Belichick - and releasing the superfluous - ’search’ Pioli.

As SmithBarney commercials attest: Robert Kraft did it the old fashioned way - he ‘earned it’.

daddy-o

And, as usual, here comes the tap-dancing from Francis the Talking Mule… I mean, Rin Tin Tin.

Does the fact the Robert Kraft was a successful business person make him more likely to succeed than Clark Hunt? Maybe so, but that wasn’t the original argument, was it?

Here’s a plain fact, apparent to anyone who watches the NFL: Owners are business people, usually with outside ownership interests, who often renovate or rebuild their stadiums. Just because this was the case in KC nearly 40 years ago and the team fell from glory doesn’t mean the two are related. That’s a logical fallacy; like saying “I ate a tuna fish sandwich and then slipped on the kitchen rug, so I better not eat tuna fish anymore”. People eat tuna fish sandwiches every day without mishap.

Another fallacy: Using a comment made at least 20 years ago by a guy who was a FOOTBALL COACH, not an OWNER, to back your argument. “Could a football team really be operated like an MBA program? I didn’t believe so.” Who’s operating a team like an MBA program? MBA programs are not-for-profit. Did Stram mean you shouldn’t operate a football team like a business? There wouldn’t BE an NFL if owners hadn’t decided they could make money owning football teams.

Rin’s right about one thing: Those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it. People take the wrong lessons from history all the time, and regret it.

Excellent post Rin Tin Tin. ILChiefsFan is a moron.

I quite agree and you evidence great blogging taste ‘Ay’… gracias.

Pay no mind to ILL, for he is nee has risen to the level of his own incompetence, a Principle that we refer to as the Peter; in ILL’s case, be intellect ‘less’ so nee ‘circumscribed (more so ‘cised’.)

Put another, he has found the enemy & it be he…

daddy-o

Rin Tin Tin’s schizophrenia is showing once again.

How pathetic do you have to be to use sock puppets, Francis?

Rin, you’ll have to excuse me. I meant to say that I am the moron, not ILChiefsFan.

Why does anyone respond to Rintintin?

CK - I’ve abstained for a long time, but I backslid.

Cue yet ‘nother Elton John paraphrase: “Green eyes…ILLChief’s got, green eyes.”

daddy-o

Oh no, I just pooped in my pants again.