Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that the Kansas City Chiefs are being run by a bunch of assholes?
Now, I don't know any of them personally. But Scott Pioli and Todd Haley seem like incredible jerks. I don't know Clark Hunt either, but he hired these guys.
A football team run by assholes may not necessarily be unprecedented in KC. I get the impression Carl Peterson was in that category. Lamar Hunt had the public persona of being a sweet old man; maybe he was a jerk behind the scenes, though. I don't think anybody could rightly call Herm Edwards or Dick Vermiel by that name, but maybe Gunther Cunningham and Marty Schottenheimer.
But these new guys are a different breed altogether. Not only are they assholes; they're arrogant beyond all reasonability.
Todd Haley has never been the head coach of an NFL team. Scott Pioli has never been a GM. And Clark Hunt was never the owner before Lamar died. They're all new at this. Their arrogance is completely unearned.
As much as I hate to criticize reporters, the Kansas City sports press corps is carrying these guys around like they're infallible, conquering heroes (with the exception of Jason Whitlock and a few others who have called them out in the past). Come on, guys! They haven't proven anything yet!
I guess I would classify myself as a serious Royals fan, but my passion level for the Chiefs is lower, falling somewhere between serious and casual. It would be nearly impossible for anything to prevent me from rooting for the Royals (although I think all Royals fans are being tested this season). It's not likely that I would stop rooting for the Chiefs, but not impossible.
Watching this team run by Todd Haley and Scott Pioli is no longer fun. It doesn't really even seem like the Chiefs anymore, if that makes sense. It's like some strange group of guys came in to town, stole all the Chiefs jerseys and started parading around in them. Maybe that's a good thing. The old Chiefs kinda sucked. But at least they were a team I felt like rooting for.
These new guys... I just don't know.
--Matt Kelsey
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Pioli kind of won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. Know he wasn't GM, but he was a key part in that....
ReplyDeleteSure, Anon. I get that. But it doesn't have anything to do with my argument. Is anybody who came from the Patriots organization just supposed to get a free pass? I guess I better not say anything bad about Matt Cassel.
ReplyDelete-Matt Kelsey
I completely agree with your point. I used to work at Arrowhead and directly for Lamar when he was still alive. I can honestly say that he was the sweet old man as you put it (to me anyway.) I was there in his last year of life and saw what was happening with Clark and Carl and it made me very uneasy.
ReplyDeleteI would purposely hide when King Carl or Clark came by...they made me feel like I was in the presence of a slimy politician.
I live in Arizona now, and have to go to extreme lengths to watch a Chiefs game most of the time (i.e. go in a back room of a bar somewhere where none of the other customers can be bothered by the stink.) That is, of course, unless they are playing a better team. Last year, I broke up with the Chiefs. I said if they weren't going to give me anything in the relationship anymore, then we were over.
I am willing to accept their begging me back, but based on my last experience at Arrowhead, full of overly expensive tickets, corporate sponsorships and a crappy parking and stadium entry, I am not holding my breath for reuniting with them.
I will still secretly wear my red, but don't see myself fighting for these guys publically much anymore.
Great comment, Iz. Very funny, too. Your post reminded me of something. I'm almost always wearing a Royals hat, and in the winter I often wear one of two Chiefs hoodies. On the rare occasions I travel out of town, I pay attention to how people react to my KC sports attire. Most places seem to be indifferent to it - and really, I don't think anything in particular when I see someone wearing a Yankees hat in Kansas City - but it's a lot of fun to wear a Royals hat in St. Louis. Almost everybody makes a sour face, and many people will make comments and snide remarks about the '85 World Series. It's a blast.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the great comment!
-Matt Kelsey