ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Other Sports Is KC a Baseball town or a Football town?

DanT · 08-18-2015, 10:29 AM

Given that there is no obvious reason why a town would have to be one or the other, let alone a clear-cut way to decide which one it is, I'll just give my viewpoint, which I realize depends heavily on the era in which one grew up.

I was born in KC in 1965 and lived there until 1988, including working as a food vendor at Truman Sports Complex from 1982-88 and even a few NBA games (Kings) at Kemper before they left for Sacramento. I've lived and died with the Royals and the Chiefs from as long as I can remember.

I do not really remember the Chiefs first golden era, though. I distinctly remember the Royals ascension to glory in the seventies and the long run they had as either a perennial playoff contender or as a team that was just shy of playoff contention. That run did not end in 1985. The Royals were a solid franchise up through 1994, the strike season. They were also immensely appreciated by a fan base whose older members could recall the Kansas City Blues and the Kansas City A's.

The Chiefs were a fairly miserable team for most of the 1970's and 1980's. Success back then was to give the Raiders and other good teams a tough game. When Carl Peterson came to town, they polled the fans to find out what success would look like, and if I recall correctly the plurality opinion was simply to be in playoff contention.

The way the Chiefs fans supported the team in the early 1990's was astonishing to me, given how little support they provided in the 1980's. The way that the Chiefs fans got behind the team in the early 1990's was something that received national attention of the same sort that the Royals fans are now getting...except that I think the Royals fans have been even more remarkable in their enthusiasm and surprising to onlookers from other cities.

So I think it's clear that KC loves a winner. It's also clear that KC will stick by the Royals (and A's) and the Chiefs when they go through long eras of losing. All and all, though, I feel like they stuck with the baseball teams in a more steadfast manner than they stuck with the football teams.

Professional baseball has a long history in KC, going back to the Federal League and even earlier. There was a solid tradition of Negro League baseball. I grew up in KC's black belt and I remember lots of older gentlemen describing their days playing baseball. I do not remember many folks talking about their "glory days" playing football or watching football.

In my opinion, if you had to pick just one, I would say that KC is a baseball town.

08-18-2015, 10:29 AM	#38
DanT Veteran Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Davis, CA Casino cash: $4181711	Given that there is no obvious reason why a town would have to be one or the other, let alone a clear-cut way to decide which one it is, I'll just give my viewpoint, which I realize depends heavily on the era in which one grew up. I was born in KC in 1965 and lived there until 1988, including working as a food vendor at Truman Sports Complex from 1982-88 and even a few NBA games (Kings) at Kemper before they left for Sacramento. I've lived and died with the Royals and the Chiefs from as long as I can remember. I do not really remember the Chiefs first golden era, though. I distinctly remember the Royals ascension to glory in the seventies and the long run they had as either a perennial playoff contender or as a team that was just shy of playoff contention. That run did not end in 1985. The Royals were a solid franchise up through 1994, the strike season. They were also immensely appreciated by a fan base whose older members could recall the Kansas City Blues and the Kansas City A's. The Chiefs were a fairly miserable team for most of the 1970's and 1980's. Success back then was to give the Raiders and other good teams a tough game. When Carl Peterson came to town, they polled the fans to find out what success would look like, and if I recall correctly the plurality opinion was simply to be in playoff contention. The way the Chiefs fans supported the team in the early 1990's was astonishing to me, given how little support they provided in the 1980's. The way that the Chiefs fans got behind the team in the early 1990's was something that received national attention of the same sort that the Royals fans are now getting...except that I think the Royals fans have been even more remarkable in their enthusiasm and surprising to onlookers from other cities. So I think it's clear that KC loves a winner. It's also clear that KC will stick by the Royals (and A's) and the Chiefs when they go through long eras of losing. All and all, though, I feel like they stuck with the baseball teams in a more steadfast manner than they stuck with the football teams. Professional baseball has a long history in KC, going back to the Federal League and even earlier. There was a solid tradition of Negro League baseball. I grew up in KC's black belt and I remember lots of older gentlemen describing their days playing baseball. I do not remember many folks talking about their "glory days" playing football or watching football. In my opinion, if you had to pick just one, I would say that KC is a baseball town.
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