If the Big 12 is Over, What Will Happen to College Sports in KC? (Kansas City: transplants, how much)

[Blue Earth]

I think it's interesting how I caught "kcmo" in a blatant lie and then he just acted like it never happened.

If you're wondering what I'm referring to, scroll three posts up. He was here stating that he doesn't care about Mizzou and that he respects KU and "never said otherwise". And yet I saw him just a few days ago in the City vs. City subforum stating that he hates KU and calling himself a "MIZZOU guy". That's two lies right there. I posted the link to that comment and quoted it.

Can it be any more obvious how disingenuous and insincere his comments are here? Claiming to be impartial and have no interest in anything KU vs. MU, because that position of "impartiality" makes him look better when debating this issue in the KC subforum, yet by his own words in other forums he calls himself a "Mizzou guy" and says that he hates KU. It is total duplicitous BS. He's not impartial at all about this issue.

And my original comment in this thread (which he immediately jumped on, telling me that I was "full of myself") wherein I stated that certain MO-siders resent the college sports culture in KC because the scene is dominated by KU basketball, is completely correct and is proven correct by "kcmo"'s own words. His real attitude, which he disingenuously and self-servingly did not present in this thread (but carelessly let fly in another thread when he thought no one was watching), is that he is a "Mizzou guy" who "hates KU". It proves my point exactly! I already knew that there are thousands of others like him in KC, because I have associated with such persons and I know the attitude. It's an attitude of division and divisiveness, something that "kcmo" himself decries in others (state line issues), but thinks it's different when he does it (disparaging and even hating Kansas).

I just think it's really disgusting frankly that someone can be so disingenuous so as to call me out for stating the obviousness of an attitude that he himself admitted to possessing when he expressed it in another thread a few days ago on this very forum.

[aragx6]

I hate kU. Like hate. But at some, very mature level, I probably respect them. Ugh, that pains me to say.

The point being? If he wants to say he hates kU in a City vs. City thread, who the hell cares? Just means he has taste. (Calm down, that was a joke).

[kcmo]

Umm, I went to KU for some urban planning classes. I don't hate KU as in the school itself, but the attitude of many KU students (mostly just the JoCo KU crowd), Lawrence itself is awesome.

So yea, I am a mizzou guy (went to UMKC), but while I hate KU, I totally respect and understand their importance in the metropolitan region.

The number one reason I am a mizzou guy is to say that I'm not into KU sports, at all. Not into MU sports either, although if I had tickets and went to the KU-MU game at arrowhead, I would be rooting for MU for sure.

[Blue Earth]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I hate kU. Like hate. But at some, very mature level, I probably respect them. Ugh, that pains me to say.

The point being? If he wants to say he hates kU in a City vs. City thread, who the hell cares? Just means he has taste. (Calm down, that was a joke).

"The point being" is that he didn't say he hates KU in this thread. He said that he "respects" KU and doesn't care about KU vs. MU, solely in order to bolster his argument in this thread. He tried to maintain a facade of impartiality to help his argument, when in fact he is anything but impartial.

Consider:

1. He has repeatedly over the years disparaged the college sports culture in KC.

2. The #1 college sport in KC is KU basketball.

3. We finally find out that he HATES KU.

Is it any wonder that someone who literally hates KU would not like the college sports culture in KC? That's my point. He's trying to act like he is impartial to it and that pro sports are just "better" than college. But in fact, his opinion on the issue is not impartial at all. It is simply the view of an anti-KU, admitted hater of KU. The reason that he doesn't like the college sports culture in KC is simply because he hates KU.

There are a number of things that bother me about it. One is just the disingenuousness of acting like you are impartial, when you really have strong opinions one way or another. The second is that he acts like he's a big booster of metro KC, not just the city of Kansas City, Missouri, but the entire metro area. Always talks about how the whole metro area needs to get on the same page and work together. Well, doesn't this apply to sports programs in the region?

You have one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the world in your metro area, a program that has contributed a great deal to the city of Kansas City. The College Basketball Experience (museum) would not be in KC were it not for KU. The CBE is there because the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) is in KC. The NABC was founded by KU coach Phog Allen. The NABC is in KC because of Phog Allen. The NAIA is in KC because of KU coach James Naismith. I said this before, but everything that makes KC a college basketball town is because of KU.

So for someone to claim that he is a big booster of metro KC, but then have such a negative view of KU and not support the KU basketball program, to me that reflects very poorly on him and tells me that he's not really a booster of what's best about the whole metro area. A true booster would support all of the historical and important aspects of the metro area, regardless of what side of the border they are on and regardless of petty personal biases about what teams they support. He says himself that he's not even a big college fan. So what is holding him back from being a KU basketball supporter? Petty personal biases, ignorance, and probably jealousy I suppose.

I looked at MU's history. They have done very little to establish themselves as a national presence in any sport. ZERO national championships in football or men's basketball. The only national championships that they have in any sport is baseball in 1954 and indoor track and field in 1965. And the thing that surprises me the most is that their men's basketball team has never been to a single Final Four.

I mean, if MU's football team had a couple of national championships (or even ONE), I would support them as an important part of the sports culture in KC. Any team that establishes themselves by winning championships should be lauded as an important part of the culture of a region. I wouldn't hold a grudge against them because they were from a rival school. But the fact is that they haven't done anything on that level. They are just a mediocre sports program when you look at their history.

KU on the other hand has established themselves, through decades of history and success, as a major national presence in basketball. So why not support that and embrace that tradition for the entire KC metro area? It's something that benefits the entire metro area to have a sports program on that level in your metro. Anyone that genuinely cared about supporting the best of metro area KC would embrace and support KU basketball, because it is the best collegiate athletic program in the region and arguably has the best overall combination of history, tradition, and success of ANY sports program in the KC region.

[kcmo]

You can try to simplify it all you want. I don't like college sports. Period, never have. Why is that so hard to grasp? And as far as the KC College "culture", I just want to go to a Royals game and not see half the Kansas side fans wearing KU crap. Pretty simple.

You honest to god think I would give a rip if MU has a championship football team or not? I don't care. Do I want MU to beat KU when they play? Sure. It's a great rivalry and I choose mizzou. Other than that, I couldn't tell you a single thing about MU or KU or any other college sports program.

BECAUSE I DON'T CARE.

I hate KU because the fans are freaking annoying and I have run into way to many that are anti kcmo and that’s where the hate probably comes from. It has nothing to do with MU.

I respect the university as an integral part of the KC region and have had plenty of great things to say about Lawrence in many threads.

I’ll say it again. I’m not into college sports. Places like Oklahoma and Nebraska and Alabama annoy me just as much as Kansas does. Just too many of the people’s lives revolve around some college sports team.

As far as sports go, again, I would take ONE royals playoff Appearance over twenty mizzou national championships.

[aragx6]

Man, I'm so terribly jealous of kU basketball; we all are, of course.

Yawn ...

This whole converstaion is an epic yawn really. The Big 12 breaking up is a bummer, clearly. I think Mizzou will be fine; I truly have few worries at all. It's clearly not a great thing for KC though. And poor kU fans sure seem worried.

[cubssoxfan]

Doesn't it really boil down to what conference KU, possibly K-State and possibly MU go to?
Won't most fans continue to watch and support the sports programs if they end up in the B1G10? ACC? BigEast? MWC? or form a new Big8?? It's not as if these programs are being disbanded, yet some of the posts make it seem so.

[aragx6]

^For Kansas City, which was the orginal point of this threead, the biggest issue is the stimulus to the economy the Big 12 basketball tournament brings to the city.

For some of the smaller, less pretigious programs, the concern is that they might not end up in a BCS conference

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by kcmo

You can try to simplify it all you want. I don't like college sports. Period, never have. Why is that so hard to grasp? And as far as the KC College "culture", I just want to go to a Royals game and not see half the Kansas side fans wearing KU crap. Pretty simple.

First, why do you care what people wear? Second, just because they are wearing a KU hat does not mean they are from Kansas. Surveys have shown that about 65% of the Missouri side of the metro are KU fans. I have never lived in Kansas and own 5 different KU hats.

Originally Posted by kcmo

I hate KU because the fans are freaking annoying and I have run into way to many that are anti kcmo and that’s where the hate probably comes from. It has nothing to do with MU.

Your using a broad brush to paint an entire fanbases consisting of tens of thousands of people based on what is probably a couple of people's behavior. As I said before, surveys shows that approximately 65% of the Missouri side of the metro are KU fans. So, it's not like KU fans have this bias against KCMO. A good chunk of their fanbase live in the metro area.

Originally Posted by kcmo

I’ll say it again. I’m not into college sports. Places like Oklahoma and Nebraska and Alabama annoy me just as much as Kansas does. Just too many of the people’s lives revolve around some college sports team.

People have hobbies and interest. You are into photograph, arent you? What if someone bashed photography and said that too many people's lives revolve around photography? What makes college sports fans interest so much worse than any other? These people could be into something like bomb making or child pornography but they arent. At least there interest is something positive.

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Doesn't it really boil down to what conference KU, possibly K-State and possibly MU go to?
Won't most fans continue to watch and support the sports programs if they end up in the B1G10? ACC? BigEast? MWC? or form a new Big8?? It's not as if these programs are being disbanded, yet some of the posts make it seem so.

Those conferences are established in other cities. Their conference tournaments, headquarters, and history is based in other cities. The Big 12 is our conference and our city is the heart of the conference. Even if they stay together, Kansas City will be an afterthought and likely never even get consideration to host anything because they will be the new kid too the block. That will be millioins and over time, billions in lost revenue as well as ton of lost exposure.