Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, this is the one where I think KC wins hands down. Now, I'm not saying the fans are the worst, not the best, but certainly not the worst. I'm saying the teams (or lack of teams) has soured this once proud major league sports market to the point of apathy.
The Chiefs drew a small crowd of 53,000 last weekend (probably less than 40k actually there) and were blacked locally out for the first time in two decades. They lost to the Browns who had only won one game prior to their victory Sunday. The day of the Chiefs drawing 80k a game seem to be over.
But what do you expect? I think the fans held on for as long as they could. The Chiefs have been horrible now for some time and really have not done anything spectacular outside a good run in the 1990's with a bunch of first round playoff losses. They have not been to the superbowl since the 1960's. They have not won a playoff game since 1993. That's 17 years ago! Something nearly impossible to do in the NFL.
The Royals. Ahh, the Royals. This once proud franchise that once was a top MLB club loaded with superstars and regular appearances to the playoffs now consistently loses 100 games a season. The Royals have not even been competitive since winning the World Series in 1985, not a single playoff game in 24 years!
When the Royals show any signs what so ever of simply being competitive, attendance skyrockets. Even this year, the Royals sold out many games as cy young winner Zack Greinke gave the city something to get excited about. How many other cities would average 24,000 a game to see a team that has been absolutely horrible for over 2 decades? The KC A's were also a horribly run team. From the day the team moved to KC from Philly, they wanted out of KC and that got old for the fans. Even as the team was moving to Oakland, KC passed a bond to build them a new stadium that they didn't even want. That's when the expansion Royals came in.
Then you have the arena sports. NHL and NBA. Both left town after KC built the brand new Kemper Arena.
The NHL never even gave KC a chance. The expansion Scouts came in and won only 15 games the first year and 12 the second and they moved to Denver where they didn't do much better before moving to New Jersey. Horrible ownership left a bad taste in KC's and the NHL's mouth giving the impression that KC can't support the NHL even though I'm not sure it would have been any different in any other city. Plus the Scouts needed to build a fan base in a market with NFL, NBA, MLB, a very popular soccer team and college basketball. 2 years, horrible ownership and a horrible team was hardly going to get it done.
Then you had the NBA Kings who left KC after 13 years. The team didn't even start as KC's franchise, they shared the team with Omaha, which was a failure after only a couple of years, but what a way to build fan base in a city. Then that team also sucked for many years and the year the team did become competitive, the roof of the arena caves in forcing the team to play much of the season on the road. The team left in 1985 just before the NBA took off and became popular. Had the team stayed another year or so, it would probably still be in KC today.
While the Scouts and Kings were stinking up Kemper Arena, the MISL Comets soccer team was averaging 17,000 a game, had all games televised etc because they were a competitive team that was marketed and run well by their owners and the fans responded. The NHL or NBA could have had similar success.
The Brigade in the AFL drew huge crowds in its first year averaging 18k a game. The team was just horrible though and the entire league folded a few years later.
So the fans have showed up, they have committed financially and continue to do so.
KC spent 3/4 billion on renovating the stadiums. Kauffman Stadium is amazing and Arrowhead will be as well. But for what? Horrible teams, small crowds and blacked out games?
KC spent 300 million on an NHL or NBA ready downtown arena that sits void of major league sports and the fans in the city have even grown tired of the annual NHL and NBA preseason games played there.
KC's now building a state of the art soccer stadium for the MLS Wizards. Knowing KC's luck, the MLS will fold or move the team shortly after the stadium opens.
Well, that was way more than I anticipated on typing! But for those with enough time to read it, I dare to ask is there a city that has had a worse sports scene than Kansas City over the past few decades? I kind of doubt it and I think KC is about at the end of its rope. I think the city would go crazy over a bowling team if it was something they could be proud of.
My vote goes for the bay area. Outside of the sharks(and even they are let down), those people don't care what their owners put out. If Chicago had a team like the Raiders or the A's, they would have been run out of town. Warriors are half and half for me. The team is a straight up joke, but they draw a decent crowd.
I have season tickets for the Broncos and am not a happy camper with the season but will still be there against KC so for fans to split cus the team is not doing good is odd to me. Look how long it took Denver to win their first superbowl....
BTW keep in mind I live 100 miles south of Denver and drive 5 hours round trip in traffic for every home game.
Finally taking the title literally any city or town that has a college or pro-team is among the best spots cities in the country as only 1% of U.S. cities have major universities and even less have pro-teams.
I have season tickets for the Broncos and am not a happy camper with the season but will still be there against KC so for fans to split cus the team is not doing good is odd to me. Look how long it took Denver to win their first superbowl....
BTW keep in mind I live 100 miles south of Denver and drive 5 hours round trip in traffic for every home game.
Finally taking the title literally any city or town that has a college or pro-team is among the best spots cities in the country as only 1% of U.S. cities have major universities and even less have pro-teams.
Denver has it pretty good though don't they?
The Broncos had a rough start, but since the late 1970's they have been a consistent competitor with like six super bowl appearances and 17 playoff years. That's WAY better than the Chiefs and since they are in the playoffs at least every few years (and they win many of them), it's easy to have a solid fan base right?
The Avs came to town and won the Cup in the first or second year and have also been consistently good till recently. Who gets a brand new NHL team that good? That has to be a quick way to build a season ticket base.
It only took the Rockies a few years to begin to challenge for play-off spots and in their short life have made the playoffs several times including a world series appearance. Sure, they haven't won it all, but they have been competitive and entertaining. It's like Denver didn't even go through the expansion woes that a lot of cities go through with the Rockies or Avs.
The Nuggets are not the best NBA team, but they seem to at least put a decent product on the court and they also make the playoffs at least every few years (not that that's hard to do in the NBA), but look at the Kings history in KC...
And you have a metro area that has stepped up and funded brand new state of the art sports venues for all your teams. Something KC struggles with.
Really? This decade the Rams made the playoffs four times. The Chiefs? Twice.
The Chiefs 2008 record: 2-14
2009 record (so far): 3-11
You're right, their waaaay better. Any more brain busters? You want to compare the Cardinals to the Royals, please?
I'm not saying I'm comparing the Rams with the Chiefs, just establishing the fact that the rams suck. Me using your name and comment as a platform to launch my point is irrelevant.
You have to remember KC is a small market. Very similar to Milwuakee or Sacramento
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
