It's one thing for Jacksonville, Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis to have home games blacked out. But Kansas City?!
Yep. Kansas City.
Once a pillar in the league when it came to fan loyalty and game-day experiences, the Chiefs are almost certain to experience their first home blackout since Dec. 16, 1990. Randy Covitz of the Kansas City star tells the story here.
While the Chiefs have received a 24-hour extension to sell their remaining 3,500 tickets before 12:05 p.m. Friday, the streak probably would end the following week anyway. Many more thousands of tickets remain for next week's home finale against the Browns. It's a pretty good bet no one wants to spend Dec. 20 outside watching the Chiefs (now 3-9) play the Browns (1-11 now, 1-12 next week, 1-13 the following week, etc.).
This is a huge development in the NFL. It means times definitely are changing and continuous sellouts might become a thing of the past for teams that experience prolonged slumps, even the ones in the most loyal of markets.
Another sign of the times came when the local Kansas City CBS affiliate refused to buy more than its usual allotment of tickets in an effort to make the game a sellout.
"It's as much the economy as it is the Chiefs," said Robert Totsch, vice president/general manager of KCTV. "My counterparts in the television industry are facing similar blackout situations.
"From my perspective, and KCTV, we certainly don't want to lose a Chiefs game and the audience it brings. We've helped them as much as we can. As unfortunate as it is, there is only so much folks can do. The underlying problem is the economy. If the Chiefs had a better record, and the weather was better and the economy was better, you'd probably see the streak continue."
