Whitlock - Don't laugh, your team may be next (stands up for us again)

[Hammock Parties]

Don't laugh, your team may be next

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/w...be-next-101512

Don’t ridicule Kansas City Chiefs fans. One day soon, you could be in their position, a punch line for uninformed, unsympathetic national media, reduced to begging ownership to act responsibly and fairly, the target of scorn from the very athletes you support, forced to finance your own public-relations campaign.

This is where professional sports are headed. The disconnect between local fans and the franchises they love is being powered and accelerated by multi-billion-dollar TV contracts and the billions of ancillary dollars generated by video games and whatnot.

The guy in the cheap seats never mattered. We’re getting to the point, especially in the NFL, where no one in the stadium matters. It’s virtually impossible for an NFL franchise to fail and/or lose money. Before anyone has purchased a season ticket, NFL teams are swimming in enough cash to feed most third-world countries.

That’s why Chiefs right tackle Eric Winston got away with slandering a loyal fan base. That’s why the national media delighted in Winston’s ridiculous exaggeration. And that’s why we opened Sunday morning with a news story that Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli had received a two-year contract extension despite a Matt Millen Lite, four-year run in Kansas City.

You remember Matt Millen, right? Many of you laughed at Detroit Lions fans and their Millen Man March to remove their in-over-their-head team president. Millen, despite his ineptitude, was a Supreme Court justice in Detroit. He led the Lions for eight years primarily because there’s nothing an NFL executive can do to financially damage a franchise.

Cincinnati owner Mike Brown has been trying to destroy the Bengals for two decades. He can’t do it.

At some point, Bengals fans will reach the level of frustration that motivated Lions fans to take to the streets and Chiefs fans to voice displeasure at Arrowhead Stadium.

Fans don’t have a voice in the mainstream media. That should be clear in the aftermath of the Eric Winston-Matt Cassel-Chiefs fans controversy. The mainstream media are in bed with ownership and athletes, the people media believe they need. Athletes and media believe fans are stupid and unworthy of genuine respect. We think it’s a waste of time to look at things from the perspective of the average sports fan.

Let’s apply the bogus logic Winston applied to fans to athletes. Winston claimed that if only a few hundred Chiefs fans cheered when Cassel got hurt that it was still too many and it was still sickening and disgusting. Basically, he’s saying if one percent of the fan base does something inappropriate, it’s worthy of passionate public rebuke and the vilification of an entire fan base.

So if one percent of professional football players run afoul of the law, should we vilify all NFL players? Or would that be an unfair generalization? What’s more dangerous, a few cheers when a hometown player gets his clock cleaned or an NFL player driving while drunk? One act leads to potential hurt feelings, the other leads to possible death.

The media and the ex-jocks pretending to be media on TV were having such a fun time beating up on fans that no one applied any critical thinking to Winston’s opportunistic stupidity.

Not only do fans not have a voice, they’re despised and abused.

Winston’s whiny, inaccurate rant about the alleged behavior of a handful of Chiefs fans became a national talking point. Well, the story is what has made this fan base this angry. It’s the lack of accountability for ownership and management throughout the NFL (and professional sports). As more and more television money pours into professional sports leagues the less power true sports fans have. We’re not changing the channel. Sports is the only TV product that is DVR-proof.

An NFL franchise is the perfect investment. It makes the owner and his front-office cronies the most powerful and important people in any city. They’re untouchable.

No player in NFL history had an eight-year run of incompetence that could rival Millen’s. Why would a $3-million-a-year executive face less performance pressure than a $500,000 special-teams player? How could the Chiefs even consider giving Scott Pioli a contract extension?

I’m aware the original report about Pioli’s extension was refuted later in the day Sunday. But I don’t believe Jason La Canfora of CBS reported sketchy information. I believe Tampa Bay’s 38-10 thumping of Kansas City made the Chiefs walk back the leaked information.

Clark Hunt isn’t stupid. Kansas City’s fan base is frustrated and motivated. A group of fans started a Twitter feed @saveourchiefs dedicated to getting Scott Pioli fired. In two weeks, the feed has amassed 73,000 followers. Last week the group flew a banner over Arrowhead Stadium demanding that Pioli be fired and Cassel be benched. They’re planning more activity for KC’s next home game on Oct. 28. (I donated $600 to their cause. I’m a Chiefs fan.)

Extending Pioli at this time would further motivate an already-active fan base. The fan base has taken to social media to educate local and national media about what has been going on with Chiefs football the last two decades and the lengthy list of errors Pioli has made in four years. They’re tired of reading the propaganda pumped out by Pioli’s partners in the mainstream media.

Don't laugh at their desperation. Don't harshly judge their missteps. You could be next.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by notorious

Better than nothing. Nobody else cares about the Chiefs in the National Media simply because this franchise has sucked for 40 years.

Guess I'm not a fan of setting ourselves on fire just to get noticed about how miserable, pathetic, and mistreated we supposedly are. Who wants that image out in the media? I prefer the misunderstood yet proud fan base.

Definitely not a fan of elevating Jason Whitlock to franchise/fan base savior.

[durtyrute]

I don't really remember who it was that was hating on Jason, but it seems like everyone. He was saying **** Pioli almost from the get and was crushed for it. Now he is still saying **** Pioli and people love it.

Anyway, I miss Haley

[Micjones]

Change is coming.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

Guess I'm not a fan of setting ourselves on fire just to get noticed about how miserable, pathetic, and mistreated we supposedly are. Who wants that image out in the media? I prefer the misunderstood yet proud fan base.

Definitely not a fan of elevating Jason Whitlock to franchise/fan base savior.

Nobody gives a shit what you think.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by durtyrute

I don't really remember who it was that was hating on Jason, but it seems like everyone. He was saying **** Pioli almost from the get and was crushed for it. Now he is still saying **** Pioli and people love it.

Anyway, I miss Haley

I've always at least been entertained by Jason, and I can't say I miss start Palko Haley. He was an abortion just the same as Pioli, who would stick with something that wasn't working.

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by BoneKrusher

not here, i've always been a jwhit fan just like i've never liked Cassel as our QB.

I've always thought jwhit was pretty freaking entertaining. He lost his way for a little bit, but the dude is laser locked now.

Cassel I'm guilty of liking at first and I actually had hopes he might turn out to be a really good quarterback. But unlike Pioli I can admit I was wrong and am ready to turn the page.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Nobody gives a shit what you think.

Sometimes I do, this time however she is completely off base.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Nobody gives a shit what you think.

Then stop responding...

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

Then stop responding...

So me berating you somehow legitimizes your opinion?

[Slainte]

Eloquent.

[headsnap]

Don't laugh at their desperation. Don't harshly judge their missteps. You could be next.

living less than 2 hours from Cincy, I used to laugh and pity the Bengals fan... now this Chiefs fan is feeling their pain.

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by durtyrute

Anyway, I miss Haley

Ditto, IF he had had a quality QB and a supportive GM I'm confident he would have excelled and overcome his inexperience.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by headsnap

living less than 2 hours from Cincy, I used to laugh and pity the Bengals fan... now this Chiefs fan is feeling their pain.

You definitely have staying power, want a job in the Chiefs front office?

[BossChief]

Thanks again, Jason.

[FRCDFED]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Ditto, IF he had had a quality QB and a supportive GM I'm confident he would have excelled and overcome his inexperience.

I am in agreement as well. I have always been a fan of how Haley motivated the spoiled players from the get-go. People were hard on him because of his hard ways but at least the team didn't roll over in the 4th qtr and he got everything from them that he could.

If the allegations are true that Pioli would not allow Stanzi to play during his first season then Haley had no choice but to try to take shit Palko and make a shit sandwich.