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.

[Hammock Parties]

Clark will fire PioLLLLLi because he cares about winning and he cares about how the franchise looks.

Period.

Perhaps not in that order.

[ct]

Originally Posted by Phobia

The vehicles that do get towed are on the hook for $250+ but as long as that money isn't going into CLLLLLark's pocket, right? Plus if you get caught intentionally blocking traffic, KCPD or Jackson County Deputies will figure out which disturbing the peace charge to throw at you as well. Volunteers for this plan please bring $700 cash to the stadium.

ah it was fun to dream...

takin off folks, everyone enjoy MNF 2nite, winner 2nite wins the AFC West, while CLLLLLark stays home in Dallas and counts his $ in January.

[Imon Yourside]

Trent Green is on 810 right now. He mentioned knowing nothing of the extension for Pissoli but did mention something else. He said he thought it was great that Winston took some initiative last week but had it misdirected. He said Winston should be embarrassed by all of the missed blocks, tackles for losses and little time for the QB to look through his progressions. He stated his line always took pride in blocking and they communicated by calling out people that missed blocks and that it seemed to be lacking for this team. Love Trent.

[Hammock Parties]

Trent for GM, HC and OC.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by CasseLLLLL's Reckoning

Trent for GM, HC and OC.

We need someone to tell it like it is, throwing anyone under the bus and then backing up to make sure they got it.

[CoMoChief]

**** he should just suit up

[BDB]

Whitlock is full of crap. He takes a standards set by a bunch of bottom feeders and cloaks the entire NFL with it. All one has to do is look at the Denver Broncos to see that Twitlock's thesis is flimsey. Shanny loses the Division after losing the last 3, Fired. Josh McDaniels, 2-14, Fired. Kyle Orton, starts 0-4 and the fans lose thier shit, benched in comes Tebow. Next, welcome Peyton Manning. All NFL teams may make money but the top franchises cherish thier fans that's why they are the top. In Twitlock's world, NFL teams don't have incentive to win that's a bunch of bs.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by BDB

Whitlock is full of crap. He takes a standards set by a bunch of bottom feeders and cloaks the entire NFL with it. All one has to do is look at the Denver Broncos to see that Twitlock's thesis is flimsey. Shanny loses the Division after losing the last 3, Fired. Josh McDaniels, 2-14, Fired. Kyle Orton, starts 0-4 and the fans lose thier shit, benched in comes Tebow. Next, welcome Peyton Manning. All NFL teams may make money but the top franchises cherish thier fans that's why they are the top. In Twitlock's world, NFL teams don't have incentive to win that's a bunch of bs.

Franchises without involved owners who have the ego, drive, or hunger to win have ZERO incentive to win in the current climate of revenue sharing.

[Woodchuck]

Wonder where Pioli will go next? I bet he could wind up in Cleveland.

[Molitoth]

Originally Posted by Woodchuck

Wonder where PioLLLLLi will go next? I bet he could wind up in Cleveland.

Perfect place for him. A big Brown shithole.

[Psyko Tek]

Always thought of JAson as a shit stirrer and attention whore
right now you ARE the MAN
you ar stirring shit in our favor and with this kind of attention
they may even let you into the power and light distric
give'em hell, my man

[SPchief]

As requested by Phobia

[HemiEd]

I had a response all typed out for the locked thread. I don't do twitter, but shared the story on FB yesterday.

[memyselfI]

Apparently this media big wig needs your help in spamming his column to other journalists. (Why? Maybe they've blocked him?) and he's here to help you, the lowly no voice fan. So hop to it...

chop, chop.

Today, 11:44 AM
jwhit jwhit is online now
Starter

Join Date: Oct 2004

Please spam my column on plight of fans Twitter and Facebook.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/w...be-next-101512

This column connects your plight as Chiefs fans to other fans across the country, promotes saveourchiefs movement and it's helping reshape the discussion of Eric Winston's stupid comments.

Thanks,

Whitlock
Posts: 162
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[HemiEd]

Well he chipped in $600 for the cause, how much did you put in Denise?