Fan Letter To Chiefs Owner Clark Hunt

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has released a couple of letters to fans and season ticket holders in the last week. We’ve posted those letters here and we have continued to debate Clark’s involvement and attitude in the current labor situation.

Below is a letter from AA reader KC MikeG. Mike posted this in the comments as a response to Clark’s last letter to season ticket holders. Mike obviously put a lot of time and effort into this response so I’ve decided to run it so that more of you and maybe even Clark, will get to see it. (I am sure AA is a daily read for Clark).

One last note before we get to the letter. Here on AA, there are many on the staff who are very upset with the owners. AA is all about an exchange of opinions and we have been very vocal about it. While I agree with Mike’s letter, I know there are some of you that do side with the owners on this. I don’t want your point of view to be shut out. If you have something to say, perhaps a reply of your own to Clark, please send it to me at patrick.arrowheadaddict.com. As always, we consider any and all reader submissions, both emailed to me or posted in the Addic Post forums, for publication on the main page. We make no promises but Mike’s letter here is a good example of they type of thing we look for.

On to Mike’s letter.

Dear Clark,

I have been a fan since I was 8 years old in 1969 when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. There have been plenty of lean years since but I have stayed loyal, I have made Chief’s football a family tradition that I share with my children and they will share with theirs. We loved walking out of Arrowhead a winner 7 out of the 8 regular season home games this year!!! We believe in the “Arrow is pointing up” and in “Chiefs Will”. I am a 4 seat season ticket holder in section 115 who is worried sick about the future of my team and my loyalty to it. I used to be just as loyal to the Royals as I am to the Chiefs until the strike and the revolving door of players began. I went to my 1st Royals game since the strike last year because my son is a NY Yankees fan and they pounded the pathetic Royals in a 2/3 full stadium – how sad…..I remember the days of George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae, Freddy Patek – days of sold out stadiums – days of greatness and die hard loyal fans…..I pray I don’t ever have to tell this same story about our Chiefs some day – but that decision is in your hands.

I am on the verge of cancelling my four season tickets before my 4th payment is withdrawn from my account in April. There is something just not right about this whole situation. Why are we being required to pay for tickets to games that they can’t even tell us for sure that they are even going to be playing?? Would it kill you to wait until you get done splitting up the billions to finish taking my money? Really? You already have almost $1,700 of my money sitting in your bank collecting interest until August when you will “begin the refund process ” to me if you don’t play.

The delay we are experiencing now is preventing free agency which directly effects how/who we draft . Free agent acquisitions will be a key component to filling the gaps we have at WR, NT, OLB and at adding much need depth across the board. Any further delays will hurt the whole team by eliminating the Rookie camp – our rookies played such a big role in our success last year and without a camp would not be prepared to do so next season. With a new OC in Bill Muir we really need OTA’s and it is critical to Matt Cassel’s continued development to spend as much time as possible with his new QB coach Jim Zorn, to grow the chemistry with Bowe that began last year and to develop a comfort zone with the new talented WR’s I know you will be bringing in this year so our offense is more balanced and explosive.

If the negotiations are allowed to go on even further for us to miss training camp we will have lost most everything that GM Pioli and coach Haley have built over the last two years. Training camp was HUGE for us last year. This team really came together through the heat, hard work and with the love of the fantastic number of fans turning out in St. Joe “Chiefs Will” was born. They have brought the Chiefs back from the dead and made me proud to be a Chief’s fan again. The fans are just starting to regain their trust in you and the Chiefs organization after years of bad decisions and poor coaching and management decisions. If this team falters due to not having the offseason and/or preseason training due to the lock out/no CBA you will lose fans, you will lose ticket sales, you will lose viewership/ad revenue, you will lose merchandise sales – and not just for now but for good! There are already groups organizing on the Chief blog sites on how to protest by doing these exact activities. It is already happening. By April 6th you will have already lost and every day after that you will lose more and more. You were there Clark, at the games this year, except for the opening night SD game there were empty seats at every game – some games there were lots of them. There was one game (Cards) where the fans got a “wave” going around the stadium – only one game – and that was the 1st one I can remember in the last I don’t remember how many years. I remember the 90′s when you could feel the concrete vibrate beneath your feet it was so loud, that the “wave” went on & on and that teams were flat out AFRAID to play us in OUR HOUSE! You, Scott, Todd and the rest of the organization have done so many things right over the last two years to return this franchise to it’s historic greatness.

Really how many million or billions does one man really need?? Most of us seem to live happy lives without even having one…..Please don’t let a few millions here or there between you billionaire owners and millionaire players ruin the game that we all love so much. You need to step up and be a leader, as your father would have in this situation, and get the owners to agree to a new CBA NOW. If games are missed you will lose fans permanently! Stand up and be a leader! Make your father proud!

A Loyal Chiefs Fan & Customer,

KC MikeG