Kansas City Chiefs fan does not regret flying banners at Arrowhead in 2012
Marty McDonald did something no sports fan had ever done before. His movement in 2012 caught a lot of attention, and he deserves credit for what he did.
After a 37-20 loss in Week 4 of the 2012 season to the San Diego Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped to 1-3. This triggered diehard Chiefs fan Marty McDonald to do something. He wanted to create a voice. He started the Save Our Chiefs fan pages on social media, calling for a change. His most notable move was when he created banners to be flown above Arrowhead Stadium prior to home games.
He managed to create a strong following, gaining support from Chiefs fans while echoing his thoughts. Some Chiefs fans were angered by McDonald’s movement, calling it too negative. But McDonald said he stuck to the facts and wanted to see a change.
McDonald recently opened up about the movement he created in 2012.
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“I don’t regret one iota what we did,” McDonald said on The Chiefs Zone podcast. “I don’t regret any of the negative beef that we caught from certain folks who just didn’t have the mental capacity to understand what we were doing.”
Many sports fans voice their opinions during frustrating seasons. But McDonald knew that online complaints and booing at games would not be enough. While still being a fan of the team he loves, he knew he would need to do something big to try to make an impact.
With thousands of fans following Save Our Chiefs on Facebook and Twitter, many Chiefs fans supported the banners being flown before the game. Some examples of banners include, “WE DESERVE BETTER! FIRE PIOLI-BENCH CASSEL.” and “RETURN HOPE-FIRE PIOLI-SAVEOURCHIEFS.COM.”
Many fans also participated in “Blackout Arrowhead,” in which a lot of Chiefs fans wore black for one home game to send a message to the front office.
Shortly following the 2012 season, the Chiefs fired head coach Romeo Crennel, followed by general manager Scott Pioli.
“I think it changed things in Kansas City,” McDonald said. “There definitely was an influence and I heard from several people within the organization that the movement was dismissed at the onset. But because of the popularity and because of the constant pressure we put, I believe it was CBS with Marv Albert and Rich Gannon, they were talking about the movement during the Chiefs vs. Bengals blackout game. The organization could not choose to ignore it any longer.”
While fans don’t have the knowledge of an NFL owner, general manager nor coach, it did not require one of those positions to know how much the Chiefs were underperforming.
McDonald deserves a lot of credit. It was easy to do what most fans were doing to express their frustration. But McDonald wanted the organization’s attention and let them know that Chiefs fans are mad and deserve better.
Sure enough, after changes were made shortly following the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Chiefs went from 2-14 to starting with a 9-0 record the following season. It is one of the quickest turnarounds in sports.
Yes, Andy Reid’s time in Kansas City has led to multiple heartbreaks in January. But there is no doubt that this team has a better chance at a championship now than compared to what it had in 2012.
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Because of that, McDonald deserves praise for his moment. We have never seen a sports fan stand up to a franchise before.
Since 2013, the Chiefs are tied fifth for most wins. Although he is just a fan, McDonald certainly is part, perhaps a small one, in where the team is now compared to five years ago.