Talk about barbarians at the gate…
Word that the Kansas City Chiefs are opening the drunken floodgates of Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lots at 6:30 am Sunday should send chills down the spines of kinder, gentler Chiefs fans.
Because as anyone who’s attended a Chiefs game in forever knows, the fan atmosphere (with the possible exception of the high dollar club level section) at Arrowhead on game day is rude and crude to the tenth power. Widespread public drunkeness, loud, profanity laced lingo and boorish behavior make for family unfriendly environs.
Let’s do a little math: Since the stadium gates won’t open until 10 a.m. for the just after noon game, that gives the Chiefs faithful nearly four hours – six until kickoff – to get crocked.
“I don’t think everybody’s going to get drunk the entire time, but a lot of people will,” says Chiefs stalwart Craig Glazer.”But opening things up that early is just asking for poor behavior. Maybe the business brains at Arrowhead think this is kind of a bonus since they’re charging so much for parking.”
Indeed…
Advance parking for Sunday’s game is a whopping 35 smackers, with cash at the gate parking bumped from an already lofty $40 per car to a money grubbing $60!
A price for which Chiefs president Mark Donovan half heartedly apologized.
“I don’t want anybody to pay $60 to park here,” Donovan told the Kansas City Star. “Buy in advance.”
Such sincerity!
As for opening the alcohol floodgates at dawn, “Do I think it’s a good idea?” Glazer says. “Probably not. You’re just asking for poor behavior.”
Take the widely reported fan brawl at the Chiefs- Raiders game last month…
“The Chiefs-Raiders game wasn’t nearly lopsided enough to warrant a brawl in the stands, but yet here we are the day later with video of a massive brawl,” Sports Illustrated reported. “By crowd fight standards, this one was pretty awesome. People were getting tossed over seats, huge punches were landed, and security couldn’t do a damn thing to control the situation.”
“We joined this fight that happened at last night’s Raiders-Chiefs game in media res, just in time to see a few haymakers thrown and a some unfortunate combatants go tumbling over the seats,” Deadspin reported. “Always remember to never fight from the low ground. Also always remember to never go to an NFL game.”
Especially at game where the crowd plans on getting wasted six hours before kickoff with management’s blessings.
The bottom line – and a bit of unsolicited advice for Chiefs management- from CBS Sports:
“Spoiler alert: fans who attend football games like to drink beforehand. The NFL, like many other sports leagues and sports venues, has to face the reality of patrons becoming inebriated and unruly.”
Go figure.
When you don’t like anything about the town you live in, time to move. Hearne, I hear old people love Florida. Or maybe try Arizona.
Lighten up, Standing!
Geez, I went to school in Arizona, so I’m well aware of its many attractions. But I’ma KC/Lawrence guy, c’mon.
Besides, what does not getting hammered at the crack of dawn in a parking lot have to do with enjoying living here?
I guess it is because anything that the city does or tries to do, you find a way to crap on it. I get it, opening the gate at 06:30 is not the best thought out plan… but, as bandwagon as Glaze is, you’re as negative about the same topic. But, to each his own.
That’s a bit broad a statement, Jess…
Anything?
No way, dude
Back in the early 90’s(specifically Bronco’s beat-down late Dec 1992) me and my brother would park in a secret spot on the opposite side of I-70 and walk to the stadium. It really didn’t take that long and back then parking was $10(maybe $15-$20?). I don’t know if that’s still doable but I’d be Got Damded if I would EVER pay $35 or more to tailgate in the cold.
Chiefs honcho Mark Donovan is with you, E.H.
I mean, the last thing Donovan would have you do is choke of 60 bone for game day parking (wink, wink).
Camarohead is a wretched hive of scum and villany. (Thanks, Obi-Wan). But seriously, it really is a cesspool of drunks, morons, and Independence/Raytown trash. I will never take my family there for a game.
Used to take my daughters…to Wizards games…
But it definitely is pretty rough hewn once you climb down from the club level
Ah, the obligatory column regarding drunks at the Chiefs game. This just in: water is wet, it’s cold in the winter and day immediately follows night.
Back in the day, the gates ALWAYS opened 3 hours before game time. That was the rule. There were just as many drunks in 1980 as there are in 2017. You think these people actually waited to get TO the parking lot before they started drinking?
It isn’t an alcohol problem, HC. It’s an A-hole problem. You put 79,000 people in one place and assume 10% of them are A-holes, that’s 7,900 A-Holes. That’s a lot of A-holes! Something’s gotta give.
I had season tickets for 20+ years. I drank like a fish at Arrowhead. A very large fish. Never got into one single altercation in 20+ years and neither did the other 9 people that tailgated with us. Wanna know why? We’re not A-Holes!!
It’s like saying drunk driving is alcohol’s fault. Ummmm, not really.
Point well taken.
Good points, Jim…
I’ve done my share of partying and have yet to tangle with fellow ruffians.
However, the type of people who are gonna wanna start getting hammered at daybreak – I dunno – seems unlikely to bring out the best in people.
And as Guy notes above, the general crude, crass tone of the atmosphere at Arrowhead (again, north or south of the club level) is such that clean-cut, family types tend to steer clear.
Remember the dude that got wasted and fell asleep in the wrong truck and got beat down a year or two ago?
Wasn’t there a death in the Camarohead parking lot not long ago?
I’ve been to several NFL stadiums (Riverfront, 3 Rivers, Heinz, Arrowhead, Oakland, the Superdome, just to name a few).
I’ve seen “public drunkeness, loud, profanity laced lingo and boorish behavior” at every single one. BFD.
Maybe that’s why Deadspin warned people against going to NFL games?
How’d you get a picture of Harley?
Found it on the inside of Paul Wilson’s locker door, Phaedrus
Not everything is meant to be a family event. That is alright, the world won’t end if there are events that aren’t child friendly. I took my young son to the Chiefs/Raiders. Bought second row seats, left after the first quarter. I wasn’t mad at the folks who were loud and vulgar, I just learned my lesson not to take my son to the game. Instead we go to Royals games. The NFL is the modern day gladiator/colliseum. Let them go.
He has a point here. Thats why some movies are ADULT rated R. Maybe the case with live NFL games.
C’mon, Craig…
Comparing porn to NFL games is ridiculous!
That’s fair, This is Fun…
However, generally speaking public sporting events are thought to be family friendly.
And even if things – like movies even – can be geared for mature audiences. However setting aside areas to allow for widespread profanity, fighting and crude crass public behavior seems a bit over the top in a mainstream activity like sports that has such a broad appeal
Open in early is a great idea. More time to get the 12th man, the dedicated fans geared for the game. No one tailgates for the NFL like Chiefs or Packers fans! To lump it all into drunk and disorderly and cannot control themselves isn’t a time of day issue. Nerds line up for tickets for Star Wars or comicon days in advance, just a point.
Point taken, Ginger…
However, I don’t recall the movie and shopping center parking lots green lighting widespread consumption of alcohol. Nor can I remember the Star Wars nerds getting drunk and disorderly and having to be hauled off to the pokey…
Just saying