The Chiefs have lost 19 of their last 20 games, dating to last season, and that has tested the faith of many fans, and they are showing it by not attending games.
The team announced last Sunday that more than 74,000 tickets had been sold for the 30-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints. But thousands of seats were empty on that sunny afternoon. Similar scenes at other home games have caused worry at Arrowhead Stadium that fans are losing interest in paying to watch a team that, as recently as five years ago, needed a waiting list to accommodate ticket demands.
Things are different this season. The team has sent out notices that tickets — even premium lower-level seats — were available days before five of the six home games so far, including Sunday against Buffalo. The team has booked famous musicians to sing the national anthem and offered ticket discounts. Still, most of this season’s home games have threatened to fall short of sellouts, a rarity among NFL teams.
“We need to continue to give them a show,” said Bill Newman, the team’s senior vice president for administration. “We knew that, during a rebuilding period, we needed to do all we could to be competitive. What we didn’t see coming was this economic downturn. It’s taking its toll, as well as the team’s performance.”
The online ticket brokerage StubHub.com offered dozens of tickets for the Buffalo game at $12 each and less. The team’s lowest price for an individual seat was $35, already a discount.
On Tuesday, the Kansas City shopping region on Craigslist.org was swarmed with 55 posts offering tickets to Sunday’s game as low as $15 per seat. Some sellers threw in parking passes, and one was so desperate that he offered to trade his tickets for goods.
Source: Kansas City Star
