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May 23, 2005
Chiefs chief: If we have a problem here...
The Kansas City Chiefs' move-threat reflex has finally kicked in, as it was revealed Friday that team chairman Clark Hunt (son of owner Lamar) recently told local officials: "If there's no renovation of the sports complex, one or both of these franchises will be gone." (Royals owner David Glass insists he has no intention of trying to leave town.) If the goal was to strike fear among the populace, Hunt's words seem to have had their intended effect: County sports authority chief Mike Smith told the Kansas City Star, "It's got me real nervous. I would not take it as a threat, but as a message."
So both the Kansas City Wizards and Cheifs are threatning to leave town? Both are owned by the Hunt family. hmmm......
Posted by Bertell Ollman on May 23, 2005 03:56 PM
the Wizards under Hunt aren't threatening to move. but Hunt will sell them to anyone who'll give him a good deal (says he'll give preference to local investors). Selling the Wizards was something of an obvious prelude to this threat. It was a subtle (or not so) message that Hunt wasn't happy with the referrendum failing and that he's not past causing KC to lose a team. Plus going out and asking for a soccer stadium was going to get in the way of his negotiations over the Chiefs. Too much chance for hypocrisy if he's willing to pay part of one and none of the other.
Posted by swedcrip on May 23, 2005 10:34 PM