Command Win Against Spokane Shock

Let me start off by saying that the Command better be grateful that they were not playing a good team.  I caught the Shock vs Command game on Nifty TV.  I cheated.  I went to the Spokane Shock channel and pulled the game up, and when they finally got the broadcast stabilized, I found myself sitting back and shaking my head as the Command came out of half-time leading by two touchdowns, held through the third quarter, then almost gave the game away in the fourth.  PENALTIES.  Stupid mistakes that almost cost the Command the game.  Bad play calling on a goal line stand, repeatedly beating themselves against the Shock defense with running plays, then missing a field goal.  Add insult to injury ... a penalty for interfering with the kick catch that gave the Shock better field position than they really should have had.

Stupid mistakes.  Bad clock management early in the second half.  I couldn't help but sit and shake my head as the announcers for ESPN AM 700 out of Spokane commented on how the Command were probably the worst clock management team they had seen.  Then they talked about how few fans were in attendance at the game.

Let's face facts.  The Command are not going to come close to making the playoff's this year.  They are not 4-7, and with the Chicago Rush coming in next weekend, they are unlikely to make .500 by the end of the season.  So the Command need to address their team problems.  They need to address their marketing problems.  They need to address the fact that a sport that used to pack 9,000+ fans into the Sprint Center on a bad night and with a losing record, can barely get 3,000 to 4,500 fans into the seats now.  This partnership with AEG, the owners of the Sprint Center, could be as devastating to the Command as the ESPN relationship to the old AFL was to the league.  Some hard decisions need to be made, and they must address two issues.  How to make the Command a winning team and how to win back the fans that they lost.

Kansas City Takes it From Tulsa

courtesy KCCommand on Facebook

In a game that was riddled by missed opportunities and mistakes by both teams, the Kansas City Command manage to TAKE the game from Tulsa in the final four-tenths of a second.  The final play of the game, after a fumble that almost ended the game with the Command losing, KC managed to get a pass into the end zone to take the win.

I caught the game on the internet when the Command were tied 7-7.  I put the broadcast on my little 9 inch Acer and kept an eye on the game while I continued playing around on the Internet and tracking the severe weather to the North and Southwest of Kansas City.  What I noticed in the game was that Tulsa seemed to be suffering the same problem as Kansas City.  The arena looked almost empty.  I would bet that there were more people there than at the last two KC Command games, but the support for Arena Football seems to be suffering in several markets.  Can we simply say its a matter of needing to present a better class of player, a better product for fans?

I have now attended a home game, and I have watched a Command game on the internet.  I had hoped that I would have been more supportive myself, but all that comes to mind when I think about the home game I attended, and now that I reflect on the online broadcast ... the game is missing some of the 'excitement' that I remember from the KC Brigade games at Kemper and the game I attended in Chicago.  I even found myself sitting back tonight thinking ... wow, 14-13 Tulsa at half-time.  This is a low scoring game.  By the end of the game, the scoring wasn't much better.  I need some excitement in my game.  I also need the officials and the league to stand up to the idiots that have their seats on the sidelines and tell them to STOP interfering with play.

In the final two minutes of the game, a fan on the sidelines reached out over the wall and caught the ball, taking it away from its intended receiver.  That same fan managed to get a hold of a second ball, taking it away from the player after a catch at the wall, ending the play at that moment.  Its the same complaint I've had about certain people in Kansas City.  Reaching into the field of play, after being WARNED by the announcers that such would not be tolerated, and interfering with the flow of the game.

Anyway, the Command have their third win of the season, but they are still well below .500 and are tied for last place in the division with the Iowa Barnstormers.  It doesn't look like playoff this year (manic laughter).

Command Drop Another One ... This Time to the 1-6 VooDoo

Photo by Scott Soares

Okay, I finally made it to a Command home game.  I dawned by old Brigade jersey, put on my white Brigade ball cap, and with my wife, trekked down to Sprint Center and caught my first home game of the season.  My overall impression?  Well, let's say that you can tell that support of the team is WAY down.  But this is good news in some areas.  How?

Parking:  I parked across the street from Sprint Center's Oak Street entrance for $10.00.  This is normally a $20.00 parking lot for other events, but other events bring in more people.  There is actually a parking lot for tailgating now, and we stopped in and talked with Big Dog, BC Slasher and Sharon Soares (Arenafan Online) for several minutes before heading into the arena.

Wow, talk about no one coming out.  The Marines were there.  Gladstone Community Center was there.  Ah ... the Marines were there.  What used to be a circus of people promoting something to the fans coming into the arena at Kemper is even less than those who were in the entrance during the Brigade's only season at Sprint.  You can tell that the "Command" isn't drawing the crowds that the Brigade did, and its the same team under a different name.  BC Slasher (Scott) stated that Sprint Center is expecting the team to be packing the house in two to three years.  We will see.  Right now, attendance is hovering around a 4,000 per game average, with last night's game recording 4,422.  And how many of those were "give aways?"  I know that my entire row, all eight of us were give aways from Sport Talk 610.  Yeah, my first trip to a Command game were on tickets that I got for free from Sports Talk 610.

So, let's talk about the game.

Penalties.  I could not believe the number of penalties that were in last night's game.  Penalties that worked for and against us.  Off-sides, illegal motion, people seemed to have a problem timing the snap.  Roughing the passer, running into the kicker, little mistakes that could have been a young team or frustration.  Yes, I can see some promise in the young players, but when the 1-6 VooDoo come into Kansas City and pull off a sideline touchdown pass TWICE, we need to talk about issues on defense.  One of the two, the safety didn't even look up for the ball coming in, it went over his shoulder into the hands of the receiver for a touchdown.  Wake up.

I found the game felt slow, despite the 52-59 score.  But let's look at who was on the field.  The 2-5 Command versus the 1-6 VooDoo.  I would really like to make another trip to a home game and see what happens when the Division Leaders ... Chicago Rush come to Kansas City on June 4th.

ADVERTISING --- OMG! --- This game is getting TOO commerical.  I sat down in my seat an hour before the game, and while I was watching the two teams warm up, I was flooded with advertisements from the over head score board and spread out around the area.  Then the game started and the Yard Markers were dressed up to look like Pepsi bottles.  The team mascot has been renamed from "Max Runway" to "Pepsi Max" Runway.  Then we found out that the Red Cap that stops the games for Commercials is apparently not a bad side-effect from ESPN's involvement in the old AFL.  He was on the field again last night, and at a high point, at a fourth down stand, we are stopped and waiting while some network does a commercial break, waiting for the Red Cap to say it was okay to play ball.

To be honest, I've had more fun at an Arena Football in the past.  Yes, it might have been more fun if there had been another five thousand people in the seats, but I can't see how they're going to get another five thousand people in the seats when I surely can't be the only one talking about ... well ... it was football indoors.

Iowa Barnstormers Sit Fans - More on the ArenaFan Online Article

If you read my comments on the KC versus VooDoo game, then you may have noticed that I mentioned talking with BC Slasher and Sharon Soares.  Yes, the subject of the Iowa Barnstormers Ticket Holder Code of Conduct came up, and no, they do not understand where the owners of the Barnstormers are coming from.

I want to take a couple of minutes and dig a little deeper into the issue.  I did a little digging to find the attendance for the Iowa Barnstormers versus the attendance for the Kansas City Command.  So far, the highest attendance at the Sprint Center for Kansas City is 5,438.  According to BC Slasher, about a thousand of those fans were Iowa Barnstormer fans in KC for the game.  That sheds a little different light on the KC attendance issue, but we're not going to discuss that here.  If you look at the Iowa Barnstormer attendance records, you will see that they are doing a much better job of bringing in the fans, with a high of 10,552 and a low of 8,103.  One can easily say that the Iowa Barnstormers are doing a much better job of bringing in the fans, even with a season that is not much better than the Command.

Okay, with that said, let's talk about seats.  If the Super Fans in Iowa are sitting in the same place as the Flight Crew in Kansas City, they are in the front five rows of the End Zone.  Yesterday, in my discussion with some of the Flight Crew I was told that there is generally several rows of empty seats behind the Super Fans.  This was very visible last night during the game, and those who couldn't afford the cost of the first five rows were sitting back in the sixth row and moved up when the game got started.  I doubt that this is the case in Iowa.  I am willing to bet that there are people sitting in the first five rows of the end zone, so you can't compare what you can get away with at Sprint Center to what you should be able to get away with at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

I am going to restate my position.  I fully agree with the owners.  Just because you paid for those seats does not mean you have the right to obstruct the view of those behind you.  No, it does not make it easier when someone stands constantly, because they are not standing still constantly.  The opinion that it is more disruptive when someone bolts up out of their seat does not fly.  That person may block a moment in time, one that I can reclaim from the overhead scoreboard TV.  But when they stand constantly, they are blocking ALL of the game, and I didn't pay to sit in my seat and watch the overhead scoreboard TV the entire game.

Let me take a wild speculation here.  Should the Kansas City Command start bringing more people in, should there be a demand on the seats behind the Flight Crew in the End Zone.  Should the people who buy these seats complain that they can't see because the Flight Crew is constantly standing, and these complaints make it hard to sell those seats, the management of the Sprint Center will tell the Super Fans to take a seat in the same manner as Iowa.

Remember, its about making money not the Super Fans.

Iowa Barnstormers Sit Fans - Reflections on an ArenaFan Article

 “we want to make sure every fan has a good time and can see the game.” The intent of the code of conduct was not to make every fan sit the whole time. Exciting plays, of course, they will stand. Fourth downs are another opportunity. But “a fan should not stand the whole time.” - John Petit, Iowa Barnstormers

The Iowa Barnstormers have put into place a "Ticket Holder Code of Conduct."  In this Code of Conduct, it mirrors the basic AFL rules.  It calls for orderly behavior, and no swearing.  But it goes a step further.  It states that fans are to sit in their seats during the game.  This step further has angered a group of people who call themselves Super Fans, and Super Fan Sharon Soares recently wrote an article for Arenafan Online attacking this term of the Ticket Holder Code of Conduct.

My intent for writing an article for Iowa was to show them the same respect and love that I have started showing the Kansas City Command. Unfortunately, due to many miscommunications, the love we have for the team was shattered by a concern for the fans. Barnstomers ticket holders now have a code of conduct. Thanks to this political politeness, the Iowa Barnstormers are losing their super fan base. - Sharon Soares, Arenafan Online

Now, I understand that this is going to piss a few people off, but it needs to be said.  You need to get over yourselves.  This opinion of self-importance and importance as a group needs to be put into check.  You be getting certain benefits and special treatment from the owners for being Super Fans, but it only goes as far as your not interfering with the bottom line ... ticket sales.  Apparently, you've generated enough complaints and you're interfering with the sale of seats behind you to the point that the owners have decided that its time to take action, and apparently, asking this group of Super Fans to be courteous of others behind them was not something they figured would work.  Could it be that they are familiar with the nickname "Fight Crew"?  Of how members of your Super Fan section would argue with fans when you were asked to take a break and take a seat?

Think about it?  What level of arrogance believes that 40 to 100 tickets in a section are more important than the rest of the section?  I could understand that if the 40 to 100 tickets were a major majority of the section, but it is unlikely that they are.  To take is a step further and think that these 40 to 100 Super Fans are more important than the other 8,000 people in attendance is, well ... I'm sorry, you say you're educated, but it is apparently not in business.

But its worse.  Your complaint that you're being told that you can't stand constantly during a game wasn't voiced just to the owners, not to your friends, but it became an article for ArenaFan Online.  You have gone out and told the handful of people who read this site that you think you're more important that the other 8,000+ people attending an Iowa Barnstormers game.

I'm sorry.  There are a lot of good people out there who were and are involved in the Flight Crew.  They are friendly and courteous to the people around them, and they are very supportive of their team.  The problem is that the reputation of the Flight Crew and the so-called Super Fans is not going to be based on these people, but the actions of a handful of self-centered egomaniacs that conduct themselves like spoiled brats.

Its time to take a step back and take a hard look at yourself, and decide if this is how you want to be seen by others.

What Kansas City Needs Is an LFL Team

photo courtesy LFL

LFL?  Ready for this?  Lingerie Football League.  That's right, the perfect sport for the man who loves scantily dressed pretty women and arena football.  Put that in Sprint Center and maybe, just maybe if they don't try to overcharge for it too, they could get some people to come watch football in their facility.

Now don't get the wrong idea.  Yes, the games are designed for the type of men whose IQs sometimes barely beat out the fluid ounces of the beer can they are holding.  There are people who say that the LFL makes Wrestlemania look like the International Chess finals, but in the upcoming seasons, check out MTV2 and see if they are carrying the games again on Friday night.  I made fun of it when I first discovered the LFL, but I got watching, and if you can get past the play on sex, these ladies can play football.

So, if the Command want to play football at a level lower than Pop Warner, and their marketing people want to assume that ... hey, its arena football, they'll come ... how about someone like the Independence Event Center bring in a LFL team and let's have some fun at the Arena Football Games again.

The Command Drop Another One

After jumping out to a nice half time lead, the Command were outscored in the third and fourth quarters by Dallas.  But its not the losses on the field that Command fans need to be concerned about, its the steady drop in attendance at the games.  Attendance for the Dallas game?  3,502.  How long do you think that the Command are going to survive in Kansas City if they can't find a way to market themselves and get people once again excited about Arena Football in Kansas City?  I am starting to get concerned that the Command may be a one and out in the AFL if they don't start bringing in the fans, and in order to bring in the fans, they have to do two things ...  (1) START WINNING; and (2) come up with some ticket packages that will bring in the people who have been sitting back, scratching their heads or saying ... "it isn't worth the hassle of going downtown."

Their next home game may be the start of Sprint's realization that their ticket sales program isn't working.  Mother's Day ... Command host the New Orleans VooDoo ... Tickets purchased online are 35% off.  Just enter the word "FAN" in the box when ordering, or something like that.  You need to go to the Command's facebook page to find the information.

Will I be taking advantage of his attempt to bring fans in?  Well, not for the VooDoo, but if they make me a similar or better offer for tickets to see the Chicago Rush come to KC (June 4th), then I might consider be tempted to endure the experience of Sprint Center and the KC Power and Light District/Standard Parking Nightmares.

Yeah, I know.  I've been really down on the Command this season.  I was excited when the news broke that the "Brigade" were returning to Arena Football, but no one told us the rest of the story.  I can remember when the games were FUN!  That all went away, and now all I can hope for is that the owners wake the hell up and start working at bringing back the fans who felt and fell abandoned and stop letting the people at AEG and Cordish backrupt them so that they can make their money.

Attendance at Home:

1 - Iowa:      5,438  (W)
2 - Arizona:  4,166   (L)
3 - Dallas:     3,502  (L)

And they have 4,889 Fans on their Facebook Page at the time I published this article.  That should tell them something.