I know some of you are probably wanting to share your thoughts on the booing that took place during the “Moment of Unity” at the Chiefs-Texans game last night, and I invite you to fire away in the comments section.
…I didn’t see it live, but I watched the first half of the game and later saw replays of the “Moment of Unity,” when members of the Chiefs and Texans locked arms and bowed their heads.
Chiefs management permitted about 17,000 people to attend the game, and it’s hard to say what percentage of people was booing. I’ve heard estimates of no more than a hundred or so, but it sounded like a lot more to me. Could it have been 40 percent? Which is about the percentage of Americans who support President Donald Trump. Could have been.
I have seen suggestions that the booing was not directed at the “Moment of Unity” but at the Texans, who had just taken the field. “Unfortunate timing,” one person said on Twitter.
I’m not buying that. I think many people were booing the “Moment of Unity.” And KC Star sports columnist Vahe Gregorian got it exactly right when he said in his column today that the booing “spoke volumes, betraying the city and team” and “broke faith with the players they (the booing fans) apparently support only as gladiators.”
The game was on national TV, of course, and the booing stirred a lot of reaction. Before you weigh in, here’s a sampling of what a few notable people had to say…
Terez Paylor, former KC Star sports reporter who is now with Yahoo! Sports:
Terez Paylor
So that booing during the “show of unity” is a real good example of why players feel so strongly about these causes in the first place.
Matt Maiocco of NBC sports:
I have a feeling that stadiums in areas that allow fans will be stadiums filled with people most apt to boo “a moment of unity.”
Texans defensive tackle J.J. Watt:
The booing was unfortunate…I don’t fully understand that. There was no flag involved, there was nothing involved with that besides two teams coming together to show unity.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas:
We’re a good city of good people. I heard boos, too. But we also have hundreds of thousands more around here who respect the message the players are sharing; who respect the rights of our players and people to voice a strong message and who are working to make us better each day.
Kansas City Councilman Eric Bunch:
Some NFL fans booing the players for standing and locking arms in a moment of silent unity proves that for them “standing for the flag” was always about perpetuating white supremacy.
**
That’s a strong statement by Bunch, and I’m glad he said what he did. Fortunately for him politically, he represents the city’s 4th Council district, which is populated largely by liberals. If he ever runs for mayor, that statement could be used against him in the Northland and the non-urban parts of the city.
Lucas, on the other hand, played it safe, landing in the middle, which he has clearly demonstrated is where he likes to be. He didn’t quite say there were “very fine people on both sides,” but the “good people” reference was too close for comfort to that seminal Trump statement, when he spoke of the white supremacists who wreaked havoc in Charlottesville.
And with that, readers, the ball is in your Red Zone…
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Not trying to defend, as there were boos, but……the moment of silence was announced BEFORE all the players were lined up/linked arms. So maybe some of the booing was at the Texans. A better approach would have been to wait until ALL players/coached were linked in arms and then announce the moment of silence. I believe there was some confusion on the field and in the stands.
Also any discussion that maybe the booing was for the Texans NOT coming out for the National Anthem and the other song?
Others have suggested the booing was aimed at the Texans for not coming out for the anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Sad situation but unfortunately too true. The “Boo Birds” are simply ignorant of what the values that make our Nation strong are based on respect and common goals for all citizens. They often proclaim their patriotism while saluting the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which concludes with the phrase “…with liberty and justice for all.”
I always thought kneeling was a sign of reverence, so what’s the problem?
We were so shocked and saddened
by the booing. I turned to Eileen and said, “Let’s watch PBS Death in Paradise,” and so we did.
Holding hands is a kindergarten level of “activism.”. These players are so new to that game, it was pathetic that’s their “big finale”. What did it accomplish? Nothing. The only thing missing was singing Kumbaya. Oh Lord. Kumbaya.
Mr. 57 took a knee, Mr. Okufore or however one spells it,no disrespect meant, will never be hired by mainstream businesses as a spokesperson. So, no need for me to remember how to spell his name. He is the local Colin Kaepernick. Unemployable. The other players were smart, and did not kneel.
Now here’s something nobody has written, but I was a music major so I caught it. When the twins in the tShirts sang the national anthem, the lyrics were standard, but the musical score was dramatically changed. To a fugue. Like Bach often did with his organ toccatas. A fugue is like a round, as i done with Row Row Row Your Boat. Or the Girl Scout ditty, Make New Friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.
A fugue has two melodies playing at once. So when the twins got to “And the rockets red glare”, then the baritones and tubas, the low voiced brass instriuments, played the unusual second stanza from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in COUNTERPOINT!!!! Thrilling!!! Like a quarterback sneak…the orchestration snuck in a touchdown of actual unity.
Now that was indeed a Good Thing. It didn’t rub our faces in anything, it just subtly ADDED to the musical depth of the world’s hardest to sing anthem.
A plus for me, finally putting my Bachelor of Music Education degree to work. ,Tracy Thomas, BME, magna cum laude, Wichita State 1971!!!
I believe that there are a lot of “die-hard” fans who don’t tolerate any personal (especially friendly) interaction between two teams.
They are your enemy, so you can’t stand hand-in-hand with your enemy. No fraternizing of any kind. These are not my sentiments, but unfortunately there are a lot of brain-dead individuals who are of that mind-set (or lack of mind-set).
Readers: Abe worked on The Star’s sports desk for quite a few years.
We find the booing to be appalling but equally so, did you see what Josh Hawley tweeted?
“Classless trash? The left showing their usual contempt for middle America. Missouri has the best fans in the country. Don’t blame them for being tired of NFL/corporate woke politics jammed down their throats.”
Kind of explains why some people feel free to boo, doesn’t it?
What an idiot…
Jason…
https://www.outkick.com/chiefs-fans-smart-to-boo-texans-and-dolphins-smart-to-disavow-empty-blm-gestures/
Based on the disgusting display last night, served up on the national news, Kansas City deserves its racist reputation. What a national embarrassment that taints even the good people here who believe all lives will not matter a hill of beans until black lives matter. A pox on them all.
I did have a friend at the game and he claimed that the booing was a result of the Texans coming on to the field, not the moment of unity. Personally, I thought the way the Chiefs handled it was pretty classy. They did not kneel they appeared to be respectful of the moment and they linked arms with their opponent in what was truly a moment of unity.
That said, I have nothing but contempt for the way the NFL has handled this. One player was fined for wearing a headband that said “man of God” they also refused to allow any display on behalf of the five Dallas officers who were gunned down, but yet they can put the name or a sexual predator on their helmets. I can only wonder what his victim felt as the morons who pranced around with the name of her attacker on their helmets.
Again, Chiefs classy, NFL in general sucks and I won’t be watching any of their games r the NBA’s games as long as they insult the police and glorify criminals.
Well, some of the boo’ers are the same people who yell out “Chiefs” at the end of the National Anthem when they should be singing the word “brave,” as in the brave men in New York City who rushed into the Twin Towers 19 years ago today in an effort to save other people regardless of what color those people were. No, as a rule, football fans are pretty much on the same level as hockey fans – they aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.
Sports fans don’t want politics mixed with entertainment, and the NFL got this dead wrong. Tone deaf to say the least and it will cost them dearly.
Strange days, indeed …
To me, Sam Mellinger’s column has a tone somewhat akin to the “playing it safe, landing in the middle” approach you ascribe to Lucas. Any thoughts on Mellinger’s column you would like to share?
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article245667240.html
Thanks for opening that door for me, Peavy…I agree with you about Mellinger’s rather insipid column. I don’t know about you, but for some reason I’m finding his columns less interesting as time goes by. Maybe it’s just the de-emphasis on sports in the time of the pandemic, but I just don’t read him much any more.
It was predictable that Gregorian would write about the booing on the first round of next-day columns and that Mellinger would write about the game itself. Gregorian is a deeper thinker and, obviously, the more life experienced of the two. You know he’s going to give you food for thought.
But the biggest surprise, Peavy — and I bet you’ll agree with me — was the column by conservative editorial board member Michael Ryan, who I would have expected to pooh-pooh the incident. But, no, he lambasted the fans, saying, in part..
The bizarre booing shamed Kansas City, and was the talk of the sporting world from coast to coast Thursday. What in the world were the boo-birds thinking — “Shut up and play ball”? As if the life-and-death matter of racial inequality and generational disadvantage and neglect can’t be allowed to get in the way of our entertainment?
Hats off to Ryan, who threw the ball over the stadium wall.
Here’s that link…https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/michael-ryan/article245657955.html
I’m glad Ryan wrote a column pointing out the need for soul-searching in the aftermath of Thursday night (“This embarrassment tells me my country, and my city, still has some soul searching to do.”). Unfortunately, Ryan will never write a column pointing out that there is no one more in need of soul-searching than Donald Trump.
The NFL and MLB look admiringly at the NBA. The NBA is growing their audience big time because it appeals to young people. And the NBA has been out front with their players on this issue and it’s building credibility with their target audience.
All the major sports want to attract younger viewers and so do the advertisers. The younger the viewers, the more money can be charged for advertising. Studies have shown younger consumers are more willing to make changes in their purchasing behavior than older consumers. Do any of the over 60 crowd who said they would never buy Nike again after Colin Kaepernick think Nike really cares? You are not their market focus.
The baby boomer crowd is used to having their views and needs catered to for their entire life. That time is passing.
You can not turn back the clock. Change is constant and continues whether you like it or not.
This baby boomer has little desire to purchase anything. Yesterday I put on for the first time a shirt I ordered from Halls in February to be sent to me here in LA. All for a Zoom meeting. Yes, don’t consume much. The Kings, Clippers and Lakers are a
couple of blocks away and I go once a year.
Jason…
https://www.outkick.com/chiefs-fans-smart-to-boo-texans-and-dolphins-smart-to-disavow-empty-blm-gestures/