Kansas City Mayor Won't Be Attending Chiefs Games This Year, But You're Welcome to Go!

The Kansas City Star Editorial Board published an article today asking the Chiefs and local government to reconsider allowing fans at the team's season opening game. The current plan is to allow 16,000 fans into Arrowhead Stadium in three weeks. What they will require is masks and ask that fans only interact with the other fans in their ticket pods.

If you think this is just more media fear mongering, let's see what the people allowing this to happen think. Here's mayor Quinton Lucas and KC health director Rex Archer. Via KC Star:

"Interestingly, Lucas — a vocal and visible Chiefs fan — said he may not go to Arrowhead Stadium. “I understand the risk,” he said. “I don’t know if I plan to go to a Chiefs game this year.” Rex Archer, the city’s health director, seems equally equivocal. “Is it going to work? I think that remains to be seen,” he told The Star Editorial Board. “I think it’s worth a try.” That’s hardly reassuring."

So the mayor won't be going to games because he understands the risk and the health director doesn't know if it is going to work. This sounds a lot like the old college try that is going on at colleges who are sending students home after a week because of COVID outbreaks.

I admit that in theory this should work. These fans should be wearing masks outside and spread out, but when you mix in tailgating you're asking for trouble. Plenty of smart, responsible people will let their guard down after a few light beers in the parking lot. What happens after Pat Mahomes does something spectacular or the defense gets a big stop and the wrong person lets their guard down in the wrong part of the stadium? It's just unnecessary risk to make money at the risk of public safety.