Tag: mark donovan

LOOK: Chiefs brass taking in Royals opening day

A few notable members of the #Chiefs organization were at Kauffman Stadium to take in some #Royals baseball on opening day.

Opening day for Major League Baseball is here in April this year after labor negotiations caused a late start to the 2022 season.

At least for the time being, just across the way from the Kansas City Chiefs in the Truman Sports Complex, the Kansas City Royals play at Kauffman Stadium. The two teams have long supported each other in their endeavors and that’s not changing this MLB season. In what has become somewhat of a tradition, the Chiefs sent over a contingent to take in the game on opening day as the Royals face the Cleveland Guardians at The K.

This year it was Chiefs HC Andy Reid, GM Brett Veach and president Mark Donovan taking in the game alongside Royals majority owner John Sherman and Senior VP Adam Sachs. The team’s Twitter page shared a picture of everyone posing together in a suite:

Patrick Mahomes, a part-owner of the Royals, wasn’t in attendance for this year’s opening day as he was last year. He remains in Tyler, Texas working with his trainer Bobby Stroupe and his teammates getting some serious offseason training in. He did acknowledge opening day earlier on Thursday, though.

Today was a particularly special day for the Royals, who welcomed back pitcher Zack Greinke, the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 MLB draft. Greinke was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010, in a trade that would help set up the Royals’ 2015 World Series win. There’s also Bobby Witt Jr., the MLB’s No. 1 overall prospect, who is making his big league debut. Perhaps the infusion of Greinke’s wisdom and Witt’s youth will be enough to get the Royals back to the World Series again.

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Mark Donovan says Chiefs have considered new stadium options in Kansas

#Chiefs team president Mark Donovan says the team is considering new stadium options in the state of Kansas.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been at Arrowhead Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex since 1972 after moving from Municipal Stadium.

Arrowhead has undergone numerous renovations and remains one of the NFL’s premier stadiums, but with their lease at the Truman Sports Complex set to expire in 2031, the Chiefs are exploring a lot of different options. That includes options that would have the team no longer playing in the state of Missouri and moving across the border to Kansas.

At the NFL’s owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, The Ringer’s Kevin Clark asked Donovan about potential new stadium options. Donovan said that the team has been pitched by developers in the state of Kansas. It could end up becoming a legitimate option for the team, despite their commitment to tradition and Lamar Hunt’s legacy.

Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas responded on Twitter shortly after this news broke.

“Kansas City has proudly hosted the Chiefs since the early 1960s. We look forward to working with the Chiefs, our state of Missouri partners, and local officials to ensure the Chiefs remain home in Kansas City and Missouri for generations to come.”

When the Kansas City Royals announced in September their plans to explore a downtown stadium, many wondered what type of impact it’d have on the Chiefs, who are neighbors to the Royals at the Truman Sports complex. Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt commented on it back in November:

“John Sherman was thoughtful enough to give us a heads up that they were going to make that announcement and that it was something that they’re considering,” Hunt said. “Obviously, we’ve been connected to the Royals for almost 50 years now, here at the sports complex, and so their decision on their long-term future will have an impact on us. We’re going to watch as they go through the process and at some point in the next year or so start thinking about what’s next for the Chiefs from a stadium standpoint.”

While Hunt felt that Arrowhead Stadium was still among the finest in NFL, he spoke about what might go into consideration when their lease ends.

“We think that GEHA Field at Arrowhead is still one of the finest stadiums in the National Football League,” Hunt continued. “And the renovation that we completed about 11 or 12 years ago really brought the stadium into— back into the top tier in the National Football League. Obviously, things change and the way fans want to consume the game and the kind of spaces that you need those things change over time and we’re paying attention to that. We’ve had beautiful stadiums open now in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There will be things, when we get to the end of our lease here in nine or so years, I’m sure, that we’ll want to incorporate into the stadium. One possibility will be another renovation of Arrowhead.”

Hunt suggested that a renovation might include ways to better incorporate the space vacated by the Royals if they move to a downtown stadium.

“One of the great things about the Sports Complex is how big it is,” Hunt said. “That’s created the opportunity for our fans to have the tremendous tailgate experience that they have before the game each week. We’re fortunate to have that kind of built-in experience already. Obviously, if the Royals weren’t playing at the Sports Complex, it would open up more space to allow us to do some different programming that we haven’t done in the past.”

These are future issues that won’t come to a head for a long time, but it seems the Chiefs are at least considering leaving their home of the last 50 years. It could come down to things like tax money and the development of the area surrounding the Truman Sports Complex, but Arrowhead will remain home of the Chiefs for at least the next 9 years.

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2 Chiefs to be honored in KC Sports Commission’s annual awards

A Chiefs player and an executive will be honored in the 48th edition of the KC Sports Awards.

The Kansas City Sports Commission has announced their honorees for the 48th edition of the KC Sports Awards. Two members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to receive honors according to a press release.

Here’s a look at the full list of honorees:

  • Polsinelli Sportsman of the Year – Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
  • Spire Sportswoman of the Year – Lee’s Summit North Shortstop Kinsey Fiedler
  • McCownGordon Construction Executive of the Year – Chiefs team president Mark Donovan
  • Burns & McDonnell Coach of the Year – Terry English – Bishop Miege Girls Basketball Head Coach
  • Children’s Mercy Community Champion – Bob Kendrick – Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
  • T-Mobile Lifetime Achievement Award – Larry Wilcox – Benedictine College Head Coach

Kelce joins Patrick Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu, becoming the third consecutive Chiefs player to receive the Sportsman of the Year honors since 2019. Kelce had a prolific 2020 campaign, where he broke the NFL’s single-season record for yards (1,416) by a tight end in just 15 games played. He also earned Pro Bowl and unanimous First-Team All-Pro honors en route to his second straight Super Bowl appearance. He also found time for activism and community service off the field, as he was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honors.

Donovan runs the business side of the Chiefs organization and is rarely recognized for his contributions. He helped guide the team through unprecedented and challenging times during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. He joins Brett Veach as the second consecutive Chiefs executive to win this award.

The awards ceremony will air on KMCI 38 on Friday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. CT, where both Kelce and Donovan will be presented with their awards. Viewers may also stream the awards live at kshb.com/live on that date.

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Reminder: Chiefs have a new touchdown song coming for 2020

There’s going to be a new song at Arrowhead Stadium every time the Kansas City Chiefs score. You gotta fight, for your right, to party!

For the longest time, the Kansas City Chiefs used Gary Glitter’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Part Two” at Arrowhead Stadium as the song that would play every time the team scored a touchdown. In 2015, the team opted to move away from the song and fans were given the option to vote for a new touchdown song.

They were given the following three options:

  • “Hey, Kansas City!” by David George and A Crooked Mile
  • “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool
  • “Song 2” by Blur

None of these options quite filled the void left by the original touchdown song, but voters ultimately went with “Hey, Kansas City!” because it was from a local group. Eventually, they chose to rotate between some of these options but that was short-lived. Following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning 2019 season, the team has decided to bring in a new touchdown song that resonates a bit better with the fanbase.

It’s a song that the Chiefs started using late in the 2019 season to celebrate touchdowns. It wasn’t made official as the touchdown song, at least until Chiefs TE Travis Kelce first announced it during his Super Bowl parade speech (watch here).

“. . .Every single touchdown, every single point we score at Arrowhead is going to end with the anthem,” Kelce said. “And you all have got to help me say it right here, one last time for the 2019-2020 world champions. You gotta fight, for your right, to party!”

That’s right folks, Beastie Boys hit “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” is going to be the next touchdown song at Arrowhead Stadium.  Kelce mentioned it was cleared by team president Mark Donovan and the Hunt Family during his parade speech, and he recently reiterated that message to media members.

“. . .Then El Presidente, [Chiefs team president] Mark Donovan came up to me before the parade and let me know that we’re going to make ‘Fight For Your Right to Party’ the anthem for every time we score a point,” Kelce said.

Why did the Chiefs choose this song? Well, it really all started with Kelce’s postgame interview with CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz following the win against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.

“I’ll tell you what, it has been seven years coming baby,” Kelce told Nantz “I’ve learned one thing since I’ve been here. You gotta fight, for your right, to party!”

That moment turned out to be really iconic and something that will remind fans of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. Kelce obviously brought us back to that moment in his parade speech. It sparked a wave of merchandise like this shirt from BreakingT. It makes plenty of sense from a marketing standpoint this to become the new touchdown song at Arrowhead Stadium. It’s also just a fun and timeless song that seems to mesh with the team well.

How does Chiefs Kingdom feel about this song becoming the new touchdown song at Arrowhead Stadium? You can watch the music video for the song at the top of the page. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.

Why Chiefs won’t be changing uniforms anytime soon

Kansas City will likely continue to take the traditional approach with their uniforms.

A total of seven teams are slated to have changes to their uniforms for the 2020 NFL season, but you can rest assured the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be joining these teams soon, if at all.

The Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts all have planned logo and uniform changes for 2020. The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns have yet to reveal their planned uniform changes, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons have recently revealed their new uniforms to the world.

You can take a look at both of those uniform reveals from the NFC South down below:

If the Chiefs Kingdom is hoping to see the team follow other franchises and redesign their logo or jersey, they’re going to be disappointed. In April of 2018, Chiefs team president Mark Donovan spoke with ESPN’s Adam Teicher about the potential for any changes to the uniform in Kansas City.

“If history holds true with the Hunt family, you’re not going to see many changes to the uniform — nor would I argue for them, by the way,” Donovan said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “One of the things that makes our brand equity not unique but valuable is that we’re one of the very few that stuck to that tradition and honor that tradition.”

The biggest difference to the Chiefs’ uniforms lately really wasn’t much of a change. They added their logo celebrating their 60th season as a small helmet decal during the 2019 season. Team history is one of the things that has long inspired this fanbase. They also wore the NFL 100 logo in 2019, like every other team across the league.

“You get into the Thursday night color debate and you’re going to get strong opinions from a lot of different views on that,” Donovan continued. “I actually like what we’ve done with the Thursday night games. I like the all-white [look]. I like the all-red. We’ve done some subtle things with socks to create our own take on it. I like that.

“I love some of the other teams’ jerseys and uniforms. I don’t like some of the other jerseys and uniforms on Thursday night. When you talk specifically about, ‘Could you sell more (jerseys by wearing alternate uniforms or changing the base uniform)?’ we have a lot of jerseys for sale that we don’t necessarily wear on the field: black jerseys, camo jerseys, red jerseys, white jerseys. There are a bunch of different color feels to that.”

As for alternate uniforms, the team periodically wears red-on-red and white-on-white color combinations, usually during big primetime matchups or Thursday night football. They wore their typical home red uniforms in Super Bowl LIV as the designated home team.

There’s likely an argument to be made that Kansas City could rope in some new fans and make some quick cash from jersey sales with a uniform change. The reality is that changing the uniform significantly would be a blemish to a franchise steeped in tradition.

“I think it’s more important to us from a brand standpoint,” Donovan said, “that we’re traditional.”