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Better than the couch Chiefs fail to break record despite use of Kauffman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The season ended Sunday for the Kansas City Royals, but 4,391 showed up Monday night at Kauffman Stadium to watch football, not baseball. In an attempt to break the National Football League on-site paid attendance record of 90,833, the Kansas City Chiefs simulcast Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks on the Jumbotron at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals' home. There were 78,502 fans at Arrowhead Stadium, across the parking lot from Kauffman. The total attendance for the two stadiums was 82,893, but it still fell well short of the record. Fans were charged $10 a seat to watch the game at Kauffman, although tickets could be purchased for $5 at many area high schools. "I think there should be more fans here, although granted you are paying 10 bucks to watch TV," said Steve Trimble of Independence, Mo. "There's people that for years sat out in the parking lot with their own TVs, so they might as well get in here and get the game atmosphere." It was party time inside the baseball stadium. The cheerleaders of the Kansas City Wizards, a professional soccer team also owned by Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, performed before the game on top of the Royals dugout. "You can be a lot louder out here" than at home, said Kevin Wagener of Blue Springs. "We just decided to bring in a whole group of crazy people. We're going to be contributing to the crowd noise." Wagener said he was disappointed the crowd wasn't larger. Marianne Wilder, also of Blue Springs, and two of her friends bought tickets at the gate. "We walked right up to the window," she said. "We were coming no matter what. We'd walk a mile for it and we did. We're parked way out in the grass." Jamie Pepper of Blue Springs said he "wanted to be part of the record-breaking attendance." "I'm hoping a lot more show up," Pepper said. Not enough did to top the 90,833 that saw the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears play in 1958 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Ricardo Rodriguez of Kansas City, Mo., brought his wife and three children. "We got tickets Friday," Rodriguez said. "We're avid Chiefs fans, forever. Kansas City is a place we grew up. The Royals are good, but the Chiefs are the bomb. I'm glad the crowd is not that large, so we can get good seating." Melody James of Kansas City, Kan., and her sister-in-law Susanna James of Kansas City, Mo., watched the game at Kauffman Stadium, while Melody's two brothers and Susanna's husband were inside Arrowhead. "They are the lucky ones," Susanna said. "They have season tickets." The Chiefs have a waiting list for season tickets. "You can't get in over there," Melody said. "We came out to be with the crowd. We are Chief freaks. You should see our houses. Chiefs memorabilia is all over the place." Susanna said she expected that comedian Dennis Miller, part of the ABC Monday night crew, would make jokes about Kansas City. "He can say whatever he wants," she said. "We're here for the Chiefs." The Kauffman Stadium crowd did the wave before the kickoff and jeered when the Seahawks' defense was announced, saving their loudest boos for ex-Chief Reggie Tongue. They cheered when the Chiefs scored a touchdown. One fan held a sign reading, "Kauffman beats the couch." The Chiefs did not beat the attendance record, however.
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