YAHOO SPORTS’ Michael Silver writes, “How could Chiefs owner Clark Hunt have offered general manager Scott Pioli an extension, as reported Sunday morning by CBS' Jason LaCanfora, with a straight face? The simple answer may be that Hunt didn't -- both the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher and NBC's Peter King later reported that no offer was made” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/15). FOXSPORTS.com’s Jason Whitlock writes, “Hunt isn’t stupid. Kansas City’s fan base is frustrated and motivated.” Extending Pioli at this time would “further motivate an already-active fan base,” which has “taken to social media to educate local and national media about what has been going on with Chiefs football the last two decades and the lengthy list of errors Pioli has made in four years.” They are “tired of reading the propaganda pumped out by Pioli’s partners in the mainstream media” (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/15).
BUYERS' MARKET: BLOOMBERG NEWS’ Matuszewski & Kuriloff noted NFL Jets tickets on the secondary market are “selling for half as much as those” for Giants games in the same stadium, five weeks into the season. Secondary market price aggregator TiqIQ found that a “quarter of the seats at MetLife Stadium are on the secondary market for the Jets’ final three home games.” Jets President Neil Glat said, “The business is healthy and if we win it gets even healthier” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/12).
OPEN MIC: In Milwaukee, Kathy Flanigan wrote the Bucks held their “first-ever national anthem auditions” on Saturday. The auditions were “the brainchild” of team Dir of Game Entertainment John Watson. Watson said that “171 people had gone through the audition process.” Flanigan noted Watson, Game Operations Assistant Kris Burnelli and Bucks’ Energee dance team manager Tricia Crawford “played the judges’ roles.” The winners “will be announced" early this week. Watson said that “probably five to 10 individuals or groups from the auditions will sing at games during the season” (JSONLINE.com, 10/13).
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: The 76ers named Sixers.com correspondent and WMMR-FM on-air personality Matt Cord the team’s public address announcer. If Cord is unable to serve, MLS Union announcer Kevin Casey will handle the PA duties. Cord and Casey were chosen after team execs listened to the auditions of 107 applicants and three rounds of tryouts (76ers).
