The Circus Guy With A Broom

While Traveling America’s Highways and Byways

I promised myself when this website was born that I would not spend an inordinate amount of time writing about the media. The media loves to talk and write about the media. Frankly, I think it’s boring for most people; it’s inside information important only to ink-stained wretches, tin-throats and hairdos.

There was no way I wanted to be the guy who works at the circus and follows the elephants around with a broom. Elephants eat every day, and they leave evidence of that behind them every day. Cleaning up messes involving the media is the equivalent of the same thing, every single day.

But crossing over the Illinois/Indiana state line on Wednesday came word that Chicken Little was at it again.

Chicken Little? You remember the character from the children’s fable who constantly goes around screaming the sky is falling, the sky is falling. But the sky doesn’t fall. His screaming just causes hysteria at first, before people just stop paying attention.

Well the Kansas City sports radio world has its own Chicken Little. His credibility has been worn away from years of screaming the sky is falling. He knows that fact and it makes him even more shrill when he says another sky is falling.

Wednesday, Chicken Little reported there was a chance of a strike by workers at the Truman Sports Complex, where renovations are going on at both Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead. That fact is true.

But then Chicken Little had to add this fact: the Chiefs had petitioned the NFL to play all their home games on the road in the 2009 season.

No source was given on this information. That’s not hard to believe because it’s made-up. Chicken Little created the information. If he didn’t, he got suckered by somebody on the union side of these negotiations.

So Chicken Little is either a liar, or a fool.

Either way it’s a farce. Had this happened on April 1st it would go down as one of the great April Fool’s Day stunts in media history.

But it went down on March 25th and Chicken Little was deeply serious about this “scoop.” When I heard this over a cell phone, I thought there was something wrong with my reception. When it was repeated, I thought it was a joke. Then, it was driven home to me that no, this was actually being talked about on the radio as fact.

The Chiefs and the NFL were both left scratching their heads over this one because something like petitioning for 20 away games has never been contemplated, let alone considered or discussed by the Hunts or Chiefs officials. I mean, just say it out loud – 20 road games – and it’s obviously a ridiculous concept.

Now, simply by writing and following up on Chicken Little provides legs to a story that isn’t a story. No sense tying up any more bytes, so we will stop now.

Cue the circus guy with the broom, because it’s clean up time in the media aisle.

And this time, it’s a really big, steaming pile of crap.