Social Distancing Before Its Time: The Kansas City Chiefs In The '70s And '80s

On SI.com's Talk Of Fame Network, former Kansas City Chiefs beat writer Rick Gosselin looks back to a time before Arrowhead Stadium was known for its jam-packed stands.

In this era of the Coronavirus pandemic, "social distancing" has become the phrase of the year. Plans for the return of sports largely include either the elimination — or at least a limitation — of fans in the stands. But there was a time when the Kansas City Chiefs were setting an excellent example for social distancing in a pro stadium.

Former Chiefs beat writer Rick Gosselin has taken a look back to a time when Arrowhead Stadium would have likely kept you at least six feet away from any strangers.

On SI.com's Talk Of Fame Network, Gosselin remembers the loss-filled years of the Chiefs' 1970s and 1980s, with little success and few fans.

In the 1982 season finale, the Chiefs were in the throes of a 2-6 strike season and freezing temperatures awaited them for the noon start against the New York Jets.
As the media huddled in the warmth of the press room before the game, I put together a pool guesstimating crowd size. We had about 30 entries and I remember the highest prediction came from a professional cheerleader named Crazy George, who would beat a tom-tom in the stands during the game to generate crowd noise and excitement. He predicted a turnout of 70,000 … to which I told him, “George, you aren’t that popular nor are you that good.”
There was a smattering of guesses in the 30,000s, a few more in the 40,000s but most of us were in the 20,000s. Nobody won the money – we were all too high. Only 11,902 showed up for the game. That’s one fan every 6.6 seats at Arrowhead – social distancing at its finest.

Click here to read Gosselin's full story. For some, it will be a perhaps-unpleasant jogging of the memory. For others, a story of an era you never knew. Either way, it should help you appreciate the era of Chiefs football we have now.