Letters: Readers discuss a poor Chiefs performance, NCAA athletes and tackling HIV
Change needed
A lot has changed in almost 48 years since the Chiefs won a Super Bowl. Players, coaches and front office staff have all come and gone. The only thing that has remained constant is the Hunt family as owners of the team.
It is absolutely clear that nothing has changed from the twilight years of quarterback Len Dawson, coach Hank Stram and general manager Jack Steadman to Alex Smith, Andy Reid and Brett Veach in terms of the incredible amount of futility the fan base has had to endure. At what point do we stop blaming the revolving door of personnel for the Chiefs’ woes and start looking at the people who have run the operation this whole time?
If Clark Hunt isn’t serious about bringing a Super Bowl championship to Kansas City, if he cares more about collecting rising parking fees than he does building a winner, then perhaps it’s time he sold the team. The people of Kansas City deserve better than what this franchise has given them.
Brian Siguenza
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Bad, worse
The only thing worse than the play execution at Sunday’s Chiefs game was the play calling.
Wayne Miller
Lone Jack
Ad overload
Like many others, I’m sure, I am outraged after counting 25 lightning-fast commercials between shorter segments of TV shows. I went to the movies and was also forced to watch 25 commercials before the feature.
The audacity of such corporate greed to override our choices and force-feed us unwelcome products is overwhelming. I see this on Facebook, cable TV and movies and in the mail.
Although the commercials have become very creative and sophisticated, I see that as a lure. It actually reduces us to a level of stupidity: We see a brief picture, and it triggers our desire and behavior.
I get super-sized postcards and other mail ads, such as those from a local dentist — as if I would be prompted to go to his office.
I think the selling of mailing lists should be illegal. It’s such an abominable waste of paper. It is beyond insulting that it is at our expense.
Paulla Levitch
Merriam
Lessons followed?
Half a billion dollars to build the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? (Nov. 18, 10A, “New Bible museum tells powerful story using Christian lens”)
What would Jesus say?
Ron Schores
Olathe
Pay them now
I’d first like to thank The Star for its contribution in the past year to the discussion about compensating student-athletes.
The NCAA brings in significant amounts of profit from its annual basketball tournament and football championships. But the organization refuses to pay college athletes. Under NCAA rules, college athletes aren’t even allowed to endorse products or sign autographs for money. Only the coaches and athletic directors are allowed to do that — and they get huge sums.
The NCAA and college institutions claim that scholarships are plentiful for student-athletes. However, according to a study by the National College Players Association and Drexel University Department of Sport Management, 85 percent of college athletes live below the poverty line.
The NCAA can’t go on like this forever. Change needs to happen. Maintaining the status quo and hoping for results is a preposterous solution. Even though scholarships have proved sufficient in the past, they are not meeting student-athletes’ needs now.
As a Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” So, what do you say? Let’s start now.
Sean Nguyen
Blue Springs
Involve everyone
In his guest commentary, “Why don’t we talk about the real end of HIV?” (Nov. 24 , 13A) Jonathon Antle discussed the three major breakthroughs in HIV over the past 30 years. HIV treatment has come a long way, to the point, as Antle correctly points out, HIV has become “out of sight, out of mind.”
I would like to add that there is a fourth breakthrough opportunity we need to research: functional cure clinical research to address the latent virus in humans. There remain people living with HIV who do not have the virus under control and are dissatisfied with side effects and drug resistance.
It will take research-based activism to continue making progress in treating HIV around the world, including immuo-therapeutic vaccine trials. As Antle suggests, it will take a greater community effort.
James Laufenberg
Executive Chairman
IGXBio
Fairway
This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss a poor Chiefs performance, NCAA athletes and tackling HIV."