ESPN’s Mike Greenberg can’t figure out why the KC Chiefs are so good. Well, I know | Opinion
The edge
How do you know you’re a legendary championship team? There’s an easy answer: winning. Because winning is no issue, since nearly every game has a final score favoring you, all skeptics can do is try to make the margin of victory a discussion topic.
That is the high level of success our Kansas City Chiefs have reached. An 11-1 record speaks for itself as the best in the American Conference. But even with consecutive Big Game rings, the naysayers persist.
Nationally known ESPN sportscaster Mike Greenberg declares he just doesn’t know how good the Chiefs are. If you look at the Chiefs as the worst 11-1 or the best 11-1 in the league, one reality is undeniable: We’re the only AFC team with an 11-1 record.
Kansas City has the edge.
Therein is the difference maker, claiming narrow victories on a consistent basis in a league with close games every week. Last week, 12 of 16 games were decided by seven points or fewer.
To maintain the edge, there is no time to rest on your laurels. A desire to become better is present, which the secondary will need to do.
- Mike George, Springfield
Bragging rights
I suggest the downtown airport should be renamed John Sherman International Airport. Thus, the Royals owner would have his name on something glorious and leave the Royals and “The K” alone.
- Richard Bogue, Independence
Keep fighting
The global fight to end HIV/AIDS is one of the world’s greatest success stories — and that’s in large part due to an American program you might have never heard of.
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — or PEPFAR — was established by President George W. Bush in 2003 to stem the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Twenty years later, PEPFAR has saved an estimated 25 million lives, including 5.5 million babies who might otherwise have been born with HIV. Missouri’s contributions have helped save some 400,000 lives.
More than half of people living with HIV today receive treatment from PEPFAR programs that allows them to lead long, fulfilling lives. That’s an incredible American legacy.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is one we know we can win — but we’re not done yet. As we recognize World AIDS Day, both the lives lost and the progress made, we must remember that too many people still die of this preventable, treatable disease.
That’s why I’m asking Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt to support a clean, five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR so this critically important program can continue to save lives and move us closer to a day where everyone, everywhere is safe from the threat of HIV/AIDS.
- Joe Mason, Nixa, Missouri
Misplaced blame
In reading The Star’s reporting on Morning Glory Ministries, I was appalled to hear the rhetoric of city officials in reference to the homeless population they serve, as well as the inability of our leaders and local businesses to understand an issue they have created. (Dec. 1, 1A, “Helping or hurting? A Kansas City church feeds unhoused people every morning. But neighbors say the aftermath is getting dangerous”)
It is convenient, perhaps, to blame a soup kitchen for rising homelessness rather than the tide of gentrification that our “city planners” have helped manufacture. The city is, of course, right to note that a soup kitchen will not solve homelessness and that Kansas City is blessed with the generosity of many who donate their time and resources to the needy.
But there is a cruel absurdity in the city’s suggestion — gleaned from the harsh, self-assured words of Josh Henges, the city’s houseless prevention coordinator — not only that the problem originates in feeding the needy, but that the solution lies in ceasing to feed them. (It comes as no surprise that homelessness has risen during his tenure.)
If the city is going to continue to hide from the problem by bulldozing encampments and building luxury apartments, then it has no right to interfere with others doing the work the city refuses to.
- Caleb Owens, Kansas City
Holiday dues
I support the Dec. 1 letter to the editor emphasizing the urgent need to protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through congressional action on the farm bill. (17A) As we enter the Christmas season, a time of giving and community, it’s particularly heartbreaking to consider that millions of Americans go hungry.
During the holidays, many of us open our hearts and wallets to support food drives or donate holiday meals. While these efforts are essential, they provide only a temporary fix for an ongoing crisis. What struggling families need is the stability and dignity that programs such as SNAP offer.
With grocery prices still high, it’s unconscionable that Congress would allow partisan gridlock to jeopardize a program that feeds more than 42 million people each month. Hunger does not take a holiday, and neither should our lawmakers when it comes to protecting basic human needs.
This Christmas, as we gather with loved ones around bountiful tables, is a perfect time for Congress to give. Missouri’s senators and representatives must support a farm bill or an extension that safeguards SNAP funding. Anything less would be a betrayal of the values we hold dear during this season of giving.
- Sarah Miller, University City, Missouri
The right time
When was the last time you told your spouse or partner how dear he or she is to you? When was the last time you told your parents how much you loved them and appreciated the many sacrifices they made to provide you with what you needed and what they wanted for you? When was the last time you told your boss how much you appreciated his or her leadership and the opportunities for advancement they provided?
When was the last time you told your teachers how valuable their teaching was in leading you to your successes. When was the last time you told your children how much you loved them and how they have matured and become serious contributors to society? When was the last time you told your friends how much you treasured the time spent with them? When was the last time you told your students how much you appreciated their hard work and wished them great success in their vocations and personal lives?
When was the last time you told your mentors who have guided you to many successes and helped you avoid many mistakes how valuable their advice had been?
How about today?
- Merrill Stiles, Overland Park