KC's all-time most successful sports team suspends operations

[Randy J.]

Comets Owner Puts Indoor Soccer Team On Hold
Team Founded In 1981

POSTED: 12:23 pm CDT September 14, 2005
UPDATED: 12:30 pm CDT September 14, 2005

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Comets won't play for at least two years, while the Major Indoor Soccer League team waits for a new arena to be built, owner Don Kincaid said.

Kincaid told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday that he had received the MISL's permission to suspend operations of the Comets while waiting for a new arena to be built, possibly in the suburb of Overland Park, Kan. He will continue to pay dues to the league while he waits for the new arena, he said.

The Comets currently play in the 16,000-seat Kemper Arena, an aging structure west of downtown, but Kincaid said he has told arena manager Global Spectrum he won't extend his year-to-year lease, which expired in April.

Attendance at Comets games has dwindled in recent years, and Kincaid said the team has lost almost $15 million since he bought it in 1993.

"I simply can't afford the losses, the financial drain," Kincaid told The Star. "Believe me, I would have liked nothing better than to keep this going for the great fans of Kansas City.

"But it made the most sense to go dark now, regroup and come back stronger in two years."

He believes a smaller arena -- perhaps with 10,000 seats -- "would be perfect for the type of fan base we're trying to attract."

Comets coach Zoran Savic said he understood the decision.

"Sometimes to get stronger you have to do this," he said. "It hurts because this has been my life. But we'll be back."

The Comets, founded in 1981, were more popular in the 1980s, averaging more than 11,000 fans per game in their first seven years. But the team folded after attendance dropped to 5,354 games in 1990-91.

Two investors then brought the Atlanta Attack, a National Professional Soccer League team, to Kansas City. In 1993, the NPSL ended those investors' ownership, and Kincaid took over the team. Although the Comets won the championship in 1997, attendance never surpassed 6,000 a game.

The NPSL merged with the MISL in 2001 -- the same year Kincaid changed the team name back to the Comets.

[Randy J.]

The Comets have been apart of this town since in 1981. They have more championships than any other franchise, have the highest winning percentage all-time, and hold the Kansas City record winning streak at 18 games.

This is a big loss to this city. The Comets have been a huge part of my life since I was 7 years old. I missed less than 10 homes games in 1987.

[milo]

wow, i bet the crowd will never come back after this one.... sad to see

[The Professor]

kansas city is quietly screwing themselves out of sports teams...

don't blink, cuz the royals and chiefs may be gone before too long

[JFortune]

~it may be good for them, and the area. Not KC proper, but their target market is the JoCo burbs anyways....

OP has been courting the community for a new arena, so this jsut may seal the deal....

[Bhumble]

When I was a kid I was a Comets fan. For 3 years at the end of our soccer season we'd get to practice with the Comets! Those are some of my favorite memories.

[Cthabeerman]

Sorry, but there's no possible way this can be considered KC's all-time most successful sports team.

The Kansas City Royals went to two World Series', won one.

The Kansas City Chiefs went to two Super Bowls, won one. Also won league championships in 1962 and 1966.

That's a much larger stage than an indoor soccer team could ever play on...and so they're much more successful all-time than the Comets could ever hope for.

-C

[PrincessGirl]

kansas city is quietly screwing themselves out of sports teams...

don't blink, cuz the royals and chiefs may be gone before too long


It would be sad to see, but I have to say...I do believe you are right! Kansas City is fickle at best and soccer just isn't as popular as it should be!

This does suck though! I remember some games my rents took me to in the '80s and I had a blast. When I was in middle school my cheer squad cheered for the Attack and that was the best fun!!!! Hopefully, this is just a hiatus, but I doubt it!

[Randy J.]

Sorry, but there's no possible way this can be considered KC's all-time most successful sports team.

The Kansas City Royals went to two World Series', won one.

The Kansas City Chiefs went to two Super Bowls, won one. Also won league championships in 1962 and 1966.

That's a much larger stage than an indoor soccer team could ever play on...and so they're much more successful all-time than the Comets could ever hope for.

-C

No, the Comets have won 2 championships and played in a total of 3 championship series. No other sports team has won more than one championship not to mention their all-time winning percentage is higher. That makes them more successful. Not to mention that they only missed the playoffs 2 seasons out of 24 played.

[Cthabeerman]

No, the Comets have won 2 championships and played in a total of 3 championship series. No other sports team has won more than one championship not to mention their all-time winning percentage is higher. That makes them more successful. Not to mention that they only missed the playoffs 2 seasons out of 24 played.

They could've won 12 and it still wouldn't matter.

I'm sorry, you can't compare two championships in indoor soccer league to a World Series or Super Bowl victory. They're not the same thing.

This isn't comparing apples to oranges. This is more like comparing apples to a brand-new, fully loaded luxury vehicle.

-C

[Randy J.]

They could've won 12 and it still wouldn't matter.

I'm sorry, you can't compare two championships in indoor soccer league to a World Series or Super Bowl victory. They're not the same thing.

This isn't comparing apples to oranges. This is more like comparing apples to a brand-new, fully loaded luxury vehicle.

-C


Thats the dumbest thing ever. Just because their league isnt as popular doesnt mean they werent as successful. Calling the Chiefs or Royals the most successful professional sports team in this city is a complete laugh. The Royals record over the last 15 years speaks for itself. the Chiefs havent won a playoff game in 13 years while the Comets won 2 Championships in that period and won probably around 30 playoff games. The Comets are the only team in this city that has been a consistent winner. Regardless of how obscure their sport is. they have been more successful than any other team in this city, plain and simple. Besides for the Wizards the other teams in town are a joke.

[natalie]

^^^i like how you started with, "that's the dumbest thing ever." sounds like something i would say in a come back. hahaha

[Cthabeerman]

My little league team won state four years straight and played in numerous national competitions, but that doesn't make them the Yankees.

We're not even talking about the same level of competition. Where do the really good indoor soccer players go?? The MLS, another league...Where do really good MLB and NFL players go?? Oh yeah, the Hall of Fame.

Not the same thing. Big success on a small scale (and you're only talking about two league championships to one apiece for the other two) does not equate to small success on a big scale, because the playing fields are not equal.

-C

[Randy J.]

^^^The Comets are professional sports team. The Chiefs and Royals are professional sports teams. So they are on the same level. So you are saying that just because baseball and football are more popular that they are more successful even though they have not had the same success on the field. That is ridiculous.

Not to mention the really good indoor soccer players play in the MISL where the Comets played, because it is the MAJOR Indoor Soccer League. The MLS is outdoor soccer a completely different version of the sport. Some players even play in both leagues.

The Comets have a higher winning percentage, more playoff appearances, and more championships than the Chiefs and Royals. Therefor, they are the most successful sports team in this city.

[Cthabeerman]

The Comets are professional sports team. The Chiefs and Royals are professional sports teams. So they are on the same level.

That's just as rediculous as any statement I've made.

So you are saying that just because baseball and football are more popular that they are more successful even though they have not had the same success on the field. That is ridiculous.

I'm not talking popularity. I'm talking talent.

We're not comparing apples and oranges here. We're comparing apples and ferraris.

In their respective sports, MLB and NFL players are the best in the world, not the United States. The same can't be said of MISL players. There's European leagues, South American, etc. The MISL is not the pinnacle league of its respective sport, as both MLB and NFL are.

We import the best baseball and football players in the world and export our best soccer players to Europe to go play (and the U.S. isn't exactly a soccer juggernaut, anyway).

Simply put: They are not equal.

-C