Kansas City vs. Oakland

One of the best professional football rivalries from the 1960’s through the 1970’s was the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. While their rivalry was the most notorious and visible, that was certainly not the only rivalry or sports connection the two cities had. There was a bitter history between the two cities in baseball as well and how these two sports connect with the local politics of both cities is told in this excellent book by Matthew C. Ehrlic.

While the book is geared more toward readers who prefer scholarly works, the narrative is not like that format at all - indeed, it is a quick and easy read that all readers will easily digest. Ehrlic explains what each chapter will encompass in the introduction and there are plenty of endnotes to illustrate the extensive research he performed about not only the sports teams but the civic atmosphere in both Kansas City and in Oakland.

The coverage of the rise of the rivalry and also the fortunes of both football teams is very good, with most of the detailed passages describing games between the two teams. Both the Chiefs and Raiders were considered to be the model franchises for the upstart American Football League and both represented the league in the first two Super Bowls, losing to the Green Bay Packers in both. What really stood out in the chapters about these football teams was the fact that both of them had shaky beginnings in the AFL and nearly didn’t exist. Oakland was awarded a team only after Minneapolis broke its promise to the league and instead accepted an NFL expansion team (who became the Vikings) and Kansas City got the Chiefs only because Lamar Hunt had experienced poor attendance and financial difficulties in Dallas after that city was awarded an NFL expansion team, the Cowboys. After such inauspicious debuts, it was interesting to read about how both franchises rose to success.

As for the baseball, the early connection between the two cities is more familiar as Kansas City was home to the Athletics in the American League. In 1968, after a very acrimonious relationship between the city and A’s owner Charley Finley, the team moved to Oakland, where after the very brief honeymoon between that city and the team was over, the same type of attendance and financial problems still were present. This was the state of the franchise even though the team won three consecutive World Series from 1972 to 1974, with players who were signed by Finley while still in Kansas City. That city was awarded an expansion franchise in 1969 to offset the loss of the A’s and while that team, the Royals, experienced the usual growing pains associated with expansion teams, they too became a good ball club and soon were battling Oakland for the Western Division title in the American League every year.

However, what really makes the book a fantastic read is how all four teams are connected to the civic and political issues of those times for both of the cities. Both cities had to construct new stadiums for the teams. In Kansas City’s case, Municipal Stadium that housed the A’s was deemed too decrepit for the new Royals franchise, while Oakland had to build a stadium for both the Raiders and A’s from scratch. Both cities constructed new sports complexes, despite protests from city residents about using tax money that could be better spent on things such as schools. Because these were not built in the respective cities, these were also seen as catering to the suburbs instead of the inner cities, where the population was mostly African American. Both cities had the same types of problems addressing these issues. The connections between them were numerous, and Ehrlich covers them all, right down to the fact that both teams were awarded NHL franchises that failed as well. These sections were so well researched and written that this is the rare book that while the emphasis is on sports, the passages on other topics are even better reads.

One doesn’t have to be a fan of Kansas City or Oakland teams to enjoy this book. History and sports buffs who enjoy reading about those topics from the 1960’s and 1970’s will love this book. Highly recommended for those readers with those interests, as well as fans of those four teams.

I wish to thank University of Illinois Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Obviously this book has a very niche audience, but it was perfect for me. I grew up a Chiefs and Royals fan in Missouri, and spent 12 years in the Bay Area as an adult. A good friend is a diehard Raiders fan. Born in the 60s, I am just not quite old enough to know the full history of these franchises and the long-time rivalry.

There is some back and forth between football and baseball which can be disconcerting, especially if you’re more a fan of one sport than the other. It really is about the cities and not just the sports teams. I thought it was well-researched and taught me a lot I didn’t know already.

If you’re a Kansas City or Oakland sports buff who enjoys learning about sports history, I think you’ll enjoy this. You would probably never seek it out otherwise, so you should be able to enjoy what it represents.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Kansas City vs. Oakland: The Bitter Sports Rivalry That Defined an Era by Matthew C Ehrlich is a wonderful look at a unique time in both US history and professional sports history in the US. The use of this particular rivalry between two cities and their teams is a microcosm of what was happening to some degree in many cities.

Let me get some basic stuff out of the way. I am amazed that people either buy or request books without actually taking the time to read the paragraph or two that describes the book, then act like it is somehow the author or the publisher's fault they failed to do so. So.......this is about the sports rivalry between the cities, not the football rivalry and not the baseball rivalry, and how that rivalry was a result of so much more than just what took place on the field. In other words, this a a much broader topic than just rehashing a great sports rivalry, it is truly a rivalry between the cities themselves. There, enough of that nonsense.

I remember those sports rivalries very well and the team movement also, but never fully realized the broader social, cultural, and political landscape within which it all played out. While these rivalries haven't lasted as long as the NY/Boston(NE) ones, the animosity, for at least a short time, ran every bit as deep.

If you sometimes wonder how much a part of the bigger picture our love of professional sports is, this book will give you a lot of information to digest. How sports teams have come to represent how big and/or marketable a city is and even to what extent it can call itself a "major" city really developed during these years. Looking at this particular dynamic gives us insight into what other cities have done, or have resisted doing, since then.

Highly recommended for fans who like their fandom grounded in the bigger cultural picture as well as for those interested in urban history and planning, race relations during the civil rights era, and history buffs who like a larger view than many histories offer. Not sure whether this is a sports book with some history or a history book with some sports. Either way, it is well worth the read.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is for the sports fan. It covers not only the two cities but the team’s football and baseball as well. First opens with the Kanas city A’S moving to Oakland when Charlie Finley got permission to move and the city of Kanas City did not want to help build a new stadium. He then goes into the rise of the Oakland A’s which most of the players who were drafted were selected when they were in Kanas City. After a few trades by the early 70’s they would be in the playoffs and winning three World Championships. Finely would still have problems with the stadium and with low turn out even when they were winning.
The author goes into the different social problems of the times of the 60’ and 70’ and even touches on the SLA and of course the Black Panthers. Both of these were prevalent at the time of the era. He also speaks of a lack of jobs and how it would always be difficult to support the Oakland team. He also takes you to Kanas City and explains their problems with race for the same period.
He moves on to the football side with the Raiders and the Chiefs. Taking you through the early days of the AFL when they were starting out and how the rivalry really began and became heated. To when the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV, then how they would fall off until the ’80s. through the time of the Raiders winning two super Bowls one when they were in L.A.
He also goes into the injuries of the players from that generation and how Kanas City got a new stadium but Oakland has not. Now the Raiders are moving. He takes you through the different lawsuits and a look at how each city and team have faired since. A good book all around for sports. It did bring back memories of watching both football and baseball games from that time, and also some social issues as well when he spoke of the SLA that was a name organization I have not heard about in decades but remembered from the whole Patty Hearst ordeal. The author looks at the entire time frame which is good. Very much worth the read.