Sixty years after Lamar Hunt turned on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and became enchanted by the spectacle of England and West Germany playing in the FIFA World Cup final, the wide world of sports unfurled Tuesday on Kansas City in unprecedented form — with the realization of what became a quest for the visionary who was so vital to the rise of soccer in the USA.
Camouflaged as it was with FIFA imagery and the distinctly different chants, colors and culture of Argentina and Algeria vs. those of the Chiefs and their fans, there was no mistaking the still-iconic and sleek contours and acoustics of The House That Lamar Built.
Yes, it was a shame that FIFA couldn’t be bothered with the slightest of gestures merely to let Hunt’s name remain visible on the Ring of Honor around the stadium. The night also made for a poignant reminder that the Chiefs are going to abandon Arrowhead to move to Kansas for more money, and never mind that you could barely tell it was in KC from the broadcast…