Could Global Warming Threaten the Chiefs’ Edge?

First posted on 01-30-2008

Kansas City, MO—As Missourians gear up for Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Missouri Public Interest Research Group (MoPIRG) today highlighted how global warming could affect the future success of the Kansas City Chiefs. Specifically, the group pointed to the threat of rising winter temperatures lessening the cold weather that has historically given the Chiefs an edge over warm weather rivals.

While numerous studies have documented the many serious ways in which global warming could harm Missouri’s environment, economy and quality of life, from more severe heat waves to the spread of infectious diseases, today’s event was intended to show how even the game of football could be altered.

“As if we needed another reason to tackle global warming, now even the Chiefs could be affected,” said Sheena Rice, organizer with MoPIRG. “Congress must get serious about global warming before rising temperatures fumble away the Chief’s home field advantage.”

National trends from recent seasons suggest that a home field advantage for cold weather teams over their warm weather rivals may truly exist. Specifically, MoPIRG pointed to the National Football League’s 14 cold weather teams having won 65 percent of their home games played after Halloween against warm weather teams from 1998 through 2005.

Unfortunately for Chiefs fans, winter temperatures are on the rise in Kansas City and in other cold weather teams’ cities across the country, potentially threatening the home field advantage that these teams have historically enjoyed. Specifically, MoPIRG compared the average temperatures in 14 cold weather teams’ cities* for the last seven football seasons to the average temperatures measured in those cities from 1971-2000. In just the last seven years, the cities’ average temperatures from November through January have risen significantly.

Specifically, MoPIRG’s analysis found that:
• The average November-January temperature in Kansas City from 2000-2007 was 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit higher than it had been for the same months from 1971-2000.
• All 14 cold-weather teams’ cities—including those of the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots and New York Giants—saw an increase in winter temperatures from 2000-2007 as compared to the previous thirty years.
• The Green Bay Packers had the largest temperature increase during the last seven seasons, a 4.1 degree Fahrenheit increase as compared to the previous thirty years.

MoPIRG obtained the temperature data from the National Climatic Data Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The data was collected from “First Order” weather stations, which are staffed in whole or in part by National Weather Service personnel.

MoPIRG was careful to note that unchecked global warming would put much more at stake than the fortunes of the Kansas City Chiefs. The world’s top climate scientists have made it clear that global warming is real and that human activity is responsible for most of the rise in temperatures since 1950. And the first signs of global warming are already appearing in the United States and around the world—sea levels are rising, snowpack is declining, and storms are increasing in intensity. But MoPIRG’s Rice also made it clear that all is not lost.

“The good news is that there’s still time for a second half comeback,” said Rice. “We have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and create a clean energy future. Our leaders in Washington must take aggressive action to put these global warming solutions to work.”

The U.S. Senate could consider key global warming legislation this spring—the “Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007.” MoPIRG’s Rice, while recognizing the important efforts of the bill’s supporters, said that the bill needs to be strengthened in several key ways. Specifically, she noted that the bill’s current pollution reduction targets fall short of what the science says is necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and gives away excessive subsidies to polluting industries. Scientists have said that pollution reduction cuts of at least 15-20 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050 are necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

“Trying to solve global warming with bills that are less than what the science calls for is like the Giants trying to win Sunday with their bench players,” said Rice. “It’s critical that Congress follows the science so that we have a fighting chance of tackling global warming.”

Rice concluded by applauding Senator McCaskill for backing the Safe Climate Act/Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act- the only legislation in Congress that includes the pollution reduction targets that scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming. The group also urged Senator McCaskill to speak out in favor of strengthening the “Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007.”

*The 14 cold weather NFL teams included were the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.
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MoPIRG is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization.