Getty Image / Kirby Lee
On Tuesday, a referendum presented to the voters of Jackson County, Missouri to extend a 3/8% sales tax to help fund a proposed new downtown stadium for the Kansas City Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, failed. 58% voted against the proposal, while 42% voted for it.
The future locations of both franchises is now in doubt. The Royals could move to a different market altogether, and while it’s hard to see the Chiefs doing that, they could move across the border into Kansas.
And, powerful people in the Kansas government are already trying to woo the Chiefs to cross the border. Here’s Pro Football Talk with more.
According to the Kansas City Star, an effort has commenced to get the Chiefs to build a new stadium in Kansas. Specifically, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. is “quietly working” with “unnamed parties” who are interested in getting the Chiefs to make a short move across the state line.
The news comes today after a proposal to fund a renovation to Arrowhead Stadium with an extension of an existing sales tax failed badly at the ballot box.
“Jackson County fumbled. Now there will be a mad scramble for the ball and we’re in the best position for a scoop and score,” Ryckman told the Star.
Ironically, I was just in the Kansas City area. I crossed the border from Missouri into Kansas to get some barbecue, and I never would’ve known had the Uber driver not said something. If they were going to build new instead of renovating Arrowhead, it would be perfectly fine to have it across the border in Kansas.
But, I still think that Chiefs owner Clark Hunt would like to get a deal done to renovate the iconic Arrowhead Stadium. The lease at Arrowhead expires in 2030, so time is ticking. It takes time to build a new stadium or render and complete huge renovations to an existing stadium.