Missouri's Stakes in Retaining the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals
Missouri Governor Mike Parson is proactively looking to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals rooted in their home state through a potential aid plan expected by the end of the year. With the current leases for the Chiefs and Royals stadiums expiring in 2031, the urgency for a solid proposition grows by the day, especially as neighboring Kansas has made a significant move to finance up to 70% of the costs for new stadiums for these beloved teams.
Kansas City has been home turf for both teams for over half a century, where the Chiefs and Royals have shared adjacent stadiums in eastern Kansas City. However, Royals owner John Sherman has been unequivocal about the team's future, indicating that they have no intentions of playing at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season.
The gravity of the situation was further underscored earlier this year when Jackson County voters rejected a sales tax proposal that would have funded a transformative $2 billion downtown ballpark district for the Royals. This proposal also aimed to allocate $800 million towards an extensive makeover of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium. The rejection of the proposal has only added to the complexity of devising a viable plan to keep the teams within Missouri's borders.
Parson emphasized the competitive nature of this endeavor, stating, "We're going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line." He added, "I think by the end of this year, we're going to have something in place." The envisioned plan wouldn't just merely target retaining the teams but also aim at benefiting the Missouri taxpayers, a point Parson stressed, saying, "Has to work out on paper, where it's going to be beneficial to the taxpayers of Missouri."
However, the path to formulating such plans is laden with legislative hurdles. Any proposal to retain the sports teams will require the green light from the legislative assembly and backing from Parson's successor. Parson, whose term concludes in January, has no intention of calling for a special legislative session, which places the onus on the next administration.
Concurrently, discussions between the sports teams and the Kansas Department of Commerce could ignite at any moment. Although the agency has no fixed timeline for sealing a deal, the undercurrent of urgency is palpable. Kansas's aggressive stance in this high-stakes game and Jacksonville's recent $1.25 billion stadium renovation deal for the NFL's Jaguars—where costs are split between the city and the team—serve as ominous reminders of the competitive pressures Missouri faces.
Parson is fully aware of these pressures, admitting, "You know, if I was probably sitting there, I'd be doing the same thing. But at the end of the day, we're going to be competitive." The magnitude of sports as a business isn't lost on him either, as he stated, "The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are big business."
As the clock ticks, Missouri's strategy to retain these iconic sports franchises will be closely watched. Whether the state will succeed in keeping the Chiefs and Royals as its shining sports jewels or see them move across state lines will hinge on the forthcoming months of negotiations and legislative dexterity.