After several attempts by Missouri legislators to keep the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in the Show-Me State, neighboring Kansas issued a year-end ultimatum that proved to be successful when they offered to fund the majority of a brand-new stadium in Wyandotte County and training facilities a half hour south in the suburb of Olathe.
Kansas Is No Longer a Flyover State
Jackson County voters rejected a proposal to implement a 3/8th-cent sales tax extension in 2024 to keep the Chiefs in Missouri. The money generated would have been earmarked to fund renovations to Arrowhead Stadium while also building a new park for the Kansas City Royals.
After that failed at the voting booths, state legislators approved an incentive-laden package earlier this year that would have covered half the costs to renovate the Chiefs’ stadium and relocate the Royals to new digs.
Sensing the heightened competition from Kansas, Jackson County lawmakers proposed a 1/4th-cent sales tax for 25 years beginning in 2031, down from the original 3/8th-cent tax earlier rejected by the voters.
However, the last-ditch attempts were not enough to overwhelm the Chiefs’ brass, and instead, they responded to a godfather offer from Kansas political leaders that would finance 60% of a sparkling new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, located within minutes of Arrowhead Stadium, across state lines.
Chiefs Score a Touchdown in Kansas
It is a win-win situation for the Chiefs, as they will have the new stadium they have been pining for in Missouri, and it will be located only minutes away from Arrowhead, appeasing their rabid fanbase. The Chiefs’ lease at Arrowhead terminates in 2031, the same year the new stadium in neighboring Kansas is set to open.
However, not everyone is a fan of the deal, particularly lawmakers in Missouri, like Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, who was disappointed but determined not to burn any bridges with the team.
“We are professionals and understand the Chiefs have a business to run and today made a business decision,” Lucas said in a statement. “We wish them well as they pursue their legislative and administrative steps ahead in Kansas but remain committed to ensuring Arrowhead Stadium, Missouri, Jackson County, and Kansas City remain an option should the deal not conclude. In the event a new Kansas-based facility is built, we will wish them great success in their new suburban home.”
