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Missouri endured another tough break Monday, compounding the state’s history of losing NFL franchises. In January 2016, Rams owner Stan Kroenke received enough votes from his fellow owners to move the team from St. Louis to Inglewood, California.
This week, the Kansas City Chiefs announced plans to move from Arrowhead Stadium across state lines to a state-of-the-art, fixed-roof facility in Kansas City, Kansas, by 2031. Kansas lawmakers approved a bond package to help cover the cost of the new domed stadium.
The decision came after what Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas described as extensive but ultimately unsuccessful funding discussions.
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Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas applauds during the Super Bowl LIV championship parade in downtown Kansas City on February 5, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Amy Kontras/USA TODAY Sports)
Lucas reflected on his deeply personal connection to the site where the Chiefs have played home games for more than five decades.
“Years ago, when I was a kid, my family was homeless for a while and we lived in a motel not too far from the stadium,” Lucas said shortly after the team’s announcement. “I knew we were struggling, but I thought nothing was cooler than living a stone’s throw from what I then and now thought was the biggest stadium in football.”
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“Like many parents at Chiefs Kingdom, my single mom scraped together some money to take me to Arrowhead for my first game – a 300-level upper deck for a 30-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in 1993. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Missouri lawmakers were desperately trying to keep the Chiefs on with their own funding. They held a special legislative session in June, backed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, which authorized bonds covering up to 50 percent of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.
A general view of an empty GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium before the start of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 5, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
Lucas had also been working in recent days with local lawmakers on a counterproposal to keep the chiefs in Missouri.
“We understand that our very fair but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support has been outdone by an even more robust public financing program in Kansas,” he said. “The Chiefs have a business to run and have made a business decision today. We wish them well.”
The Chiefs have qualified for four of the last five Super Bowls, winning three. The team’s recent successes have only increased its longtime, respectful fan base. The team’s relocation plans have sparked a lot of backlash among fans. A possible rise in ticket prices was one of the concerns raised by fans, while others worried about possible traffic problems and the loss of a historic stadium.
Fans enter Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, in Kansas City, Missouri on October 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)
“I don’t think it’s the best idea,” said Dustin Allen, who lives in Blue Springs, Mo., and was visiting Union Station in downtown Kansas City, Mo., on Monday. “I think where they are, it’s a very nice place. I will say the traffic there is always fun. I think it’s nice to have them downtown in some way.”
Mike Robinson, a season ticket holder from Kansas City, Kansas, was visiting a science museum inside the station with his son.
“I’m pretty sure prices are going to go up,” he said. “That’s what concerns me. A brand new stadium. Season ticket holders may not be able to keep up with their tickets because of the rising prices.”
Analaysia Miller, a Chiefs fan from Kansas City, Kansas, didn’t have a strong opinion on the move since the team isn’t leaving completely. The new stadium will be located approximately 56 kilometers west of the old one.
“This is exactly what they want to do,” she said while visiting Union Station with her three children. “As long as they’re still in our city, representing our city. That’s all that matters to me.”
One of the prevailing questions right now is whether the Kansas City Royals will follow the Chiefs over the Kansas-Missouri line.
The Royals insist they will not play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2031 season, and their preference has been to build a new ballpark downtown. But a sales tax expansion that would have funded an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium and a new home for the Royals was largely rejected last year by voters in Jackson County, Mo., leaving them both looking elsewhere.
For the first time in 11 seasons, the Chiefs will not make the NFL playoffs.
