The Kansas City Chiefs have secured Missouri state financial aid for renovations at Arrowhead Stadium while the team continues to entertain a competing offer from neighboring Kansas that could give Patrick Mahomes & Co. a new dome.
Lawmakers approved hundreds of millions in tax breaks to entice Major League Baseball’s Royals as well as the NFL’s Chiefs to remain in Missouri amid concerns about disaster relief for St. Louis tornado victims on the opposite side of the state.
The Chiefs and Royals currently play football and baseball in side-by-side stadiums in Jackson County, Missouri, under leases that expire in January 2031. Jackson County voters last year defeated a sales tax extension that would have helped finance an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City.
That prompted lawmakers in neighboring Kansas last year to authorize bonds for up to 70 percent of the cost of new stadiums in order to lure teams to their state. The Royals bought a mortgage for property in Kansas, though the team also has continued to pursue other possible sites in Missouri.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said at the NFL annual league meeting in March he hopes to have a domed stadium to host larger spectacles, such as the Super Bowl: ‘I do think for the community, a dome would be a tremendous asset. It would give the Kansas City region an opportunity to host significant events.’
A general interior view of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium prior to the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs on January 26
The Kansas offer is scheduled to expire June 30, creating urgency for Missouri to approve a counteroffer.
Missouri’s legislation authorizes bonds covering up to half of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments. If they choose to stay in Missouri, the Chiefs plan a $1.15 billion renovation of Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs, in a statement to The Associated Press, described the legislative vote as a ‘significant step forward’ that enables the team to continue exploring options to remain in Missouri. The Royals described the legislation as ‘a very important piece of our decision-making process’ but made no site-specific commitment.
‘Our focus remains the same: to prioritize the best interests of our team, fans, partners and regional community as we pursue the next generational home for the Kansas City Royals,’ the team said in a statement to the AP.
Though they have no specific plans in the works, the St. Louis Cardinals also would be eligible for stadium aid if they undertake a project of at least $500 million.
Many economists contend public funding for stadiums isn’t worth it, because sports tend to divert discretionary spending away from other forms of entertainment rather than generate new income.
Mahomes & Co. could be headed to a dome in the neighboring state of Kansas
The Kansas City Royals are also based at the Truman Sports Complex but could leave too
But supporters said Missouri stands to lose millions of dollars of tax revenue if Kansas City’s most prominent professional sports teams move to Kansas. They said Missouri’s reputation also would take a hit, particularly if it loses the Chiefs, which have won three of the past six Super Bowls.
‘We have the chance to maybe save what is the symbol of this state,’ Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican from St. Louis County, said while illustrating cross-state support for the measure.
The legislation faced some bipartisan pushback from those who described it as a subsidy for wealthy sports team owners. Others raised concerns that a property tax break for homeowners, which was added in the Senate to gain votes, violates the state constitution by providing different levels of tax relief in various counties while excluding others entirely.
‘This bill is unconstitutional, it’s fiscally reckless, it’s morally wrong,’ said Republican state Rep. Bryant Wolfin.
