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Missouri suffered another blow on Monday, deepening the state’s history of losing NFL franchises. In January 2016, Rams owner Stan Kroenke received enough votes from other 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 failed discussions about funding.
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Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas applauds during the Super Bowl LIV championship parade through 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 far from the stadium,” Lucas said shortly after the team’s announcement. “I knew we had problems, but I believed there was nothing better than living a stone’s throw from what I considered then and today to be the best stadium in football.”
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“Like many parents in Chiefs Kingdom, my single mom scraped together some money to take me to Arrowhead for my first game: 300-level upper deck for a 30-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in 1993. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Missouri lawmakers had been desperately trying to keep the Chiefs with their own funding package. They held a special legislative session in June, backed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, that authorized bonds covering up to 50% 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 with local lawmakers in recent days on a counterproposal to keep the Chiefs in Missouri.
“We understand that our very fair but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was trumped by an even stronger public financing package in Kansas,” he said. “The Chiefs have a business to run and today they made a business decision. We wish them the best.”
The Chiefs have advanced to four of the last five Super Bowls, winning three. The team’s recent successes have only increased its long-time reverent fan base. The team’s relocation plans generated widespread reaction among fans. A possible increase in ticket prices was one of the concerns expressed by fans, while others spoke 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, Missouri, and was visiting Union Station in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday. “I think where they have it is a very nice place. I will say the traffic there is always fun. I think it’s nice to have them downtown somehow.”
Mike Robinson, a subscriber from Kansas City, Kansas, was visiting a science museum inside the train station with his son.
“I’m pretty sure prices will go up,” he said. “That’s what worries me. A completely 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 won’t be leaving completely. The new stadium will be about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of the old one.
“It’s just whatever 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 I care about.”
One of the prevailing questions now is whether the Kansas City Royals will follow the Chiefs across 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 stadium downtown. But a sales tax extension that would have paid for an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium and a new home for the Royals was soundly defeated last year by voters in Jackson County, Missouri, leaving both to look elsewhere.
For the first time in 11 seasons, the Chiefs will not compete in the NFL playoffs.
