For the first time in most of our lifetimes, Kansas City, Missouri sports fans are at a point of discussion about new stadiums for our favorite teams. The Truman Sports Complex has always been the destination, whether it be on a warm June evening for a Royals game or a chilly December afternoon for the Chiefs. Now, as it appears certain that the Royals are moving out of the area, the city is left stuck between a rock and a hard place with the Chiefs and their stadium discussion.
Make no mistake: the future home of the Chiefs, be it Arrowhead or on the Kansas side of the state line, is wholly left to Clark Hunt. His love for the stadium his dad built is perhaps the one thing that has kept the Chiefs from announcing a move across state lines already. The Kansas offer, with brand-new, state-of-the-art amenities, far exceeds anything the Missouri side has to offer. I'll explain.
With the Royals' departure, an area with little going on will have even less going on. One of the reasons Chiefs fans are such great tailgaters is because, well, there is no place to get food nearby so fans have brought their own. Arrowhead will sit in the middle of nowhere.
Even if KCMO wins in keeping the Chiefs, they still lose if they surrender to nostalgia.
Secondly, while the venue is nice, it doesn't generate nearly the revenue a newer facility would. And without a roof, the options are limited for what Arrowhead can host. A venue in Kansas, with a roof, would be able to host events such as a college football bowl game or late NCAA tournament games (Elite 8/Final 4). It could, in theory, even be in the running for a Super Bowl. Never mind that it would be a great spot to host games for local teams. Local teams have tried that with Arrowhead, and it didn't work well.
Lastly, for all the fun of the venue, Arrowhead is starting to get old. For anyone who wants to point at Lambeau, I would kindly recommend people look at photos of the venue over the years. The name and the address remain the same, and that's about it. For Arrowhead, much remains the same, including the address but not the name. (I have purposefully chosen to avoid referring to the venue as GEHA for this discussion.)
The issue for Kansas City, Missouri, is simply this: It can't match the Kansas offer, it would appear. KCMO's offer is to stay at Arrowhead. The city can't offer a venue with the opportunity to host additional events or create additional revenue for the city or the organization. The only option is to throw a significant amount of money at the venue for upkeep and a few minor bells and whistles.
The Missouri side is left hoping nostalgia will win the day, but if the city is going to pay a zillion dollars for stadiums, they really could use a new venue. Bringing in revenue from year-round events, visitors staying at hotels and restaurants year-round, events, etc.—that’s what they need. Unfortunately, the only way the city holds onto the Chiefs is for none of that to happen.
We'll know more as we move into the summer. The Kansas bond for the stadiums is set to expire in July, and as we all know, deadlines create deals. Will Kansas City, Missouri, be able to figure out how to keep the Chiefs (and also the Royals), or will the city watch them vacate the area? It’s becoming readily apparent that the Chiefs are entertaining moving across the state line. The question is, will nostalgia win out?
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