The Kansas City Chiefs’ future at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri is uncertain, amid a potential relocation to Kansas.
The iconic NFL stadium that has been dubbed the loudest outdoor stadium in the world has been the Chiefs’ home since 1972.
However, it is desperately in need of some major renovations to restore it to the standard that the team, and more importantly its fans, deserve.
But instead of renovating the current site, Kansas proposed a move across state lines and to a $3 billion brand new state-of-the-art dome.
The current football dynasty under the helm of head coach Andy Reid and spearheaded by Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co have been crowned Super Bowl champions three times in six seasons.
Reid is adamant that the support and noise from the packed-out crowd at Arrowhead fuels confidence in the team, thus giving them a major home advantage against any opposition, no matter how good they are.
But with doubts surrounding where the Chiefs will play their home games from 2031 and beyond, Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. has proposed another way that the Chiefs can remain at Arrowhead Stadium.
A written letter sent to Missouri governor Mike Kehoe in July saw the former MLB star – who spent his entire 18-year career with the Kansas City Royals where he won the 1985 World Series – suggesting that they should renew the three-eighths cent sales tax that failed last year, but with a twist.
This comes in light of the residents of Jackson County, Missouri, voting against a sales tax measure in April 2024 that would have funded the renovations of Arrowhead, as well as fund an entirely new ballpark for the Royals.
“Governor, I’m aware that some have tried to suggest that I’m opposed to any level of public funding for these teams,” White wrote in the letter, obtained by The Beacon through a Sunshine Law request.
“That’s just not true … I believe we owe our residents something better: a balanced approach that protects their interests and secures a stronger future for everyone.”
Essentially, White’s proposal outlines that the Chiefs would receive just one-third of the sales tax revenue, or one-eighth of a cent, instead of half of the revenue under their current tax model.
This way, the remaining revenue made by the tax would then be dished out to support health care and public safety.
Broken down more simply, the proposal dictates that Kansas City would get a third of the sales tax revenue to fund necessary maintenance, repairs and improvements at Arrowhead.
Another third would fund vital renovations at the historic Jackson County courthouse and Family Justice Center at 26th and Holmes Streets.
The final third would go to University Health and aid in filling the gaps following President Donald Trump’s administration cuts.
Though on paper it looks like a solid – and fair – proposal, it would require voting members to vote on the sales tax in multiple ballot questions due to the wording of the letter.
Additionally, there is no mention at all of what this would all mean for the Royals – the Chiefs’ neighbours – whose future at the iconic Kauffman Stadium is just as uncertain.
However, Blair Kerkoff, a Kansas City Star writer who covers the Chiefs, exclusively told talkSPORT that he feels the Royals will stay in Missouri, but the Chiefs will ultimately relocate across state lines into Kansas.
“Baseball would stay in Missouri. The football (NFL) moves to Kansas.”
Mahomes, though, has recently spoken out about the ongoing debate over whether to stick or twist, offering his honesty opinion on wanting to stay.
“You know, it is really out of my control, honestly,” Mahomes said in an interview with Alex Sherman of CNBC Sport this week, via NBC Sports.
“But I think there’s a — Arrowhead is a special place. It’s a special place that doesn’t come around a lot of times. It’s my favorite place to play in the NFL, not just because it’s my team, but you can feel the history of it when you play.”
The two-time league MVP will be 36-years-old in 2031, so if the Chiefs were to move, then he likely wouldn’t have to play elsewhere for much longer before his Hall of Fame-worthy career comes to an end.
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