Could the Royals or Chiefs move to Kansas? It’s all speculation
KCK Chamber of Commerce staying out of discussion for now
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KWCH) - Now that voters in Jackson County, Missouri rejected a sales tax to pay for a new stadium for the Royals and stadium upgrades at Arrowhead, the conversations has transitioned to the possibility the Royals or Chiefs come to Kansas. Some may say the 3/8 cent sales tax was rejected Tuesday out of confusion, others may call it frustration the stadium plans kept changing. A professor at the University of Kansas believes both teams need to come together and work on a plan that benefits Kansas City voters.
“It feels like the two teams didn’t do enough of a good job to get the word out about what they wanted to do and who it would benefit in the Kansas City community,” says Chris Etheridge, Assistant Professor of Sports Media at KU. He says the Royals did a good job of listening to the people of Kansas City, but they didn’t do it soon enough.
“Those kinds of things really needed to happen a lot sooner than the vote,” says Etheridge. “So that people can really wrap their mind around what’s going to happen.”
Leading up to the vote the stadium plans kept changing. So Etheridge says going forward the teams must focus on who they need to reach.
“These are Kansas City teams,” says Etheridge. “These are Kansas teams, Missouri teams, they’re our teams. And we want them as a community to succeed.”
Maybe they’ll have to succeed in Kansas instead of Missouri. It’s certainly a possibility, but leaders in Kansas City, Kansas are staying out of the discussion for now.
“We’ve not typically been involved in any of these types of pitches or moves,” says Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Daniel Silva. He says the chamber doesn’t want to compete with Missouri because the Royals and Chiefs benefit everyone on both sides of the border.
“Whatever’s good for the regional economy is good for KCK,” says Silva. “And good for KC Mo and Johnson County.”
But if you’re a Kansas City sports fan Etheridge says it’s not time to panic. There’s still time for the teams to work out a plan that has the support of the community.
“There’s not a ton of people rooting against them,” says Etheridge. “What it seems to me like there’s a lot of folks who just want a clear and concise plan and it to be in place without a moving target to go back and vote.”
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