As the debate over public financing for sports stadiums continues, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals are making a concerted effort to garner support for a critical upcoming vote on April 2.
The issue revolves around extending a sales tax for the financing of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium renovation and the Royals’ desire for a new stadium. Both teams hope to sway voters in Jackson County, Missouri, to back the extension, which would generate $2 billion in funding for the ambitious projects.
Effort to extend a sales tax for the financing of the Kansas City Chiefs’ and Royals’ stadiums leads to a special election. Teams like Royals want a new stadium and Chiefs want to renovate Arrowhead.
Commercial from Chiefs includes… https://t.co/2fHEcPtM96
— QWIKET NFL (@qwiket_nfl) March 7, 2024
One of the challenges faced by sports franchises in securing public funds is the general reluctance of voters to allocate taxpayer money for stadium construction or renovations. Historically, when the decision is put to a public vote, citizens often decline to support such endeavors.
In this case, the teams are aiming to break that trend. The Jackson County legislature, by a 7-2 vote, overturned County Executive Frank White’s initial veto of a special election to address the sales tax extension. Now, both the Chiefs and the Royals are mobilizing their resources to influence public opinion.
The proposed extension involves a 3/8th of a cent sales tax, and the teams are actively promoting the cause. The Chiefs recently shared a commercial on social media featuring prominent figures like tight end Travis Kelce, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and head coach Andy Reid. The commercial urges voters to support the measure, emphasizing the significance of maintaining Kansas City as a “major-league city.”
The Chiefs’ commercial includes a plea: “We need you to vote ‘yes’ on question one. We’ve all made Kansas City a major league city. Let’s keep it that way. There’s no better place in the world to play than Arrowhead Stadium. Let’s keep it that way. . . . We need you guys. We need you. Let’s keep this rolling.”
However, if any NFL team can successfully navigate such a public vote, it would likely be the current version of the Kansas City Chiefs, highlighting the unique challenges and circumstances surrounding this particular ballot initiative.
