NFL analyst floats explanation why Kansas City Chiefs didn’t threaten to ditch Missouri for Kansas during $1,700,000,000 sales tax vote
The Kansas City Chiefs won it all this season and the powers that be saw it as an opportunity to capitalize. Shortly after winning the Super Bowl, the team attempted to pass a vote that would generate $1.7 billion in public funding for the Arrowhead Stadium and the Kansas City Royals' stadium.
The vote failed, putting the Chiefs in a potentially difficult situation. A move had been talked about if the vote failed, but it was never specified where the move was going to lead to. Speaking on Thursday's edition of Pro Football Talk, analyst Mike Florio speculated that such a threat would have been counter-productive.
"Maybe they didn't say 'We'll just go to Kansas' because the voters would have been more like, 'Well, okay, fine, let those idiots pay for this.' I'm just kidding. ... They are willing to do something that might be regarded as idiotic, giving billions to a couple of sports teams to take them away from Missouri, he said. [00:01:19]
Kansas City Chiefs on track to receive tax-based incentive for small move with massive dividends
Florio's comments came in the wake of a report by the Nebraska Examiner, on June 19. The report stated that the Kansas lawmakers passed a resolution incentivizing the team with hundreds of millions of dollars in tax benefits.
The bill passed the state congress and now heads to the Governor's desk for final approval.
The Chiefs are based out of Kansas City, Missouri, which is geographically located on the border between Missouri and Kansas. If a move were to occur across state lines, it wouldn't add much risk to the local fanbase.
If the team were to move to the next closest city, Topeka, a drive for Kansas City fans could take roughly an hour.
As such, it might add a painful commute for many Missouri-based members of the organization, from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce and others. On the other hand, it offers only a small inconvenience for Missouri-based fans, perhaps once or twice per season.
Refreshing a stadium would not be done if Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt didn't believe it would generate a return on investment. However, moving to a new stadium might mean building a new one, which could cost billions.
Even if the team were to wish to move, it would require playing out of a pre-existing stadium like the Los Angeles Rams.
Before moving into SoFi Stadium, the team played their games in the Los Angeles Coliseum for several seasons. Would Hunt be open to forcing fans to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play in a repurposed stadium?
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Pro Football Talk," and H/T Sportskeeda.