Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium may be an iconic landmark in the Missouri city, but taxpayers don't seem ready to break the bank to renovate it or build a new stadium for the Chiefs. In the land of the free market, one man's misfortune can sometimes be another man's gain. The state of Kansas has just passed a law that would allow the Chiefs to fund infrastructure.
The law signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is oddly specific. Indeed, it provides that the state will finance 70% of the construction costs of new stadiums for NFL and MLB (Major League Baseball) teams for teams located in states adjacent to Kansas.
Kansas being bordered by Colorado to the west, Nebraska to the north, Oklahoma to the south and therefore Missouri to the east, this would therefore potentially concern the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies (MLB). However, it seems obvious that this law is intended to steal the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals franchises on the MLB side.
As is often the case, this law is not to everyone's taste. Susan Ruiz, a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, voted against the law:
“The Chiefs and the Royals are using us.”
With the enactment of this law, both franchises effectively have immense bargaining power with the Missouri taxpayer. If the taxpayer is unwilling to fund new infrastructure, both franchises now have a credible alternative to outsourcing their services.
The Royals have been in Kansas City since their creation in 1969. The Chiefs were initially the Dallas Texans from 1960 to 1962. Since 1963, Patrick Mahomes' franchise has been in Kansas City.
