Chiefs’ Lawyer Praises Kansas Legislature’s Financing Plan To Woo Chiefs & Royals From Missouri

Kansas is bidding to become the new home for the reigning Super Bowl champions and Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals. On Tuesday, Kansas legislators approved a plan to finance new stadiums and practice facilities for both teams, potentially luring them away from Missouri.

The bipartisan legislative supermajorities passed a measure to authorize state bonds for the stadiums on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, a region of 2.3 million residents split by the state border.

This plan now moves to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is not explicitly committed to sign it, but has expressed optimism about Kansas becoming a “professional sports powerhouse.”

The Chiefs, fresh off three Super Bowl victories in five years and bolstered by the celebrity appeal of Travis Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift and the Royals, are both exploring their options. Their current lease on Missouri’s stadium complex runs through January 2031, but both teams have indicated the need to plan for their future homes.

Korb Maxwell, an attorney for the Chiefs who resides on the Kansas side, hailed the legislative approval as a significant step forward. “This is incredibly real,” Maxwell told ESPN, highlighting the move’s excitement.

Despite longstanding research suggesting that government subsidies for professional sports stadiums often do not yield a positive economic return, Kansas lawmakers acted. Critics also argued that the legislative process needed to be moving faster.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) has not yet commented on the Kansas legislation. Still, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas vowed to present a compelling offer to keep both teams in their current home.

“Today was largely, in my opinion, about leverage,” Lucas said. “And the teams are in an exceptional leverage position.”

Some Kansas officials echoed similar sentiments. “I think the Chiefs and the Royals are using us,” said state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

The Kansas House approved the stadium-financing plan with a vote of 84-38, and the Senate followed suit with a 27-8 vote. The measure allows state bonds to cover up to 70% of the cost for each new stadium, with repayment over 30 years using revenues from sports betting, state lottery ticket sales, and new sales and alcohol taxes collected from surrounding entertainment districts.

House Commerce Committee chair Sean Tarwater, a Kansas City-area Republican, emphasized that the Chiefs are expected to contribute between $500 million and $700 million in private funds for the new stadium. “There are no blank checks,” Tarwater reassured his GOP colleagues.

The stadium debate occurred during a one-day special session convened by Gov. Kelly to consider tax reductions following her veto of three tax-cutting plans earlier this year. Republican leaders had promised that the stadium proposal would only be considered after passing a tax bill, which ultimately helped garner support for the stadium initiative.

Economists have consistently argued that new sports stadiums often fail to generate significant net economic benefits.