On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced they will leave Arrowhead Stadium and move to a new domed arena in Kansas City, Kansas, a decision that has rattled Missouri officials and fans alike.
## Chiefs Move to Kansas
The announcement came after Kansas lawmakers approved a bond package earlier in the day to help fund the new stadium. The facility will be built near Kansas Speedway and a retail district known as The Legends, about 30 miles from Arrowhead. The Chiefs’ owner, Clark Hunt, said the move was a business decision.
## Missouri’s Response
Missouri lawmakers had been working to keep the team in the state. In June, a special legislative session backed by Gov. Mike Kehoe authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, reacted to the news: “Years ago as a kid, my family was homeless for a while and we lived in a motel not too far from the stadium,” said Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, shortly after the team’s announcement. “I knew we struggled, but I believed nothing was cooler than living within a stones’ throw of what I thought then and today is the greatest stadium in football.
He added, “Like a lot of parents in Chiefs Kingdom, my single mother scraped some money together to get me to Arrowhead for my first game – 300-level upper deck for a 30-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in 1993. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Lucas also discussed a counterproposal to keep the Chiefs in Missouri: “We understand our very fair but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was surpassed by an even more robust public financing package in Kansas,” he said. “The Chiefs have a business to run and today made a business decision. We wish them well.”
## Kansas Perspective
Ty Masterson, president of the Kansas Senate, said, “I feel like Kansas won the Super Bowl,” reflecting the state’s pride in the new stadium project.
## Impact on the Royals
The Chiefs and Kansas City Royals have shared the Truman Sports Complex for more than five decades. Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadium sit a couple hundred yards apart and are both revered for their atmosphere.
The Royals, who won their second World Series in 2015 and returned to the playoffs in 2024, are led by Bobby Witt Jr. They have insisted they will not play at Kauffman beyond the 2031 season and prefer a new downtown ballpark. A sales-tax extension that would have paid for an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead and a new home for the Royals was defeated by voters in Jackson County last year.
Through an affiliate, the Royals have purchased the mortgage for a tract of land in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas.
## Fan Reactions
The announcement sparked mixed reactions among fans. Dustin Allen, who lives in Blue Springs, Missouri, said, “I don’t think it is the greatest idea,” and added, “I think that where they have it is a very nice spot. I will say that the traffic over there is always fun. I think it’s nice to have them downtown in some way, shape or form.”
Mike Robinson, a season-ticket holder from Kansas City, Kansas, expressed concern about rising costs: “I’m pretty sure prices will go up,” he said. “That’s what I’m concerned about. A brand new stadium. Season ticket holders may not be able to keep up with their tickets with the rising prices.”
Analaysia Miller, a Chiefs fan from Kansas City, Kansas, said she had no strong opinion: “It is just whatever they want to do,” she said as she visited Union Station with her three children. “As long as they are still in our city, representing for our city. That’s all that matters to me.”
## Historical Context
The Chiefs are not the first NFL franchise to leave Missouri. The Cardinals moved from Chicago in 1960 to Phoenix in 1988, now playing in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams moved from Anaheim in 1995 to Los Angeles after failing to secure funding for The Dome at America’s Center, and they recently built SoFi Stadium in Inglewood at a cost of more than $5 billion.
Other professional teams have also departed: the Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1967, the Kings went to Sacramento in 1985, and the Kansas City Scouts became the Colorado Rockies.
Sporting Kansas City, an MLS club, once called Arrowhead home but now plays at Children’s Mercy Park on the Kansas side of the state line, close to the Chiefs’ planned stadium.
## Key Takeaways
– The Chiefs will relocate to a domed stadium 30 miles from Arrowhead, funded by a Kansas bond package.
– Missouri lawmakers had offered up to 50% public financing, but the Kansas proposal was more generous.
– The Royals are exploring a new downtown ballpark and have purchased land in Overland Park.
The move marks a significant shift in the region’s sports landscape, raising questions about the future of Arrowhead, the Royals’ home, and the legacy of Kansas City’s NFL presence.
