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Big Stadium Decisions Loom For Chiefs, Royals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jack Gorman | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 1:32 PM ET

Will they stay or will they go? That is the decision now facing the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and MLB's Kansas City Royals.

Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) and Kauffman Stadium (Royals) opened within a few months of each other in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The stadiums have been renovated multiple times in their five decades of use. Both stadiums are currently in need of significant upgrades and refurbishment. However, in April 2024, 58% of Missouri voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have paid for a new ballpark for the Royals and a major Arrowhead renovation.

Perhaps the best alternative to surface in the intervening 14 months is a proposal to lure one or both teams to Kansas City... Kansas, where a law enacted last year allows for state bonds to cover 70% of the costs for new stadiums. Fearing that the state was being played as a stalking horse, Kansas has placed a June 30 deadline for their proposal.

Faced with the prospect of losing perhaps two major league franchises in one swing, lawmakers in Missouri convened a special session three weeks ago to address the situation. The legislature eventually approved a plan that involved hundreds of millions of dollars of incentives for both teams.

“We bend over backwards here in the Missouri Legislature to deliver them something by the end of their imposed deadline of June 30,” Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said on June 11. “I would very much like for them to hold true to that deadline and let us know where they’re going before that.”

Kansas City, MO mayor Quinton Lucas offered an optimistic view on Sunday that the teams would stay put.

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“I’ve had optimism all the time, and I think there are more and more reasons for that,” said Lucas to the Kansas City Star. “I said [last summer] that I believe we’d have a compelling Missouri state offer. We’ve gotten to that... The June 30 deadline set up by the state of Kansas may be a little tough for us, but we’re going to make sure that we have a compelling offer to both teams in that time."

Will the teams stay in their homes of over five decades or opt for greener pastures in a new state (if not a new city)? The clock is ticking.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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