A Fool's Game
19/06/24 06:52
June 19, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 27) - It's big news in the sports world. The state of Kansas has put in its bid to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals across the state line. The state legislature yesterday approved a measure that would divert millions of dollars in sales tax revenues for the construction of new stadiums for the NFL and MLB teams. This brazen move to steal the teams from Missouri comes after Kansas City, Missouri, voters rejected a move to extend an existing sales tax that would have funded stadium construction/renovations for the teams. Now, Missouri officials are scrambling. They are also whining about the start of a new border war with Kansas. And the clock is ticking: The Royals say they want to be out of Kauffman Stadium by 2031. The teams have great emotional and political leverage in their brazen attempt to extort millions of public dollars to support their private businesses. In fairness to the teams, both Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums are more than 50 years old. And while they may look fine on the exterior, there is no saying how solid their internal infrastructures are. And just as Kansas City upgraded its airport to meet the needs of 21st century travelers, we need to recognize the business model of sports franchises have changed in the years since the stadiums were built. While folks in Kansas and Missouri dream of economic development dollars flowing from the construction of new stadiums, the fact remains that most people who have studied this question say that, in the long run, there is no public benefit from subsidizing sports stadiums. And since when do the Hunt family and John Sherman's ownership group qualify for welfare? I am not opposed to building new stadiums. I am not even opposed to some public investment in them. But we should not give away the farm because the teams are holding a gun to our heads. Here's what I see as an ideal solution. Allow to the Royals to build a downtown stadium in either KCMO or KCK. Raze Kauffman stadium and in its place build a domed facility that could attract events currently out of KC's reach, such as the Final Four and the Super Bowl. Add to that a light rail line that runs from downtown to the stadiums so the fans will not be gouged by ridiculous parking prices. Finally, whatever these teams do, they should do it transparently. Their failure to come clean with their plans is the major reason the sales tax vote failed so miserably. Neither Kansas nor Missouri should be forced to play this fool's game. They need to be partners, not patsies. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo by David Guth