Downtown Baseball Stadium

[Critical_Mass]

LOL at the person who joined less than three months ago w/ 18 posts telling others to go away.

[WoodDraw]

Aww, I thought I made a bitchy comment and needed to take a little break.

God love all of you, but be nice. Other than jblanco who can, you know.

[FangKC]

How Opportunity Zones could be a player for $2B Royals stadium, ballpark district

...
One possible — and potentially lucrative — financing ingredient might be hiding in plain sight: the federal Opportunity Zones program, through which investors can tap multiple tax benefits for capital gains they reinvest in designated low-income census tracts.
...
Multiple parties, including the Royals' ownership and developer partners, potentially could unlock those tax breaks should the team relocate to an Opportunity Zone and pursue them — locating in a zone does not automatically confer the benefits. The tax savings could result from eligible equity investments in the $1 billion baseball stadium, different projects in its surrounding $1 billion ballpark district or even businesses operating in the project.
...

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... 2023-02-14

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

[TheUrbanRoo]

The Chiefs should get a vote done this year if they’re smart. This could be the peak of Chiefs fandom…get this done right now. The Royals can then join them.

[GRID]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

People have to be educated on why the Royals payroll is on the low end.

Second smallest market in MLB.

An aging stadium that I have heard generates some of the lowest amounts of concession revenue in MLB. Tailgating could even be a contributing factor to this.

Consistently one of the lowest attendance in MLB and one of the most depending on walk up crowds.

One of the lowest corporate season ticket bases in MLB.

A stadium with limited naming rights revenue and corporate suites.

One of the worst television deals in MLB.

I'm surprised when KC is not in the bottom few in payroll.


Some of this could be improved with a new downtown stadium. The Royals need more revenue sources than most teams to make up for the lack of corporations in KC, the size of the KC market etc. But just moving the Royals to a new stadium would create a lot of new revenue streams for the team so they can have a bigger payroll.

More people working and living and staying in hotels within walking or transit distance of a stadium equals more chance of large walk up crowds or even season ticket holders.

More corporate or business interest in having season tickets in a downtown stadium.

More naming rights opportunities.

Revenue streams from surrounding commercial development that the Royals are part of.

More revenue from concessions per fan.

A chance to build a new, younger fan base. Even if the Royals can get attendance to average 25k over the first ten years of a new stadium, it would probably be worth it.

[Chris Stritzel]

^All good points that I agree with, especially what can be improved with the downtown stadium.

[beautyfromashes]

The payroll excuse gets tired. The Cleveland team won our division last year with about the same payroll and probably will again this year with less payroll. Our development has been terrible, drafting bad, we stick with players too long, don't lock up the good ones early so they bolt when they can, and are poorly managed. I can't believe someone paid $1B for the team. I hope Sherman has a plan.

[GRID]

The payroll excuse gets tired. The Cleveland team won our division last year with about the same payroll and probably will again this year with less payroll. Our development has been terrible, drafting bad, we stick with players too long, don't lock up the good ones early so they bolt when they can, and are poorly managed. I can't believe someone paid $1B for the team. I hope Sherman has a plan.

Good point. The Rays always seem competitive and they consistently have a low payroll. KC should steal their scouts or whatever. But KC did seem to have a nice run with Dayton Moore. Took him a while and it didn't lost long, but KC got to two World Series not too long ago and that's better than a lot of teams.

[KC_JAYHAWK]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

People have to be educated on why the Royals payroll is on the low end.

Second smallest market in MLB.

An aging stadium that I have heard generates some of the lowest amounts of concession revenue in MLB. Tailgating could even be a contributing factor to this.

Consistently one of the lowest attendance in MLB and one of the most depending on walk up crowds.

One of the lowest corporate season ticket bases in MLB.

A stadium with limited naming rights revenue and corporate suites.

One of the worst television deals in MLB.

I'm surprised when KC is not in the bottom few in payroll.


Some of this could be improved with a new downtown stadium. The Royals need more revenue sources than most teams to make up for the lack of corporations in KC, the size of the KC market etc. But just moving the Royals to a new stadium would create a lot of new revenue streams for the team so they can have a bigger payroll.

More people working and living and staying in hotels within walking or transit distance of a stadium equals more chance of large walk up crowds or even season ticket holders.

More corporate or business interest in having season tickets in a downtown stadium.

More naming rights opportunities.

Revenue streams from surrounding commercial development that the Royals are part of.

More revenue from concessions per fan.

A chance to build a new, younger fan base. Even if the Royals can get attendance to average 25k over the first ten years of a new stadium, it would probably be worth it.

All very true. Good synopsis. I "feel" like people are geting used to the idea of a downtown ballpark, or they've just realized it's going to happen and if we want the Royals to stay in KC and be more competitive, a new ballpark is necessary. My neighbor goes to 8-10 games a year and she loves Kauffman the location, access, getting in and out, but I was talking to her about it last weekend and she's starting to see it's going to happen and she will most likely vote for it because she doesn't want the Royals to leave KC.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

People have to be educated on why the Royals payroll is on the low end.

Second smallest market in MLB.

An aging stadium that I have heard generates some of the lowest amounts of concession revenue in MLB. Tailgating could even be a contributing factor to this.

Consistently one of the lowest attendance in MLB and one of the most depending on walk up crowds.

One of the lowest corporate season ticket bases in MLB.

A stadium with limited naming rights revenue and corporate suites.

One of the worst television deals in MLB.

I'm surprised when KC is not in the bottom few in payroll.


Some of this could be improved with a new downtown stadium. The Royals need more revenue sources than most teams to make up for the lack of corporations in KC, the size of the KC market etc. But just moving the Royals to a new stadium would create a lot of new revenue streams for the team so they can have a bigger payroll.

More people working and living and staying in hotels within walking or transit distance of a stadium equals more chance of large walk up crowds or even season ticket holders.

More corporate or business interest in having season tickets in a downtown stadium.

More naming rights opportunities.

Revenue streams from surrounding commercial development that the Royals are part of.

More revenue from concessions per fan.

A chance to build a new, younger fan base. Even if the Royals can get attendance to average 25k over the first ten years of a new stadium, it would probably be worth it.

This is an exceptional breakdown of the reasons here, and it would do the Royals good to explain this publicly. Instead they’re doing their faux listening series and it’s actively passing people off.

[Cratedigger]

The payroll excuse gets tired. The Cleveland team won our division last year with about the same payroll and probably will again this year with less payroll. Our development has been terrible, drafting bad, we stick with players too long, don't lock up the good ones early so they bolt when they can, and are poorly managed. I can't believe someone paid $1B for the team. I hope Sherman has a plan.

Good point. The Rays always seem competitive and they consistently have a low payroll. KC should steal their scouts or whatever. But KC did seem to have a nice run with Dayton Moore. Took him a while and it didn't lost long, but KC got to two World Series not too long ago and that's better than a lot of teams.

This is actively happening. See the recent hirings of our manager (Rays) and pitching coach (Guardians).

[Cratedigger]

https://twitter.com/SportsRadio810/stat ... 29568?s=20

5 minutes of Sherman talking about the new ballpark. Mentions infrastructure investment in additional highway capacity possibly needed, more parking likely not needed, and that the process would move in step with the Chiefs

[smh]

Feels like when we talk "highway capacity" we might really be talking about sorting out the archaic ramp situation in the east loop (as opposed to additional lanes, for example.)

[Cratedigger]

Feels like when we talk "highway capacity" we might really be talking about sorting out the archaic ramp situation in the east loop (as opposed to additional lanes, for example.)

I hope so. It's such an inconsistent mess over there

[beautyfromashes]

But KC did seem to have a nice run with Dayton Moore. Took him a while and it didn't lost long, but KC got to two World Series not too long ago and that's better than a lot of teams.

Moore was terrible. 2 winning years out of 13? He tanked to get high draft picks, picked who everyone said he should and got money from management to buy the rest of the team. Can’t really think of a good trade he made either. Glad he’s gone.

[phuqueue]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

People have to be educated on why the Royals payroll is on the low end.

Second smallest market in MLB.

An aging stadium that I have heard generates some of the lowest amounts of concession revenue in MLB. Tailgating could even be a contributing factor to this.

Consistently one of the lowest attendance in MLB and one of the most depending on walk up crowds.

One of the lowest corporate season ticket bases in MLB.

A stadium with limited naming rights revenue and corporate suites.

One of the worst television deals in MLB.

I'm surprised when KC is not in the bottom few in payroll.


Some of this could be improved with a new downtown stadium. The Royals need more revenue sources than most teams to make up for the lack of corporations in KC, the size of the KC market etc. But just moving the Royals to a new stadium would create a lot of new revenue streams for the team so they can have a bigger payroll.

More people working and living and staying in hotels within walking or transit distance of a stadium equals more chance of large walk up crowds or even season ticket holders.

More corporate or business interest in having season tickets in a downtown stadium.

More naming rights opportunities.

Revenue streams from surrounding commercial development that the Royals are part of.

More revenue from concessions per fan.

A chance to build a new, younger fan base. Even if the Royals can get attendance to average 25k over the first ten years of a new stadium, it would probably be worth it.

None of these excuses are especially persuasive given MLB's national TV deals, revenue sharing, etc. The Royals will generate below-median revenue for all the reasons you list above, but neither they nor any of these other teams should be spending as little on payroll as they do. Royals Review wrote about it a few months ago and found with some quick back of the envelope math using only the publicly-available information, and completely omitting other revenue streams where there are no public numbers, that the team is likely pulling in more than $200M/year. Granted that the team has other expenses besides player salaries, but color me skeptical that those other expenses amount to twice as much as they spend on the team itself. bfa "can't believe someone paid $1B for the team," but why not? It's a sweetheart deal: rake in $200M+ each year, put the cheapest product you can out on the field, pocket the difference, and your own fans will apparently go on the internet to defend you for it. Hell, according to this thread, ownership's refusal to invest in the team is apparently a data point in favor of handing over a truckload of public money to build them a new stadium. Can't believe someone would pay $1B for that? I can hardly think of a better way to spend $1B.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I’d say until the Royals are no longer on this list, the attempt to win over the public on a new stadium discourse is DOR.

People have to be educated on why the Royals payroll is on the low end.

Second smallest market in MLB.

An aging stadium that I have heard generates some of the lowest amounts of concession revenue in MLB. Tailgating could even be a contributing factor to this.

Consistently one of the lowest attendance in MLB and one of the most depending on walk up crowds.

One of the lowest corporate season ticket bases in MLB.

A stadium with limited naming rights revenue and corporate suites.

One of the worst television deals in MLB.

I'm surprised when KC is not in the bottom few in payroll.


Some of this could be improved with a new downtown stadium. The Royals need more revenue sources than most teams to make up for the lack of corporations in KC, the size of the KC market etc. But just moving the Royals to a new stadium would create a lot of new revenue streams for the team so they can have a bigger payroll.

More people working and living and staying in hotels within walking or transit distance of a stadium equals more chance of large walk up crowds or even season ticket holders.

More corporate or business interest in having season tickets in a downtown stadium.

More naming rights opportunities.

Revenue streams from surrounding commercial development that the Royals are part of.

More revenue from concessions per fan.

A chance to build a new, younger fan base. Even if the Royals can get attendance to average 25k over the first ten years of a new stadium, it would probably be worth it.

None of these excuses are especially persuasive given MLB's national TV deals, revenue sharing, etc. The Royals will generate below-median revenue for all the reasons you list above, but neither they nor any of these other teams should be spending as little on payroll as they do. Royals Review wrote about it a few months ago and found with some quick back of the envelope math using only the publicly-available information, and completely omitting other revenue streams where there are no public numbers, that the team is likely pulling in more than $200M/year. Granted that the team has other expenses besides player salaries, but color me skeptical that those other expenses amount to twice as much as they spend on the team itself. bfa "can't believe someone paid $1B for the team," but why not? It's a sweetheart deal: rake in $200M+ each year, put the cheapest product you can out on the field, pocket the difference, and your own fans will apparently go on the internet to defend you for it. Hell, according to this thread, ownership's refusal to invest in the team is apparently a data point in favor of handing over a truckload of public money to build them a new stadium. Can't believe someone would pay $1B for that? I can hardly think of a better way to spend $1B.

Is it a truck load of public money when they’re only asking for an extension of the current stadium tax at this point though? If that’s what they stick too, it seems a fairly reasonable request.

[Cratedigger]

But KC did seem to have a nice run with Dayton Moore. Took him a while and it didn't lost long, but KC got to two World Series not too long ago and that's better than a lot of teams.

Moore was terrible. 2 winning years out of 13? He tanked to get high draft picks, picked who everyone said he should and got money from management to buy the rest of the team. Can’t really think of a good trade he made either. Glad he’s gone.

Is this sarcasm? The Royals are the only small-market team to win a World Series in the last 30 years and Greinke trade won it for KC. The Wil Meyers trade to get James Shields & Wade Davis too. If anything, he didn't make enough trades. When he was transactional he won more than lost.

That said, we needed a change. The hesitation and unwavering loyalty to players does not lead to sustainable success. Just look across TSC at Brett Veach.

[beautyfromashes]

Is this sarcasm? The Royals are the only small-market team to win a World Series in the last 30 years and Greinke trade won it for KC. The Wil Meyers trade to get James Shields & Wade Davis too. If anything, he didn't make enough trades. When he was transactional he won more than lost.

First, tell me how we’re a small market and St. Louis isn’t?
Second, both of those trades weren’t that great. They’re basically the same trade in reverse. Two years of a good pitcher for 6 years of an OF, except we gave ip Greinke for Shields and Myers for Cain. Starter Odorizzi for a great reliever Davis. Moore basically traded the present for the future and then the future for the present to stack for a shot at the playoffs. So, you have 15 terrible Royals years, two good and then 15 more terrible. Essentially, took out a payday loan to buy a new car.