Downtown Baseball Stadium

[dukuboy1]

I suspect attendance had more to do with Sporting getting off to a very rough start and for the most part a down season, than the location of their current stadium. Soccer is still pretty niche within the professional sports landscape of the Unites States. The MLS has done a great job in promoting and moving the game forward in the US with an improved product, and more money making the league stronger year over year. This has helped to build the WMLS and get that product and league moving in a great direction. But at the core it is niche with very passionate fans. Those fans will go just about anywhere and some would want a move and some would not.

[Rusty Irish]

Fescoe was interesting this morning.

He said that Jackson County pulled out of a planned meeting with the Royals and Chiefs last week an hour beforehand with no explanation given.

Manny Abarca also came on and although I was busy between stuff at work I caught him describing things currently as "dead at the wheel". There's no communication, both teams are very unhappy and then stated if nothing is done by January 23rd they will not be on the April ballot and the legislature goes on recess December 6th I'm sure he said. He actively encouraged people to contact councilmen, legislators etc with their concerns if they feel strongly enough about this. He ended it by saying he thinks they both leave Jackson County. He did say he's aware there could be some scare tactics but also that representatives from across the state line and Clay County are aggressively pursuing the teams and combined with their impatience the risks are real of them bolting.

[alejandro46]

Thanks for the update, albeit not great news.

[Highlander]

I thought KS & MO had agreed to stop the “border war” when it came to poaching businesses & moving dollars around the Metro but resulting in a zero sum NET gain. This would be the biggest of the poaching ever, and if not certainly the biggest in the last 50yrs. They may not employe a lot of people like larger companies but the value & economic impact certainly is as big if not bigger.

If KS is explored I’d love the governors to answer why. If we find that Frank White is working on his own & not in the best interests of the county he should be removed from office. This is just ridiculous and sad. The future prosperity of the KC Metro is at stake, not all of it of course but a big portion. All because a beloved ex-Royal has decided to tarnish his legacy and be an asshole to get back at a perceived wrong. Seriously what a dick. This is HS bullshit & we need some adults in the room to settle this now

I'm not sure that "poaching" would be the correct term here if that happens. If either or both teams end up in Kansas, it will be the result of county self-interest, mismanagement and an obstinate populace more so than Kansas aggressively pursuing the teams. If it came down to either team playing on the Kansas side of the metro or moving to another metro, I'll take Kansas and I'd attend games there too.

My first choice is watching the Royals at East Village in downtown. It would be the worst missed opportunity in KC history if they go elsewhere - worst than the Cerner move to SE KC.

[dukuboy1]

If it's making them decide between KC side or KS side I'd call it poaching. I agree with you if it is end up in KS or not have MLB or NFL in town, then KS it is. I also 100% agree the Jackson County leadership is completely failing the constituents. I suspect it is Frank White and maybe a few of his supporters in the county legislature. I would love for KC to work out a deal with the Royals directly and the Royals maybe chip in more to get it done and then look to get funds through a different method down the road. I understand this is all about money and Royals ownership trying to get the most money from the tax payers & government as they can. Not 100% out of greed but smart business. But it looks like Frank and his buddies are being assholes. I'd say let the tax play out as it would and work with KC to move downtown and bypass Jackson County. Basically don't ask for anything more than what is in place now and come back to it later after voters get a chance to vote out Frank. The Chiefs can do whatever they want and if the Chiefs say they are moving to KS it will be a huge uproar with voters and get him out of office. But really need to look at things with bypassing the County at this point.

[Highlander]

If it's making them decide between KC side or KS side I'd call it poaching. I agree with you if it is end up in KS or not have MLB or NFL in town, then KS it is. I also 100% agree the Jackson County leadership is completely failing the constituents. I suspect it is Frank White and maybe a few of his supporters in the county legislature. I would love for KC to work out a deal with the Royals directly and the Royals maybe chip in more to get it done and then look to get funds through a different method down the road. I understand this is all about money and Royals ownership trying to get the most money from the tax payers & government as they can. Not 100% out of greed but smart business. But it looks like Frank and his buddies are being assholes. I'd say let the tax play out as it would and work with KC to move downtown and bypass Jackson County. Basically don't ask for anything more than what is in place now and come back to it later after voters get a chance to vote out Frank. The Chiefs can do whatever they want and if the Chiefs say they are moving to KS it will be a huge uproar with voters and get him out of office. But really need to look at things with bypassing the County at this point.

The only difference would be that Jackson County has a population of 716,000 and KC has a population of 508,000. But since it's a sales tax, people going downtown, the crossroads, the plaza, the airport, the zoo, TMobile Center and even to the existing stadiums contribute to paying the tax so not all of it would fall on Kansas Citians.

[Rusty Irish]

Mayor Q on 610 in 5 mins at 5pm. Apparently they invited Frank White on too and he refused lol.

[mgsports]

Olathe or KCK.

[DColeKC]

This mess is all on Frank White.

Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead.

Royals will end up downtown, Clay County can't get the vote and NKC can't afford them alone.

Even if the county fails us like the fools they are, we have the city of Kansas City and the big dogs, the state of Missouri.

Ok, going away again.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The only difference would be that Jackson County has a population of 716,000 and KC has a population of 508,000. But since it's a sales tax, people going downtown, the crossroads, the plaza, the airport, the zoo, TMobile Center and even to the existing stadiums contribute to paying the tax so not all of it would fall on Kansas Citians.

There are other methods that KCMO could use to help fund a stadium. Hotel/Motel tax. Food and beverage sales tax. Car rental tax. Make the stadium area a TIF or Super TIF area (yes that would hurt the City budget some but still help fund a stadium. Unpopular for the Royals but a User Fee on ticket sales. Higher sales tax inside the stadium.
I'm sure there are other taxes to consider if needed.

[TheUrbanRoo]

They can push the narrative for the suckers as hard as they want, there’s no way the Royals are going to Kansas.

Also I’ve been wondering for months now why they don’t just vote with KCMO only.
-Voter base is way more likely to support it
-The KCMO Gov actually wants to get a deal done
-It’s still a significant population base to get tax dollars from

[Highlander]

The only difference would be that Jackson County has a population of 716,000 and KC has a population of 508,000. But since it's a sales tax, people going downtown, the crossroads, the plaza, the airport, the zoo, TMobile Center and even to the existing stadiums contribute to paying the tax so not all of it would fall on Kansas Citians.

There are other methods that KCMO could use to help fund a stadium. Hotel/Motel tax. Food and beverage sales tax. Car rental tax. Make the stadium area a TIF or Super TIF area (yes that would hurt the City budget some but still help fund a stadium. Unpopular for the Royals but a User Fee on ticket sales. Higher sales tax inside the stadium.
I'm sure there are other taxes to consider if needed.

Hotel/Motel taxes and Car Rental taxes are already very high in KC and it's doubtful if either or even both of these would create enough revenue for a stadium. Rental Car taxes are already used to fund TMobile Center. A KC sales tax would work well because so much of the sales tax revenue is coming from people that live outside the city and a 1/2 cent tax would be fairly small (especially if the 1/2 cent Jackson County tax goes away). The others you mention just would not raise that much revenue - it has to be a tax that is spread over a large enough population so that it can be small enough not to impact demand for the taxed product.

[KCPowercat]

This mess is all on Frank White.

Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead.

Royals will end up downtown, Clay County can't get the vote and NKC can't afford them alone.

Even if the county fails us like the fools they are, we have the city of Kansas City and the big dogs, the state of Missouri.

Ok, going away again.

Agreed. I've seen this play before.

[Cratedigger]

I thought KS & MO had agreed to stop the “border war” when it came to poaching businesses & moving dollars around the Metro but resulting in a zero sum NET gain. This would be the biggest of the poaching ever, and if not certainly the biggest in the last 50yrs. They may not employe a lot of people like larger companies but the value & economic impact certainly is as big if not bigger.

If KS is explored I’d love the governors to answer why. If we find that Frank White is working on his own & not in the best interests of the county he should be removed from office. This is just ridiculous and sad. The future prosperity of the KC Metro is at stake, not all of it of course but a big portion. All because a beloved ex-Royal has decided to tarnish his legacy and be an asshole to get back at a perceived wrong. Seriously what a dick. This is HS bullshit & we need some adults in the room to settle this now

‘After first joking that “I have Lamar Hunt on speed-dial,” Kelly gave her brief thought on the situation.

“I would be all for it, obviously,” the governor said. “When I signed the Border War truce with Missouri, it didn’t include the Chiefs.”’

https://www.kctv5.com/2022/03/31/govern ... war-truce/

[Anthony_Hugo98]

This mess is all on Frank White.

Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead.

Royals will end up downtown, Clay County can't get the vote and NKC can't afford them alone.

Even if the county fails us like the fools they are, we have the city of Kansas City and the big dogs, the state of Missouri.

Ok, going away again.

This is what’s going to happen, and while we will likely all be stressed leading up to it, it’ll all fall into place. City leadership knows what the teams mean to the region, and they know what downtown baseball would mean for the city.

[WoodDraw]

Kansas city is weird as well because like no one watches them? I know not literally, but they're not easy to watch.

Because Google is so popular here and the team is so shit, most people don't bother. So many people I would visit would have them on in the background, but now I never see them on.

They're really losing cultural attachment here and I think need to rethink their tv contact and what it's like to be a mlb club.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The only difference would be that Jackson County has a population of 716,000 and KC has a population of 508,000. But since it's a sales tax, people going downtown, the crossroads, the plaza, the airport, the zoo, TMobile Center and even to the existing stadiums contribute to paying the tax so not all of it would fall on Kansas Citians.

There are other methods that KCMO could use to help fund a stadium. Hotel/Motel tax. Food and beverage sales tax. Car rental tax. Make the stadium area a TIF or Super TIF area (yes that would hurt the City budget some but still help fund a stadium. Unpopular for the Royals but a User Fee on ticket sales. Higher sales tax inside the stadium.
I'm sure there are other taxes to consider if needed.

Hotel/Motel taxes and Car Rental taxes are already very high in KC and it's doubtful if either or even both of these would create enough revenue for a stadium. Rental Car taxes are already used to fund TMobile Center. A KC sales tax would work well because so much of the sales tax revenue is coming from people that live outside the city and a 1/2 cent tax would be fairly small (especially if the 1/2 cent Jackson County tax goes away). The others you mention just would not raise that much revenue - it has to be a tax that is spread over a large enough population so that it can be small enough not to impact demand for the taxed product.

They weren't mentioned to be stand alone taxes but as a combination of taxes to support bonds being issued.

[Rusty Irish]

This mess is all on Frank White.

Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead.

Royals will end up downtown, Clay County can't get the vote and NKC can't afford them alone.

Even if the county fails us like the fools they are, we have the city of Kansas City and the big dogs, the state of Missouri.

Ok, going away again.

Lucas put the likelihood of the Royals staying in Jackson County at around 70-75% and the Chiefs at 90%.

He said that if people were actually motivated enough they could thrash out a deal next week but as someone else said I think we could be kicking the can down to November alongside the Presidential election and you'll also get a higher turnout. They still have what seven years left of the lease? Several teams in various leagues are already or are close to going year with no plan in sight. NFL wise, I believe the Browns have under four years left of their lease and haven't decided on what to do.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I think it's a mistake to put this vote on a high turnout race like a POTUS election. This needs to be on an off-election with low turnout so that normies who just don't wanna pay for anything and don't care don't stumble in and ruin the vote. More motivated voters will come out in April and we can win it. Believe me, the Royals know that too which is why they're hustling for April.

[KC_Ari]

Higher voter turnout can only be good. See if more of the people who would be paying for it, actually want to pay for. It might not be everyone on this boards desired result, but it is still the proper path forward. If they do decide to kick the can and don't formulate a plan in the next handful of weeks.