Cardinals ownership is not actively seeking Missouri money right now for stadium improvements.
Missouri politicians are trying to keep the businesses of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals franchise owner John Sherman and National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs franchise owner Clark Hunt in the state. There is an offer on the table. But there is another Major League Baseball franchise in Missouri, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the president of the franchise is keeping a close eye on what is happening across the state. Bill DeWitt III said that his franchise was “largely hands off in pushing for state legislation that seeks to retain” the two Kansas City franchises. DeWitt added it “opens the door for state support of Busch Stadium upgrades.” The Cardinals ownership is not actively seeking state money to upgrade the 19-year-old stadium.
Cardinals ownership is looking into what needs to be done to make sure the stadium is a revenue generator as the facility ages. A nineteen year old stadium is now thought to be an older venue and cannot keep up with newer stadiums. DeWitt’s business could benefit from the Royals/Chiefs proposal. The Royals/Chiefs bill would allow the Cardinals owners to apply for state funding on a stadium project valued at $500 million or more. The state could contribute up to half the costs, with the rest coming from private donors or local investments. Under the Royals/Chiefs proposal to qualify for the subsidy, a stadium must be based in Missouri, seat at least 30,000 people and host a professional sports team. And any proposed upgrades must be considered a “primary factor in retention of a professional sports franchise.” Missouri put together a proposal to keep the two franchises in the state after Jackson County, Missouri voters in April 2024 said no to extending a sales tax that would have funded a Royals’ downtown Kansas City stadium and a renovation of Hunt’s Chiefs’ football venue.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
