Patience is a virtue.
The owner of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs franchise, Clark Hunt, has decided to put off a decision on whether to build a new facility for his business or renovate the present venue until the end of the 2024-2025 NFL regular season. That would mean that Hunt is anticipating working with the new Missouri Governor who will be elected in November to replace Mike Parson who is term limited and wants to make sure there is a bidding war for his business between Missouri and Kansas. It is just part of the stadium game. Hunt had wanted a renovated stadium in Jackson County, Missouri but on April 2nd, Jackson County residents overwhelmingly voted against extending a sales tax that went to pay down the debt of the present Chiefs’ facility and Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals’ stadium.
State legislators in Kansas passed a bill that would finance up to 70 percent of the cost of two new stadiums for pro sports franchises. The legislation targeted Hunt’s business and Royals’ owner John Sherman’s business. The outgoing Missouri Governor Mike Parson said he expects Missouri lawmakers to put together a financial package by the end of the year in an effort to keep both Hunt and Sherman’s businesses in Missouri. Sherman wanted to build a downtown Kansas City baseball facility or if that failed, a baseball stadium in North Kansas City. Hunt’s business deal with Jackson County ends after the 2031 season. “Really the deadline is how can you be up and running in a new facility or a renovated facility for January of the 2031 season,” the Chiefs’ President Mark Donovan said. “So we feel like we’re in the window now to get something done in the next six months to be in a good position. That’s the timeline we’re working on.” The stadium game continues in Kansas City.
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