By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
It was announced on Monday that the Kansas City Chiefs will be relocating from Missouri to Kansas, with it coming a brand new, $3 billion, domed stadium. I, like many others, have some issues with this.
For one, Arrowhead is an iconic venue, and its eventual demise once the lease expires in 2030 will be tragic. It is possible some of you reading this attended Arrowhead as Chiefs fans, and if not, made the trip to Kansas City because your favorite team was visiting the AFC’s oldest stadium. The two-and-a half-hour drive is more palatable than four hours to Minneapolis, six hours to Chicago, or eight hours to Green Bay. According to local reporting, Kansas made more of a united front approach between the city, county and state, to attract the NFL’s most recent dynasty away from its current home.
For two, the stadium is going to be largely funded with taxpayer money. Of the $3 billion price tag, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says the state will pay for 60%. In other words, $1.8 billion. The other 40%, or less than half, for those of you counting at home, will be paid for by members of the Hunt family, who own the Chiefs. According to profootballnetwork.com, the Hunt family, worth $24.8 billion, are the second-richest owners in the NFL. I understand why the state of Kansas would want to spend money to attract an NFL team, as it will undoubtably be an economic boost for the area, but why the second-wealthiest owners in American professional sports can’t pay for their own stadium is beyond me.
For three, the early renderings of the proposed stadium are flat and boring. And, compare it to the other new, multi-billion dollar sports stadiums that have been built in recent years. Now, yes, 2031 is several years ahead and gives plenty of time for this rendering to change, so I’m being a bit of a Grinch. According to a Chiefs beat writer, Chiefs Charmain and CEO Clark Hunt says an architect and contractor will be selected in the months ahead. Why Kansas would agree to use $1.8 billion for a project that does not even have an architect is also beyond me, but that’s why I live in Iowa (where we have challenges getting a $20 million soccer stadium built, which is finally over the last spending hump, maybe).
For four, it signals the death of another outdoor stadium. The Chiefs leaving Arrowhead, and in a few years, the Chicago Bears leaving Soldier Field, are both seeking domed stadiums. The Bears are currently in a fight with the city of Chicago and are even threatening to build the stadium in northern Indiana. As a Packers fan, I find that hilarious. But, the person on the inside hates the idea that we could no longer see games like the ice bowl or the mud bowl, or a field blanketed in snow or rain, all in favor of a synthetic turf field inside a cookie-cutter dome, because it sells more tickets and it makes the game easier to watch on TV.
Currently, there are 20 “open-air” stadiums in the NFL. We know that number will change to 18 in the coming years because of the Chiefs and Bears. The Buffalo Bills, whose stadium almost always seems to fill with snow once a season, will have a massive canopy roof by next season, and the Tennessee Titans are aiming to have their domed stadium finished in Nashville by 2027. Plus, the Jacksonville Jaguars are getting a major renovation that will include a new roof, planned for 2028, and the Washington Commanders are planning for a potentially domed stadium in 2030. Add those in, and the country’s most popular sport will have more closed stadiums than not, and that’s a darn shame.
Reach out with comments, complaints, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.