The fate of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals rests on the decision of Jackson County, Missouri voters today. They will decide whether to extend a sales tax to fund a renovated football stadium and a new baseball stadium. The polling is tight, with the Chiefs making it clear that if they don’t get their way, they may consider leaving Kansas City.
Some fans of the Chiefs are nonchalant about the possibility of the team relocating, assuming they will find another venue in the area. However, history has shown that teams do not hesitate to uproot and move to a new state if they don’t get what they want, as seen with the Dallas Texans becoming the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1960s.
Cities are often willing to offer what a team’s current hometown cannot, as seen with the Colts moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis and the Browns moving from Cleveland to Baltimore. More recently, the Raiders moved from Oakland to Las Vegas when they couldn’t get what they wanted in their current city. Stadium politics can be harsh, and if a team’s current city is unwilling to meet their demands, another city will gladly swoop in. If Kansas City refuses to meet the Chiefs’ requests, they may look to move to a city that will. The first step in this process is to see if the voters will be willing to give them what they want.
