With the Kansas City Chiefs leaving the Truman Sports Complex and the Royals presumably not far behind, the city faces being left with two empty shells in a huge parking lot.
Arrowhead Stadium and nearby Kauffman Stadium have shared five decades of memories, but the Chiefs have already confirmed a $4 billion escape across state lines into Kansas.
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Travis Kelce may have entered the field at Arrowhead for the final timeCredit: Getty
The Royals are also expected to announce a relocation with multiple sites being considered.
Officials will then be left with a major decision to make over the future of what will become a concrete wasteland without the former world champion franchises.
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County Legislator Manny Abarca sent a letter to the Jackson County Executive asking for the Chiefs’ sales tax to be put aside over the remaining five years of the lease.
That could net $137 million for a demolition and redevelopment fund.
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“The Jackson County taxpayers deserve not to have a two-stadium empty lot,” Abarca told FOX4.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has another vision.
He thinks Kaufmann Stadium will be torn down, but wants to keep the iconic Arrowhead as a sports and entertainment venue.
“We do still have active bids for the Women’s World Cup and World Cup Rugby 2031 and 2033 using Arrowhead Stadium by the way as the location for both,” he said via Fox4.
Arrowhead has hosted Michael Jackson in the past, but would need investment in the surrounding area to compete with the Chiefs’ new home and other venues.
“We will have conversations very soon with folks that can work with us on what do you for entertainment purposes in that area,” Lucas added.
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Arrowhead is the loudest outdoor sports stadium in the worldCredit: Getty
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The Royals are looking for a modern home to maximize earning potentialCredit: GettyDemolishing Arrowhead will cost a fortune
Missouri House majority leader Jonathan Patterson told KCMO that whatever is decided will come with a hefty bill.
The 76,000-seat venue needs around $20 million a year to maintain and demolition would cost an estimated $150 million.
“We had one of the components, the county executive, really working against the process and doing things that had nothing to do with keeping the teams,” Patterson said on Radio 95.7FM & 710 AM.
“And he was talking about a community benefits agreement, if you recall. Well, now there will be an empty stadium, five thousand jobs gone, overtime for police gone.
“And now the county will be on the hook for either twenty million dollars of maintenance or one hundred and fifty million dollars to demolish the stadium.”
“It is unbelievable what it costs to demolish those things,” he added.
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Ben Peters — the Missouri House of Representatives’ director of communications told Front Office Sports that the NFL franchise could be expected to foot some of the bill.
“It will be interesting to see what steps are taken going forward,” he said.
“Next week, Missouri starts its legislative session here in Jefferson City, and there’s a pretty good chance that someone will be filing legislation that would put departing teams on the hook for demolition costs in some fashion.”
Arrowhead fans weren’t treated to the usual fireworks this season and the Chiefs’ season will end before the postseason in a Week 18 dead rubber against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Kelce — a huge fan of the iconic stadium — may have run out there for the final time in a Christmas Day loss to the Denver Broncos.
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