{"id":652920,"date":"2026-03-30T18:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/652920\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:16:20","slug":"royals-ceo-vows-to-stay-in-kansas-city-just-not-at-the-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/652920\/","title":{"rendered":"Royals CEO vows to stay in Kansas City, just not at the K"},"content":{"rendered":"

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The Royals<\/a> open at home on Monday, March 30, but Chairman and CEO John Sherman says Kauffman Stadium\u2019s days are numbered. <\/p>\n

Stadium: A Decision Is Coming – But Not Yet<\/p>\n

Sherman confirmed the Royals will not extend their lease at Kauffman Stadium beyond its January 2031 expiration. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s certainly not in the plan,\u201d Sherman said. \u201cLook, this is a beautiful place to play baseball, you know, the field has great sightlines, it\u2019s a symmetrical ballpark, but it also – you know, the building will be 60 years old at the end of the decade when the lease is up. And I think I\u2019d like to locate our next generational home in a place where we can build energy and vibrancy around it in a higher-density area.\u201d <\/p>\n

He pointed to Atlanta\u2019s Truist Park<\/a> as a model – describing an opening day atmosphere that felt like \u201ccollege football gameday.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI really want to generate that type of excitement,\u201d Sherman added. \u201cThere has to be a fallback position, but that would be kicking the can down the road from my perspective, and we will not have solved this. The objective that we have is to find that next generational home that will make sure the Royals and Major League Baseball are here for the next 50 years.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sherman said the team is making progress, but a final site has not been selected. <\/p>\n

According to the CEO, three locations remain in play: The Kansas side of the state line, North Kansas City and Kansas City, Missouri. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting closer, but we\u2019re not done yet,\u201d he confirmed. \u201cAnd this is a – I say it all the time – these processes are complicated. They\u2019re multijurisdictional public-private partnerships. It\u2019s been my experience they\u2019re not supposed to be easy when you\u2019re doing important work. I never think it\u2019s easy, but I think we\u2019re – look its dangerous to set a deadline when you\u2019re not in control of all the variables, but I feel like the pace is picking up, particularly since the Chiefs did make their decision. And I think – I\u2019m hopeful we will be talking about this sooner rather than later.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"FILEFILE – Royals CEO John Sherman(KCTV5)<\/p>\n

The clock is ticking. With a 2031 opening target, the Royals need to break ground by September 2027. Sherman would like the construction timeline to last around 42 months. <\/p>\n

The CEO said he is confident the team will secure a site and funding in time. <\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re Not Goin Anywhere\u2019<\/p>\n

Sherman pushed back firmly on fears that the Royals could leave the Kansas City metro. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going anywhere from my perspective,\u201d he said. \u201cI think when we acquired the team, it was actually 2019 – when I walked around town, it wasn\u2019t about – people didn\u2019t say congratulations, they said thank you for keeping the boys here.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sherman acknowledged the anxiety that comes with being a mid-market sports city, citing the departures of the A\u2019s<\/a>, Kings<\/a> and Kansas City\u2019s own NHL franchise – the Scouts<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think no matter what you say, I think people feel that threat,\u201d he added. \u201cThose are other people talking about that, not me. My objective here – look, I love this city, I love this team, I love baseball. My objective here is to make sure that the Royals and Major League Baseball are here for the next 50 years and that they flourish here for the next 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fan Fatigue Is Real – Sherman Feels It Too <\/p>\n

Sherman also acknowledged that years of stadium discussions have worn on fans. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is fatigue, right, but these things take time,\u201d he said. \u201cThey normally take a lot longer than we\u2019ve taken so far, believe it or not, because I think that fatigue – and we feel that as well, and I can tell it from fans. If you think about how the conversations have progressed over the last couple years, early on, it was about a strong opinion, \u2018I want this, I want that.\u2019 Now it\u2019s like we want to know where were going and we\u2019d like to get that behind us, and we feel the same way.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"KauffmanKauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.(KCTV5)<\/p>\n

He called the process \u201cgenerational\u201d and said the team must be strategic to get it right. <\/p>\n

Broadcasting: Prioritizing Reach Over Revenue<\/p>\n

Sherman praised the team\u2019s over-the-air partnership with KCTV5<\/a>, saying that is when the Royals get \u201cthe most eyeballs.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the fans love it, by the way, the fans love the over-the-air because they know it\u2019s easy to find,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

He acknowledged that the fragmented broadcast landscape has created confusion – noting fans texted him during the first series asking where to find the game. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re working on is that our sport – that we increase our reach, that we prioritize reach over revenue,\u201d Sherman said. \u201cAnd if we do that, the revenue will follow.\u201d <\/p>\n

He also pointed to reduced blackouts, more national over-the-air broadcasts and the MLB\u2019s upcoming global media deal as positive signs for fan access. <\/p>\n

World Baseball Classic Fuels Optimism<\/p>\n

Sherman said the WBC<\/a> gave the Royals – and baseball broadly – a significant boost heading into the season. <\/p>\n

Kansas City was the No. 1 television market during the tournament, which Sherman said drew more viewers than the NBA Finals. <\/p>\n

\"VenezuelaVenezuela Maikel Garcia reacts to his hit during the sixth inning in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)(Rebecca Blackwell | AP)<\/p>\n

Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez<\/a> and Maikel Garcia<\/a> – who was named tournament MVP – all represented their home countries. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re starting on a really high note,\u201d Sherman said. \u201cI think it\u2019s great for baseball, and it\u2019s done a lot for the Royals brand as well. But besides that, I think this team is kind of congealing and gelling in a way that\u2019s going to be really exciting for the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the high-pressure tournament<\/a> experience will pay dividends during the regular season and, he hopes, a postseason run. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think baseball players – yeah, that was a big stage and they stepped up and met the moment and I think that\u2019s a big part of how teams develop and how players develop,\u201d Sherman added. \u201c\u2018Are you in high leverage pressure situations and how do you perform?\u2019 – right. And because you\u2019re going to have those – those things are going to happen all throughout the season, right, that you\u2019re going to be in a tough spot, and then when we get – if and when we get to the postseason – it just takes it to another level and those guys were tasting it here in March, which was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Field: Sherman Confident in Turnaround<\/p>\n

Coming off an 82-80 record, Sherman said the organization has made significant strides over the past three years. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that go into it, and really winning baseball games is our core business, and that\u2019s the objective today to put one on the Twins on a beautiful day in Kansas City,\u201d he noted. <\/p>\n

The Royals open their home schedule at 3:10 p.m. on Monday against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. <\/p>\n

The lights are on for another opening day at The K. But, with the lease expiring in 2031 and a construction clock already ticking, the question is not whether the Royals will have a new home – it\u2019s where. <\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The Royals open at home on Monday, March 30, but Chairman and CEO…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":652921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2387],"tags":[83507,36031,422,5,22646,937,9436,902,36034,176,4383,26956,936,2123,55,2596,2595,5735,36033,4,169,5839,36032,1434,252,1428,4711,173,417,4116,83508,5506,11341],"class_list":{"0":"post-652920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-royals","8":"tag-anywhere","9":"tag-app","10":"tag-at","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-ceo","13":"tag-city","14":"tag-facebook","15":"tag-going","16":"tag-google","17":"tag-in","18":"tag-just","19":"tag-k","20":"tag-kansas","21":"tag-kansas-city","22":"tag-kansas-city-royals","23":"tag-kansascity","24":"tag-kansascityroyals","25":"tag-kauffman","26":"tag-meta","27":"tag-mlb","28":"tag-news","29":"tag-newsbreak","30":"tag-nextdoor","31":"tag-not","32":"tag-royals","33":"tag-stadium","34":"tag-stay","35":"tag-the","36":"tag-to","37":"tag-twitter","38":"tag-vows","39":"tag-were","40":"tag-x"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116319500383966688","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}