Is the time of the tax-payer-funded sports mega-palaces nearing an end? Voters in Kansas City this week may have been the first to draw a line in the sand. They rejected a measure that would replace an already existing tax to help fund a new stadium.
The current tax helps pay for the upkeep of the stadiums the Chiefs and baseball’s Kansas City Royals currently call home.
The new tax, for the same amount, would have paid for a new baseball stadium in the downtown area of Kansas City and major renovations to the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.
The hangup wasn’t the money – both organizations were chipping in hundreds of millions to help cover the costs. The issue was the location.
Had the tax passed and the plans approved, the new park would have wiped out a lot of pre-existing businesses to make way for the Royals’ new home.
Not to mention the impact on traffic in the area on game days, something the folks in Arlington, TX can attest to as a big issue.
It could be that building these massive complexes is becoming a thing of the past. And that’s not a bad thing.
The Dark Side Of Cowboys Stadium
When JerryWorld – I mean Cowboys Stadium – was approved to be built on the southeast corner of N. Collins St. and E. Randol Mill Rd in Arlington, there was one minor issue.
Well, not minor to some. There were already some people who lived in houses in that area.
They were moved – some reportedly not so willingly – to make room for the massive new stadium.
The other problem with the site was gameday traffic.
I attended the Falcons game there in the first season in 2009. Traffic was a nightmare – especially after the game.
It took over an hour for us to drive the 2.5 miles from the off-stadium parking lot we were in just southwest of the stadium to our hotel just on the other side of I-30.
Folks trying to get up to and on I-30, or even over to SH-360 — a primary N/S artery in Arlington — were in gridlock.
One driver decided to pretend he was driving a bulldozer and moved two cars out of his way with his front bumper.
I lost sight of him after he turned down a side street with both cars in hot pursuit, one missing its rear fender, the other dragging what was left of its bumper along the pavement.
My colleague Mario Herrera Jr. attended the Lions game there in December. He reports it has only gotten worse.
The last time I drove by the stadium was in late 2021 on a non-event Sunday. Traffic was a nightmare on that day.
I can’t begin to imagine how much worse it is when there is anything happening at AT&T Stadium.
That’s the nightmare the folks up in Kansas City no doubt want to avoid.
Who can blame them?
Easy Access Is A Must
Currently, Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium, are situated well southeast of Kansas City and at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435.
There are multiple ways to easily be on a freeway within minutes from these stadiums and be on your way. The proposed new site – like AT&T Stadium – would be gridlock central.
Longtime Cowboys fans know what the fans up north are dodging.
Texas Stadium was perfectly located within a triangle of land in the middle of three freeways.
Loop 12, Highways 114 and 183 offered numerous options to exit the area and be on your way with minimum delay. Like the current Kansas City stadiums offer.
Dallas Mayor Living In A Dream World
The other interesting bit of news from the failed vote came from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
Johnson took to Twitter/X to lobby the Chiefs to abandon Kansas City for Dallas.
Johnson has been lobbying for a second NFL team to come to Dallas.
Having the Dallas Texans return is a pipe dream that likely will never happen for several reasons.
First, even if the Chiefs packed up and moved south, they could never be the Dallas Texans again because Houston swiped the Texans nickname back in 2002.
The expansion franchise that replaced the Houston Oilers decided to take the state’s former AFL team’s legacy from which to build its own.
At best, since the Chiefs moniker makes no sense in Dallas, the city could take revenge by naming the team the Dallas Oilers.
But that’s not the biggest stumbling block to Johnson’s dream.
The Hunt family isn’t the Davis family
Unlike the Raiders, the Hunts aren’t about to abandon a fan base that has backed them since 1963.
More than likely, Arrowhead will be renovated or the Chiefs will find land across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas to build a new stadium on.
So no, Mayor, the Dallas Texans aren’t coming back home where they played from 1960-62.
And as far as a second NFL team in Dallas is concerned, as long as Jerry Jones is alive, that’s never happening.
The Cowboys are king in Dallas.
They aren’t about to allow a usurper to horn in on their kingdom.
Although it would be amusing to see, especially with the Houston Texans now clearly the best NFL team in Texas with their recent moves.
What exactly would happen if the Chiefs came back? The Cowboys would likely find themselves being the third-best NFL team in Texas.
Come to think of it, that might be what it takes to get the Jones family to get serious about winning again.