It might be an idle threat, but it’s a threat nonetheless.
If the Chiefs don’t get an extension of the sales tax that would finance a renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, they might leave Kansas City. (The Royals also could relocate.)
During last week’s free-agency free-for-all (that’s my excuse for missing it), Chiefs president Mark Donovan made it clear that, if the upcoming public vote fails, the Chiefs could flee.
“It’s really simple,” Donovan told Kevin Holmes of KSHB.com. “These are not new taxes, and you keep both teams.”
The Chiefs already have mobilized, enlisting players and coach Andy Reid to contribute to a video aimed at getting people to approve the tax. What happens if the April 2 vote fails?
“I know that for us, the Chiefs, we’d have to look at all of our options,” Donovan said.
Would those options include leaving Kansas City?
“I think they’d have to include leaving Kansas City, but our goal here is that we want to stay here,” Donovan said.
Its a stunning admission. But that’s definitely a way to get the voters to vote “yes.” At a minimum, they all know the stakes of not giving Clark Hunt the free money he wants.
Could it happen? Losing the Chiefs? During the heyday of Patrick Mahomes?
It’s not speculation or fan fiction. It’s real; the team’s president said it.
So, basically, that’s a nice football team you have there, Kansas City. It would be a shame if something happens to it.
