Chiefs moving to Kansas is better than getting a car-battery plant | Opinion
I’m trying to get excited about the Kansas City Chiefs moving across the state line from Missouri to Kansas.
I mean, here we are, having rooted for a Missouri-based football team for the last however many years, dreaming of the day they might jump the state line and play on Kansas turf.
And now the moment has arrived, with Monday’s announcement that the Chiefs and state government negotiated a plan to jointly construct a $3 billion stadium, plus an additional billion dollars worth of supporting development.
And about the most enthusiasm I can muster is, “Hey! That’s better than a car-battery plant!” (our other $4 billion state investment project).
The funny thing is, I watch NFL football all season and keep up with trades and training camp news in the off season. Not to brag or anything, but I just won the Eagle employee/alumni fantasy football league.
So why am I not all hyped up over finally getting an NFL team in Kansas?
Maybe it’s because I feel like they’ve been here all along. Kansas has always been as much Chiefs Kingdom as anyplace on the Missouri side of the river.
When Monday’s announcement of the Chiefs’ move came down from Topeka, I paused to reflect on the impact that other major developments in Kansas City have had on my life here in Wichita.
Let’s see. I used to take my sons to the Great Wolf Lodge hotel and waterpark about once a year when they were kids (they’re 31 now). And I’ve been to the big Cabela’s up there a couple of times. But now we have one here, albeit somewhat smaller.
I’ve been to NASCAR races at the Kansas Speedway, and soccer games at Children’s Mercy Park and KPKC Stadium a total of — wait while I add this up — never.
And I have a feeling this is going to be about the same.
The last time I felt like I could afford to take my two sons to a game at Arrowhead, Trent Green was the starting quarterback. He’s now 55 years old and in the broadcast booth.
And I think the one thing we can count on is when the Chiefs move to the new stadium, ticket prices aren’t going to be going down.
Back pats all around
There was a lot of back-patting going on around Monday’s announcement, but this comment from Gov. Laura Kelly was the one that really caught my eye.
“With this new stadium, we’re creating thousands of jobs, bringing in tourists from around the world, attracting young people, and most importantly, we’re continuing to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family,” Kelly said.
I was like “Huh?” What the heck does moving a stadium 25 miles across a metro area have to do with raising a family?
Chiefs tickets average above $200 a seat, and frankly, there aren’t that many families in Kansas who can afford to drop more than $800 on an afternoon outing for mom, dad and a couple of kids. And that’s not even counting parking, minimum $57.25.
For those who can afford those kinds of prices, it really wasn’t that much of a hardship to drive to Arrowhead.
And Kansas City, Kan.? Even fewer than average can afford live NFL football. Per capita income in the city is $28,000 a year, according to the US Census.
People who live nearby may be able to pick up a few extra dollars working part-time gigs at the stadium slinging $12 hot dogs and cleaning up the postgame mess in the stands.
But they’ll also pay higher taxes, and get less for their money because sales tax revenues from the stadium and a business district planned around it will be diverted to paying for 60% of the stadium’s estimated $3 billion price tag for the foreseeable future.
Depleted team, but cheaper tickets
Another thing that kind of took the shine off the state’s grand announcement is that the injury-depleted Chiefs are basically trudging toward the finish of what will be their first losing season since 2012.
Chief’s superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury three games ago, and his backup, Gardner Minshew, did likewise last Sunday, leaving the team in the hands of emergency backup quarterback Chris Oladokun.
Note to Trent Green: You might want to keep your phone handy for the next week or so. After all, the Indianapolis Colts, who have suffered similar losses at the quarterback position, just called up 44-year-old granddad Philip Rivers to lead their team after five years on the couch.
If anything happens to Chris Oladokun, you could be the next man up!
This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM.
