MLB commish touts idea of new Kansas City Royals ballpark: ‘It’s the power of baseball’
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred sees the advantages of a proposed new stadium for the Kansas City Royals.
Manfred joined Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick at the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy on Wednesday.
The commissioner detailed the benefits a new stadium could provide across the Kansas City community.
The Royals have settled on two possible locations for a new ballpark — in the East Village, near the downtown loop, or at a North Kansas City site in Clay County.
“I think both of them present the opportunity for entertainment-district development around the ballpark,” Manfred said. “I think in our economic system, because of some of the changes I alluded to before, new facilities provide a ball club with revenue-generation opportunities that simply don’t exist in older footprints.”
The Royals are planning to leave Kauffman Stadium. The facility was constructed in 1973 and is the sixth-oldest MLB ballpark.
Kauffman Stadium has undergone renovations over the years. Sherman alluded to several potential improvements, such as an updated facade.
But he also reiterated his belief that it’s time for a new venue for Royals baseball.
“We acquired this team knowing that we had an old building,” Sherman said Wednesday. … “This will be the most important decision that we would make while we have the privilege of stewarding this franchise.”
The Royals are aiming to have a proposed stadium location finalized by the end of the summer, which is fast approaching. In June, Sherman told reporters that a new stadium could be ready for the 2027 or 2028 season.
Royals ownership has promised more than $1 billion in private investment toward the stadium project, which would include the aforementioned entertainment district around the proposed new ballpark.
For the remainder, a vote would be required in order to secure public financing through tax dollars. The Royals also are proposing an extension of the existing 3/8th-cent sales tax in Jackson County.
Sherman estimated this would provide some $300 million to $350 million each for the Royals and Chiefs.
Manfred said entertainment districts constructed elsewhere have been financial boons for surrounding communities. He said the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals saw increased revenues after each built a new stadium and surrounding entertainment district.
“It’s the power of baseball,” Manfred said. “Eighty-one games changed what that community looks like, all for the better.”
The Royals hope a new stadium will draw more fan interest.
“For a market of this size,” Manfred said, “those opportunities are crucial for today’s game in order to put the ball club in position to be competitive over the long haul.”
The Royals’ proposed stadium is a controversial topic for some fans. But Sherman, too, underscored his belief that a new venue is necessary as the Royals seek to compete with other MLB teams.
“We need a modern ballpark and I don’t think it’s in the right place anymore for where we are today,” Sherman said.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 7:03 PM with the headline "MLB commish touts idea of new Kansas City Royals ballpark: ‘It’s the power of baseball’."