sport news Chiefs star Charles Omenihu reacts to news the Super Bowl winners could LEAVE ... trends now
Could the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs relocate to a new city by 2031? What about Major League Baseball's Royals?
The possibility is dawning on both players and fans this week after Jackson County, Missouri residents voted down a sales tax measure that would have funded renovations to the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and a new downtown ballpark for the Royals.
'Smh,' Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu wrote on X om response to the news.
An NFL franchise has not moved since the Oakland Raiders left the Bay for a second time to relocate to Las Vegas. Similarly, MLB's Oakland Athletics have been granted league approval to begin moving to Sin City, but those plans have yet to be finalized.
Of course, the Raiders were embarking on a 4-12 season when they announced their move to Vegas in 2017 and the Athletics are historically bad, even by their own standards. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have won three of the last five titles in America's most popular sport, while the improving Royals boast one of the game's brightest young talents in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
An aerial file image of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu reacted to the news with just three letters
Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu is among many who are fearful about the team's future
But despite ostensibly bright futures for the Chiefs and Royals, the stadium tax proposal never stood a chance.
Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the final tally that the initiative would fail. More than 58 percent of voters ultimately rejected the plan, which would have replaced an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Truman Sports Complex — the home for more than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums — with a similar tax that would have been in place for the next 40 years.
The Royals, who had pledged at least $1 billion from ownership for their project, wanted to use their share of the tax revenue to help fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district. The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who had committed $300 million in private money, would have used their share as part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium.
'We're deeply disappointed as we are steadfast in our belief that Jackson County is better with the Chiefs and the Royals,' said Sherman, who left without taking questions. 'As someone whose roots run deep in this town, who has been a dedicated fan and season-ticket holder for both of these teams, and now leading a remarkable ownership group.'
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (left) with Patrick Mahomes, one of the team's minority owners
Kansas City Missouri mayor Quenton Lucas believes the plan was flawed from the start
Donovan said the Chiefs would do 'what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.'
That could mean many things: The Chiefs could try again with a reworked plan more agreeable to voters, change their entire funding approach to include more private investment, or they could even listen to offers from competing cities and states — such as Kansas, just across the state line to the west — that would provide the public funding they desire.
'We've been talking a lot about the democratic process. We respect the process,' Donovan said. 'We feel we put forth the best offer for Jackson County. We're ready to extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with this county.'
