Kansas City Royals fans may be singing, “Root, root, root for the home team,” but where is the team’s home?
According to KSHB41, the Royals may be crossing state lines in a search for their new stadium. The Royals are currently located in Kansas City, MO, but a short move could place them on the Kansas side of the city. Earlier this year, the Royals proposed a $2 Billion downtown stadium, with $1 billion being provided by the state’s 3/8 cent sales tax law. Voters rejected the move to extend this sales tax, so now the Royals are looking to Kansas instead.
In their favor is Kansas’s STAR Bond program. The Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds have already been used to fund many major projects in Kansas like the speedway, a children’s park, and a major shopping district. STAR Bonds, if successful, would pay for about 75 percent of the stadium’s construction, and the Royals would take the remaining 25 percent from private donors.
Sports betting is another perceived advantage for the team to cross state lines. Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022. If the Royals do move, they could also implement sportsbooks in the stadium. And, the Royals aren’t the only Missouri-based team interested in this move. The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly also looking to Kansas as a place for their new stadium.
Missouri lawmakers, meanwhile, are desperate to keep the team on their side of the state line. “We are going to do everything we can to keep the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs in the state of Missouri,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
Fans had mixed reactions when they spoke with WIBW 13. Some younger fans were disappointed that there wouldn’t be a new downtown ballpark, but others were in favor of keeping Kaufmann Stadium right where it is, citing the iconic scoreboard.
This season, the Royals are ranked second in the ALC, and their position is competitive among the top teams in the MLB. The coming months should reveal their new stadium destination.
