The National Football League is a multibillion-dollar enterprise that has gotten addicted to local tax dollars to increase their profits.
But the voters of Kansas City may force them to change their business model because many of them are tired of paying for the privilege of having an NFL team in their city.
In two weeks, the voters of Kansas City may decide the future of, not only the Chiefs, but also the direction of the NFL, which is making the league nervous.
The NFL hasn’t changed much over the generations
Even the biggest organizations collapse over time.
Just think about Blockbuster.
Back in the 1990s and the early 2000s, everyone thought it was a revolutionary business model to allow people to rent VHS tapes and even DVDs when they came out.
And Blockbuster was leading the industry in movie rentals with over 9,000 stores at its height.
Blockbuster was one of the biggest businesses in the United States and considered one of the best business models in the nation.
Now look at Blockbuster now with its one store left open in Bend, Oregon.
Well, there were times when people thought the NFL wasn’t going to make it as a business.
Many thought the NFL would collapse when it merged with the AFC in the 1970s, but the league got stronger.
Then, many people thought the NFL wouldn’t be able to survive and remain the dominant sports league in football when the United States Football League formed in the mid-1980s in response to some of the changes that was taking some of the fun out of the sport.
But the NFL adapted and the USFL is mostly forgotten.
Many have forgotten that the AFC/NFL merger almost destroyed the sport, but one of its legacies was the Kansas City Chiefs which came from the AFC.
The Chiefs were one of the founding members of the AFC and Lamar Hunt, the founder of the team whose family still runs the franchise, was a key player in the merger of the NFL with the AFL.
Kansas City Chiefs have been in Kansas City, Missouri since 1963 and have become one of the dominant NFL franchises.
NFL in Ballparks
Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, ca 1970 – I suspect this is from epic 1971 AFC playoff game btwn Chiefs & Dolphins. Ballpark was built for minor league KC Blues in 1923, it was called Muehlebach Field and also home to Negro League legendary team the Monarchs pic.twitter.com/WqeJQXMJK3
— Old-Time Baseball Photos (@OTBaseballPhoto) January 12, 2020
But it looks like their 60 plus year legacy in the Paris of the Plains may be coming to an end if one vote doesn’t go the franchise’s way.
No tax, no Chiefs?
Recently, the Chiefs revealed a plan to modernize Arrowhead Stadium but putting in place 800 million dollars in renovations.
But of the 800 million dollars needed for their future renovations, the Chiefs will only cover 300 million dollars as they expect the city to cover the other 500 million dollars through a city tax that goes directly to professional sports teams in Kansas City.
The three-eighth of a cent sales tax is already in place and will continue till 2031.
But city residents will be going out on April 2nd and voting on whether to extend the tax through 2064.
Shockingly, the tax is facing stronger than expected resistance from members of the community.
And with the pressure mounting, the Chiefs just warned the city on what the plans are if the tax isn’t extended.
Chiefs president, Mark Donovan, was asked by the local press what is the franchise’s plan if the tax fails to pass and Donovan responded, “I think they would have to include leaving Kansas City.”
He continued by adding, “Our goal here is, we want to stay here. And we’re willing to accept a deal for the county to actually stay here.”
Chiefs president Mark Donovan claims the team could explore leaving town if a sales tax to fund stadium renovations doesn’t pass April 2nd.
The Hunt family would like to contribute just $300 million to those $800 million renovations despite being worth an estimated $25 billion.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 14, 2024
Time will tell if the tax passes but the NFL may look a lot different a few years down the road if the Chiefs don’t get a whopping 500 million dollars from Kansas City.
