At the Downtown Council of Kansas City's annual luncheon last week, a panel of sports and entertainment executives were introduced as if they were taking the court by Eric Danielson, director of business development at CRB and the public address announcer at Allen Fieldhouse.
Mark Donovan, team president, Kansas City Chiefs; Angie Long, co-founder and co-owner, Kansas City Current; Kathy Nelson, president and CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC; Jake Reid, president and CEO, Sporting Kansas City; and Brooks Sherman, senior vice president and COO, Kansas City Royals, joined moderator Shani Tate Ross, vice president, sales and marketing, T-Mobile Center, to discuss the impact of sports on Downtown and the community.
A reoccurring theme of the discussion was the importance of community and building partnerships.
“Community is our team. You don’t exist without that,” said Reid.
Much of the discussion centered on what the Royals and Chiefs might do regarding their current facilities at the Truman Sports Complex when their respective leases expire in 2031.
The Royals are exploring moving their stadium downtown, and Sherman said such a move would benefit the community.
“We continue our evaluation of the possibility, perhaps the option, of moving Downtown. We think baseball belongs Downtown. . . . We think it just benefits the community. And, that’s first for us. It has to benefit the entire community and perhaps even particularly those more under-represented, underserved,” said Sherman.
Donavan said the Chiefs are working closely with Royals.
“We do appreciate the fact that the Chiefs and the Royals are out there together. The collaboration is great and we think there is a way that we work together here to get to what is best for Kansas City,” said Sherman.
“This is not a Chiefs’ statement. This is a Mark Donovan statement. Baseball downtown is where it belongs,” Donovan said.
And, as the Royals evaluate their venue options, the Chiefs are evaluating theirs. Donovan said any such decision is going to affect the Chiefs franchise and team for the next 50 years.
“Clark [Hunt] sat down with a bunch of us a few weeks ago and said, ‘Just so everybody in this room knows, the people in this room are making the biggest decision in the history of our franchise. Don’t screw it up’,” Donovan said.
“There’s a responsibility with that and there’s an opportunity with that. And I would just tell everyone that we’ve got a long way to go. There’s a lot of work to be done. There’s a lot of analysis,” said Donovan.
Donovan said the Chiefs currently are conducting a $500,000 study to determine what improvements need to be made to Arrowhead Stadium to get it to 2031.
“And then once we’ve done that study, what could we add to this building to take it 50 more years? And is that even possible? And what’s it going to cost? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages,” said Donovan.
“And then we’ve got to do the study on what would it be like to build new and then you have to look at where else could you build. So all those are on the table,” Donovan said.
Donovan said the Chiefs have a long way to go in their evaluation process.
“So the perspective I want to give everybody is ‘take a breath’,” said Donovan.
Nelson shared what is on the horizon next year when the new KCI Airport terminal opens. Kansas City will host the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) men’s and women’s basketball championships, the Big 12 Conference men’s and women’s basketball championships, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Midwest regionals, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) men’s basketball championships, the national convention of the Sports Events & Tourism Association, and a few days later, the NFL Draft, which will be the largest event ever hosted in Kansas City.
While Kansas City awaits word of whether it will be awarded the World Cup in 2026, soccer continues to grow in Kansas City. And, Kansas City soon will be home to the first facility in North America dedicated to women’s soccer.
“Kansas City is the greatest soccer city in the U.S. It didn’t have a women’s team. It was a really easy decision. When we look at it from an international landscape, the stadium has been huge news,” said Long.
Reid and Sherman both said technology and fan experience in sports facilities and venues are important now and will be in the future.
Tate Ross asked what makes Kansas City special for sports and entertainment. She said Kansas City fans are knowledgeable, caring, enthusiastic and passionate.
Nelson said Kansas City is special because the community shows up.
Reid said it’s loyalty that makes the city special.
“We’re not a bandwagon group. We don’t show up just when times are good. We always talk about that Midwest chip on your shoulder. I think there’s a pride factor for Kansas City versus the world, and I think that shows up in the loyalty and passion from the fan base,” he said.
“Last year walking into our stadium and seeing thousands and thousands of fans, all decked out in all of our (KC Current) team gear, and we didn’t even exist a few months before that. That’s Kansas City,” said Long.
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Feature photo: MWM KC | Marcia Charney