Fears over Arrowhead becoming an abandoned ‘white elephant’ stadium has led to the possibility that it could be demolished after the Kansas City Chiefs leave in 2030.
Last week, the team announced the bombshell decision to leave Missouri – and therefore its iconic Arrowhead home – to build a new $3 billion stadium across the border in Kansas in time for the 2031 season.
That has led to much speculation over what will happen to one of the best stadiums in the NFL when the Chiefs leave – and it could even be knocked down for good.
Front Office Sports reports that the final decision will ultimately come down to the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, who owns the stadium.
In an interview with KCMO last week, Missouri House majority leader Jonathan Patterson opened up on the costs for both options, claiming that it will cost $150 million to demolish the stadium, or $20m a year to maintain it in its current form.
Meanwhile, Patrick Tuohey – senior fellow at the Show-Me Institute – shared his concerns with Front Office Sports about Arrowhead becoming a relic, which could mean the county opt to knock it down and avoid any long-term headaches.
‘My fear is that it’ll be like the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis,’ Tuohey said, referencing the former home of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, who moved to LA after the 2015 season.
It still hosts concerts, but has been hampered by financial issues and reportedly needs $155m to be paid in repairs and maintenance over the next 10 years. It has been claimed that the St. Louis Regional Sports Authority only has $88m in cash, leaving it $67m short.
It also remains to be seen whether legislation will be filed that attempts to put the Chiefs on the hook for some of the costs for upkeep or demolition of Arrowhead after the team leaves for its new home.
‘It’s unbelievable what it costs to demolish those things,’ Patterson said last week.
Meanwhile, prominent Democrat and Congressman Brendan Boyle launched a blistering attack on Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, branding him a ‘welfare king’ over the decision to leave Arrowhead.
The Chiefs, who moved into Arrowhead in 1972, will also build a new team headquarters and training facility in Olathe, Kansas, ready in 2031.
Chiefs CEO Hunt announced that, as a result of the agreement, the team will relocate across the Missouri River to a ‘state-of-the-art’ facility in Wyandotte County.
Hunt hailed the move as a ‘momentous step for the franchise’, however U.S. Representative Boyle did not agree and, instead, offered a brutal analysis.
Taking to X on Boxing Day, he wrote: ‘Clark Hunt: the biggest Welfare King in America. Billions of taxpayer money going to this billionaire, while working people suffer. Just a disgrace’.
According to the Chiefs’ press release, the project is slated to deliver over 20,000 jobs to Kansas and will have an estimated economic impact at around $4.4 billion.
However, Boyle took issue with the funding behind the project. It will be funded through a public-private partnership – with the public portion accounting for 60 percent of the funding.
Meanwhile, the Hunt family, owners of the franchise, have also committed to $1 billion in additional development.
Similarly to Boyle, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who was informed of the move by team president Mark Donovan, called the day a ‘setback as a Kansas Citian’.
‘We are professionals and understand the Chiefs have a business to run and today made a business decision,’ Lucas admitted according to KCTV.
‘Business decisions are a reality, and we all understand that, but Arrowhead Stadium is more – it’s family, tradition, and a part of Kansas City we will never leave’.
The Mayor revealed that Jackson County, the City, and the State of Missouri had organized a massive $1.5 billion package that he described as ‘compelling for team officials and responsible for taxpayers’.
Despite the lucrative offer, the Chiefs still decided to leave their iconic home stadium.