Are you a hypocrite like me about a new Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City?
As predicted, the drumbeat for a downtown baseball stadium has begun. Maybe we should skip the drama, because business interests will eventually get what they want. They’ll coax The Star into publishing explanations of how a stadium will spur development of bars and restaurants and create a vibrant downtown. They’ll promise to put their own money into the project and make it a win-win for everyone until the public finally approves a sales tax to pay for the stadium. This will be followed by the Chiefs demanding a tax to pay for a dome for Arrowhead Stadium, or some other perk.
It’s probably hypocritical, but I love baseball and football and hope our teams stay here. However, I don’t believe sports stadiums really create much new business, and I’ve seen no unbiased study that says otherwise. (Do you think people don’t already eat and drink at restaurants somewhere in Kansas City before going to games?) But professional sports teams are important to the city’s national and even international stature, and sports are a fun escape from daily life.
We’re all a little hypocritical. Businesspeople think a capital gains tax is evil, but say a tax on your grandma to pay for a stadium is a good partnership. Many think everyone should take personal responsibility and not rely on government handouts — until it comes to paying for sports stadiums.
On the other hand, you can’t blame the team owners and players for making as much money as the system allows. Owners are smart about business, and what they’re doing is legal.
There was a time when it made sense for the Supreme Court to exempt Major League Baseball from antitrust legislation and protect it from competition. Now the rules governing baseball allow a limit the number of teams in the league, and that protects the franchises, which can to move to another city if they don’t get stadiums that maximize their income.
The reality is that major league sports teams own the cities they play in. If the Royals don’t get what they want, they can move, and Kansas City can’t stop it. Same with the Chiefs. Players on the teams also seldom have loyalty to their cities. When their contracts expire, they go where they can make the most money. Think Joe Montana.
We like our teams though, because we like belonging to a tribe. We wear the jersey of a Democrat or a Republican and think the other is evil. We love the Royals. And of course the Raiders stink, no matter what city has paid to house them. You can’t easily overcome these tribal instincts. It’s our nature. And, of course, the Yankees also really do deserve our loathing.
Kansas City taxpayers have contributed hundred of millions of dollars, adjusted for inflation to build, maintain and renovate two stadiums. And did you know that Arrowhead Stadium has around 225,000 square feet of VIP space — roughly equivalent to about 500 tiny houses for the homeless? We could vote for a tax to end homelessness as easily as we could vote to pay for new stadiums. But we won’t. How we spend our money reflects our values.
So, Kansas City, it’s up to you. Do you love the Royals enough to pay for a new stadium? Do you think Arrowhead should have a roof so players and fans won’t get cold during December games? Do you think the homeless should just pull themselves up by the bootstraps? Or are you a hypocrite like me who loves sports but wishes there was a way to change the rules so wealthy sports teams would have to pay their own way?