The future of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals were thrown into question after voting was done for funding for stadium renovation for the Chiefs and a new stadium for the Royals.
Unfortunately, the voting outcome wasn’t positive, making the future of both teams uncertain. However, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson responded to this serious situation with a witty response.
Stadium renovation vote loss left chiefs future in uncertainty
A ballot measure that could have helped the Chiefs, who recently signed a former Rugby player and the Royals have better stadiums has made their future in Kansas City uncertain.
On Tuesday, the voting was done to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax for 40 years to help cover a proposed $1.3 billion stadium for the Royals and an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead. However, the voting failed drastically, with 56,606 voting yes and 78,352 voting no.
Jackson County voters weren’t in favor of this sales tax extension to fund stadium projects for both teams. This failure to vote means that the chances of both teams staying in the County have also been decreased.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas released a statement after this voting outcome.
“Over the months ahead, I look forward to working with the Chiefs and the Royals to build a stronger, more open, and collaborative process that will ensure the teams, their events and investments remain in Kansas City for generations to come.”
However, the Chiefs’ president, Mark Donovan, had already threatened that if this vote failed, the team would leave. Whether it was a mere threat to get the votes or he was true about his claim, now the team’s future in the County is uncertain.
After the voting outcomes were announced, the team’s president expressed remorse and acknowledged they were going to take a step that would work best for them.
Eric Johnson’s witty response to Chiefs stadium vote loss
After the stadium renovation failure, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson posted a witty tweet. But it could also be interpreted as a possibility of the Chiefs moving to Dallas.
On Tuesday night, the mayor posted a link about voters rejecting the Chiefs’ proposed stadium renovations. Along with the link he wrote in the caption,
“Welcome home, Dallas Texans!,” followed by a smiling emoji and “#CottonBowl.”
After Johnson’s tweet, Davis Mark, a news commentator stated that the mayor already told him about a new team coming to Dallas.
“The mayor told me some months ago that a second NFL team was on his list of goals. Didn’t expect this might be one prospect, as #KansasCity voters refuse #Chiefs stadium improvements.”
Interestingly, the Chiefs, whose owner is ranked worst in the NFL were originally formed as the Dallas Texans in 1960. The team played in the American Football League and the Dallas Cowboys played in the NFL. The teams shared the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, but the Texans ultimately decided to move to Kansas City, becoming the Kansas City Chiefs.
Eric Johnson always wanted a second team coming to North Texas. He even talked about this possibility two years ago, but things couldn’t work out at that time. Now that the Chiefs have failed to get renovation approval, they might consider moving to a new place and Eric Johnson is already excited to welcome them back in Dallas.
