Kansas City has a pretty important sales tax hike vote (bi-state, I am guessing) coming up soon. Not only will they get a Super Bowl if it passes, but MLB just announced that they will get an All-Star game too.
I haven’t followed the sales tax proposal at all, but I feel like passing it is a bad idea (remember, I don’t know what I am talking about). I really liked the idea from a year or two ago of having a downtown ballpark. I like Kauffman Stadium, but overlooking I-70, isn’t quite as cool as being downtown.
If I have to guess, I think it will pass. Only because of the Super Bowl, though. I don’t think that anyone really cares about the All-Star game. If they could figure out someway to tie-in the Speeday, maybe get another big NASCAR race, then it would pass for sure.
you are on a roll tonight! these are good posts!
The truth is that even if the proposals don’t pass, they’ll figure out a way to make it work. This proposal doesn’t make a ton of sense and there is some sharp division here in KC (particularly on talk radio) about what is the best course of action for the city.
I think that everyone would really like to have a Super Bowl here, but you’re right. No one cares about the All-Star Game. And in truth, I doubt we would actually ever get one because no one would want to go to Kauffman. Even though it is a spectacular ballpark, there’s nothing around it (although the same could be said for downtown).
I think that the Chiefs actually WANT the lease to default so they can go across the state line to Wyandotte County and get a new stadium paid for by the citizens of Wyandotte and Johnson counties with some sweet tax breaks like the Speedway received.
We will see how it plays out.
on the billboards, they are making it seem as though we are going to “lose the teams” if it doesn’t pass. like they would actually have the guts to pack up and leave arrowhead – home to (arguably) the best nfl fans in the nation. i can’t really even see it happening to the royals. i mean, for a team that has had only one .500+ season since 1995, they have a pretty solid fanbase as well.
the problem with a downtown stadium pretty much boils down to traffic, i think. there isn’t much to do down there now, but it seems like things are picking up with the sprint center, h&r block headquarters, LOTS of new condos/lofts, etc.
is it just me, or is does the whole nebraska furniture mart/speedway/cabela’s area seem oddly-located? does the trip take less than 30 minutes for ANYONE? driving by, it’s like “fields, fields, fields, huge racecar track, fields, fields, colorado”.
Have you used your bottle opener on Coke yet?!!!
i agree with you, a special tax shouldn’t be used to support a sports team. Taxes should be for the social good. I see sports as entertainment. Let’s put the money into our schools!