Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Council passed a financing package that moved the Royals’ stadium development forward in a big way. The deal will tap 30 years of tax growth to repay the costs of construction, to the tune of $1.4 billion. Economists say it's deeply flawed.

Team officials say groundbreaking on the $2 billion stadium could take place in the middle of 2027. The Crown Center ballpark would be designed to bring fans closer to the action than at Kauffman Stadium.

A key part of Kansas City’s financing for a new downtown ballpark relies on evidence of blight in one of the city’s top tourist areas. Critics of the tax incentive say the deal ignores blight in underserved neighborhoods and saps future city funds that could be used to address it.

Kansas City staff used a graphic of a rack of ribs to show how increased tax revenues from a "stadium impact area" could help pay Kansas City's share of construction costs. Economics and public policy experts say it's flawed logic: "These are magic ribs."

One part of City Council's financing plan authorizes $615 million in bonds to fund the future stadium in Crown Center. Another creates a "stadium impact area," where certain future tax revenue increases will be redirected to pay off the debt.

Kansas City Council could redirect certain tax dollars from parking spaces, Westside restaurants, energy companies, and more for the next 30 years to help pay for a new Royals ballpark in Crown Center. The council's finance committee advanced the ordinance on Tuesday.

The Truman Sports Complex Redevelopment Task Force, a group convened by County Executive Phil LeVota to imagine a future for the area after the teams leave, released a report with many reuse ideas. The path to accomplish them is more tricky.

A new financial report says the proposed Royals stadium in Crown Center could generate about $1.4 billion in total tax revenue over 30 years. Economists have thrown cold water on similar estimates, though, as new stadiums rarely deliver on their promised economic benefits to cities.

The workers’ rights group who brought forward the petition to have citizens vote say a “for” vote will force city leaders to put the planned Royals stadium in front of voters. The mayor disagrees.

The Kansas City Royals celebrated Denny Matthews’ 8,000th game behind the mic during last week’s matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. An inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Matthews has been "the voice of the Royals" since the team first began 57 years ago.

Kansas City's plan to pay back the $600 million it will borrow for or spend on the Royals stadium at Crown Center relies on tax revenue that wouldn’t exist without the new ballpark.

Passed during a special session of the Missouri legislature in 2025, the law allows the state to help pay for new stadiums or renovations for professional teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.