Kansas City Royals potentially looking at downtown stadium
Could the Kansas City Royals be moving out of Kauffman stadium and heading towards the bright lights of downtown KC?
The Kansas City Royals ushered in their 45th season at Kauffman Stadium — also known as the “K” — in 2017, entering the campaign by 79,611,876 fans having visited one of the “crown jewel ballparks of Major League Baseball”, since its unveiling in 1973.
If you want to catch a game at the historic “K”, you might want to do so quickly, with plans of building a new stadium for the Royals now in preliminary talks, according to Kansas City Manager Troy Schulte who caught up recently with the Kansas City Star:
"Studies are underway, invoices are out, conversations from the County and the team are actually heading in the right way and we are sufficiently in the loop to know that real progress is being achieved."
Early drawings and images of what the (potential) new downtown stadium has been sketched, thanks to architectural firm HOK, obtained by The Kansas City Star, you can view the image here.
There are four potential downtown locations, with two of them being within an arms reach of the downtown basketball arena, The Sprint Center:
- East-side of the Sprint Center.
- West-side of the Sprint Center.
- East Village.
- Northwest corner of 8th and Main Street.
Right now these plans are just a figment of our imagination:
"At this point, it’s nothing more than hopes and dreams and discussions."
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If the proposal is accepted by voters and given the green light, the ball will begin moving quickly. Longtime Royal’s fan Kevin Agee has mixed feelings, weighing in on the pros and cons of a new stadium:
"I think the city being open to options is a good idea. The Royals’ lease comes due in 2031, and a lot will change between now and then. But I like the Truman Sports Complex as it is."
Agee also provided insight on the benefits of building Kauffman and Arrowhead back to back during its early development:
"The genius of Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums dates back to their construction. They were ahead of their time, building unique, open-air facilities in an era when cookie-cutter, multi-use parks like Three Rivers Stadium and Veterans Stadium were the norm. Putting the stadiums in the middle of nowhere off I-70 also contributed to a Kansas City tradition: pregame tailgating. I’d hate to lose that in a downtown location, where expansive parking may not be an option."
The upgrades of both stadiums have highly enhanced each venue while maintaining their uniqueness:
"Then you have the renovations that were approved and done in the late 2000’s. The stadiums are state-of-the-art despite being more than 40 years old."
Is relocating from the “K” a good idea? For some, yes, for most, definitely not. Owners and others who have a large share in business aspects of the Royals will highly benefit from this, due to new advertising, the plush-suites, probable increase in tickets/merchandise/ and connection with downtown KC.
On the flip-side, the overall fan experience and atmosphere will likely diminish, just look at the new Yankee stadium as a prime example. The overall home-field advantage has been stripped, with crowd noise faint due to this suites, allowing opposing teams to get off the hook when venturing into enemy territory with fans being further away. It’s also likely that pricing will go up, which is already a problem that the MLB faces.
Next: MLB Wild Card: Keep at one game or go to best of three?
Agee hits us with this walk-off shot and reminds us of what really matters the most while making this decision: “We’re just ready for the next generation of Royals baseball.”