Chiefs Make Mistakes And Lose Kansas City Stadium Vote As Terrible Week Continues

It's been a terrible week for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The latest fail for the team came Tuesday evening when voters in Jackson County, Missouri rejected a 40-year extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax, the funds from which would have been used to build a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals and refurbish the current Arrowhead Stadium site for the Chiefs.

The issue lost 58.1 percent to 41.9 percent. So, by usual voting standards, this was a blowout. A 17-point loss isn't great in the NFL, either.

KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 13: A Kansas City Chiefs fan bundles up to stay warm during an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan 13, 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Chiefs Made Mistakes Before Vote

It's obviously not a loss the Chiefs would have expected coming off consecutive Super Bowl victories and three championships in five years. The Chiefs thought they had a reservoir of goodwill within the community from which they could draw.

But they made some terrible mistakes they simply could not overcome:

The first was to tie themselves to the Royals. 

For the uninitiated, the Royals stink. And they brought major missteps to the process.

The Royals were good a decade or so ago, when they won the 2015 World Series. And since that time, they have failed to get over .500 with lineups that seem more concerned with lowering salaries than raising batting averages.

So why would voters pony up for a club that for a decade has been basically telling everyone, "We're bad because we're saving money?"

The Royals also mismanaged the process by offering not one, not two, but three stadium plans – the latest of which was presented in February and initially ran afoul of Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas.

Yeah, messy.

KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 13: A general view of a Chiefs Kingdom Travis Kelce sign outside of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium before an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan 13, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Why Give Billionaires Millions To Build Stadiums?

The second problem for the Chiefs is people simply don't love funding houses for billionaires. The Chiefs were hoping to use the tax extension to fund an $800 million upgrade to Arrowhead Stadium.

And then this: The Chiefs, one of the original clubs in the old AFL and riding a longstanding tradition for representing Kansas City, are basically viewed as hostages.

They're not moving to St. Louis. They haven't floated the possibility of moving a little west across the state line to Kansas, where municipalities there might be willing to fund a stadium – a brand new one – for the club.

(Quick reminder: The New York Jets and New York Giants play and are headquartered in New Jersey). 

So taxpayers saw no risk in voting against the sales tax extension.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan might have been suggesting that moving will soon be on the table after the current lease expires. He did that after the loss when he said the Chiefs would do "what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward."

This loss comes on the heels of the Chiefs monitoring the drama caused by receiver Rashee Rice, who was involved in a major traffic accident in Dallas while racing and allegedly fled the scene.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Logan Ryan (33) tackles Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Important If Rice Driving Or Not

Authorities are trying to determine if Rice was driving or not. If he was driving, leaving the scene is against Texas law. If he was a passenger, Rice would likely not be subject to punishment under Texas law for leaving the scene.

Either way, the NFL is monitoring the incident as it falls under the NFL personnel conduct policy. Rice faces personnel conduct policy scrutiny for this incident regardless of its outcome, a source told OutKick.

What does this all mean?

The Chiefs might need to adjust their draft plans to include a possible replacement for Rice in the short-term. They already added Hollywood Brown earlier this offseason but that was intended to be a move in addition to having Rice.

Now they might need to make a move in case Rice is suspended.

So, yeah, bad week for the Chiefs so far.