• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Join us May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own Register Now

Chiefs’ President Threatens Team Could Leave Kansas City If Voters Don’t Give It Money

  • The Chiefs could explore leaving town, claims Mark Donovan, if a sales tax to fund stadium renovations doesn’t pass April 2.
  • Tales of how cheap the Super Bowl champions’ ownership is have dominated the offseason.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Could a dynasty be on the move? 

Chiefs president Mark Donovan didn’t rule it out during an interview on local television in which he advocated for voters to raise a regional sales tax and give his business the proceeds. 

Appearing on KSHB 41 in Kansas City, Donovan was asked about an April 2 vote to extend a sales tax of ⅜ cents through 2064 to fund a new Royals ballpark downtown and improvements to Arrowhead Stadium. According to the station, the team wants to add a canopy to its upper deck, fans and heating, a parking deck, and a bridge to connect the upper concourse, among other upgrades. The team says the upgrades would cost an estimated $800 million. 

The Hunt family, the team’s longtime owners, would like to contribute just $300 million to those renovations despite being worth an estimated $25 billion. Asked about taxpayers having to fund the improvements, Donovan said the ballot vote is an extension of existing taxes rather than a new one. That’s where he shifted his tone on the ramifications for the Chiefs and Royals should it not pass. 

“I can’t answer that for the Royals,” Donovan said. “I just know for us, the Chiefs, we would just have to look at all our options.”

“I think they would have to include leaving Kansas City,” Donovan responded in a follow-up question. “But our goal here is, we want to stay here. And we’re willing to accept a deal for the county to actually stay here.”

Following the team’s second consecutive Super Bowl title, the Chiefs’ offseason has been dominated by tales of their cheapness. Clark Hunt, the team’s chairman and CEO, placed 31st in an NFL Players Association poll out of 32 owners, getting an F- mark. In the poll, players said the team’s facilities, mainly the locker room and training room, are out-of-date. According to the poll, Hunt supposedly promised renovations after the 2022 season but then failed to deliver—outside of adding chairs by the players’ lockers.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the basketball as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center.

Jared Kushner’s Brother Bought Small Stake in Miami Heat Last Year

Kushner reportedly sold his Grizzlies stake to buy an interest in the Heat.
Curry

Brady, Curry, Ohtani Get Most Claims Dropped in FTX Endorser Suit

The judge did call the endorsers “uninformed, negligent, or even reckless.”
Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Actor and filmmaker Spike Lee (l) greets former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the game between the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

‘Friends of the Garden’: Inside the NBA’s Most Exclusive Celebrity Suite

“Among the titans of industry, deals are done at Suite 200.”

Featured Today

Apr 18, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal vs Grand Canyon University Antelopes during the MPSF Men's Volleyball Championship at Galen Center.

‘What Just Happened’: Inside the Abrupt End of Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball

Inside Grand Canyon’s shocking decision to cut men’s volleyball.
exclusive
May 9, 2025

Shams Charania on Draft, Breaking Dončić Trade, ‘Whirlwind’ ESPN Tenure

Charania will work on his first NBA draft lottery for ESPN on Monday.
Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.
May 7, 2025

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

YouTube golf is big business. The rival tours are staging formal events.
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
May 6, 2025

Before the Villanova Knicks, There Were the Kentucky Celtics

Three decades ago, Boston tried its own version of the college-teammate experiment.

The Former NBA Agent Who Became a Pickleball Deputy Commissioner

Chris Patrick went from representing Jimmy Butler to pickleball deputy commissioner.
March 13, 2025

Junior Bridgeman Was the Prototype for Business Success After Sports

He started with Wendy’s franchises, later expanding into bottling, magazines, and more.
July 9, 2009; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars during the press conference to introduce their new head coach John Kuester at their practice facility.
April 14, 2025

Joe Dumars Leaving NBA League Office to Run Pelicans

Joe Dumars was the architect of the 2004 champion Pistons.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; A$AP Rocky on the sideline after halftime during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.
February 27, 2025

A$AP Rocky Could Be Latest Celebrity Owner in English Soccer

Following his acquittal, the rapper is closer to owning Tranmere Rovers.
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center.
February 14, 2025

Here’s Where Pat Riley’s Three-Peat Trademark Money Goes

Riley has the phrase trademarked despite having no three-peat of his own.
Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters (L) talks with Commanders owner Josh Harris (R) on the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Northwest Stadium.
December 4, 2024

CEO Leaves $13 Billion Soup Company to Run Commanders

The new president will lead the planning and development of the team’s stadium.
LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan after the final round of golf during the CME Group Tour Championship at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., Sunday, November 19, 2023.
December 2, 2024

LPGA Commissioner Leaving After Brief Up-and-Down Tenure

Mollie Marcoux Samaan was hired in 2021.