PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s later than when the Chiefs first envisioned, but team owner Clark Hunt is now targeting this summer to decide whether to renovate Arrowhead Stadium or build a new facility.

The NFL team has been actively evaluating its options after Jackson County, Mo., voters last year strongly rejected a proposed sales tax measure to support renovations at Arrowhead Stadium, as well as a new ballpark for MLB’s Royals. The Chiefs originally had targeted early this year to make a final choice on the team’s stadium future. 

“We’re having good conversations, and both options are still very much in play,” Hunt told Front Office Sports. “I’m hopeful that we’ll have some news to announce there by summer at the latest.”

The team’s deliberations have three facets, as beyond the potential of upgrading Arrowhead Stadium, there is interest from both Missouri and Kansas about building a new facility.

Two factors came up strongly in recent fan polling conducted by the team and research firm CSL International: a loud environment and the ability to tailgate. Both are already present at Arrowhead Stadium, which would seemingly support the renovation option, but Hunt said those factors would be strongly prioritized in a new stadium, too.  

A dome on a new facility remains in active consideration as it would allow Kansas City to bid for major events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, and the College Football Playoff. 

The Chiefs’ current lease at Arrowhead Stadium expires in 2031.

America’s Team

The Chiefs are now the NFL’s top television draw, a status burnished by five Super Bowl trips and three titles since 2019, as well as the magnetism of stars such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. In toppling the Cowboys, the prior and longtime fan favorite, it’s a status that Hunt eagerly embraces. 

“Our goal is to be the world’s team, and that starts with being one of the top teams here in the United States,” Hunt said. “It’s a credit to our players, some of the personalities that we have on the team, certainly the success we’ve had over the last six years. We also have some very special fans that help drive those numbers.”

No Redo for Mahomes

The NFL quarterback market is now in a rapid reconstruction, particularly regarding overall compensation and annual guarantees. One of the most successful and longest-tenured signal-callers, Mahomes would seemingly be in line for another renegotiation to escalate his contract. At one time, Mahomes held a North American pro sports record, but he is now tied as just the 13th-highest-paid quarterback. 

Instead, Mahomes has restructured his deal, in part to help give the Chiefs more salary-cap room and retain other stars. 

“A little over a year ago, we upgraded his deal within the confines of his original 10-year extension, and that really put in place a system that I don’t see changing for several years,” Hunt said. 

Read the full story from FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher.

The SEC will receive an estimated $70 million from “units” due to its success in the men’s March Madness tournament. It’s a record payout for any conference. A unit, worth approximately $2 million, is earned by qualifying for the Big Dance and then for each win in the tournament up to the Final Four. 

While no units are earned from making the national championship, the SEC is assured a participant in the title game as Florida and Auburn face off in the Final Four.

The Big Ten finished in second with $42 million from 21 units, but the conference does not have a Final Four representative. The Big 12’s Houston will battle the ACC’s Duke in the other Final Four game.

SEATTLE — A massive storage closet sits four stories beneath Seattle Kraken owner Samantha Holloway’s suite. Located in the bowels of Climate Pledge Arena, where the Kraken play, its contents are nothing special: chairs, tables, and assorted objects the arena needs to store. 

What’s atypical is the name on the plaque outside the door: NBA Locker Room. Holloway wants to make that title a reality. 

This was part of the plan for the ownership group of one of NHL’s youngest franchises, led by Holloway’s father, the late billionaire David Bonderman, who died in December, and movie executive Jerry Bruckheimer. When they brought pro hockey to Seattle in 2017, they also brought their vision for pro basketball. 

Holloway—one of only three female owners in the NHL—has run the team for the past three years. Now, she’s not only focused on guiding the nascent Kraken franchise but also filling the void left when the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. 

The SuperSonics are one of the most famous teams to pull up stakes in modern sports history, right alongside the Brooklyn Dodgers and Hartford Whalers. Plans to bring the team back in the 17 years since it left have fluctuated, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has flip-flopped in recent years over his appetite for expansion. On Thursday, Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said the two sides will begin to explore a new European league together as partners, but there were “no new developments” on NBA expansion. 

Holloway, who hails from Washington, D.C., has a lot to manage in her day-to-day with the Kraken. But she’s also constantly keeping an ear to NBA expansion talks. She’s ready to act if Silver gives it the green light—but knows she needs to be careful not to overpromise, lest she underdeliver. 

“[My dad] said to somebody, ‘You know, I make no promises,’” Holloway tells Front Office Sports about reviving the Sonics. “And I feel like I certainly wouldn’t promise. There are so many unknowns, and I mean, first of all, it’s a privilege to even be considered. We’re waiting for the NBA and expansion may be on its radar, and it may not be.”

You can read the rest of Alex Schiffer’s story on Samatha Holloway’s efforts to bring basketball back to Seattle here.