Voters in Jackson County, Mo., delivered a stinging rebuke Tuesday of a proposed sales tax measure to fund a new ballpark for the Royals and improvements to the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium, leaving the long-term future of both teams in the jurisdiction very much in question.

In an issue that had already sharply divided the Kansas City area, voters turned down by a whopping 58%-42% margin a proposal that would have created a new ⅜-cent sales tax mechanism over 40 years to generate as much as $2 billion. That money, in turn, was aimed at supporting the Royals on recently announced stadium plans for a site near downtown and the helping the Chiefs conduct a large-scale upgrade to what is now the NFL’s third-oldest stadium behind Chicago’s Soldier Field and Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. 

Instead, those facility plans are now very much in doubt. 

Prior to the decisive vote, the Chiefs and Royals openly said that they would “explore all options for where we will play come 2031,” when the teams’ current stadium leases expire, should a “No” vote prevail. Chiefs president Mark Donovan then doubled down on that notion.

The teams’ next steps have not been disclosed. But initial fallback options could include pursuing their stadium plans in nearby jurisdictions such as Clay County, Mo.—where the Royals previously considered building—or Johnson County, Kan. Still, such a shift elsewhere in the Kansas City metro area will be jarring as both the Chiefs and Royals have been at the Truman Sports Complex for more than a half-century. If the Royals still pursue their new ballpark at the city’s Crossroads neighborhood, it almost certainly will not be in line with the original targeted opening in 2028.

“We are deeply disappointed,” Royals owner John Sherman said following the vote. “We will take some time to reflect on and process the outcome and find a path forward that works for the Royals and our fans.” Donovan added that the Chiefs will “look to do what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”

The Kansas City stadiums issue served as a new flash point in a long-running debate on the wisdom of supplying taxpayer funds to wealthy owners of privately held teams. Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were among those appearing in ads in favor of the new tax measure, while Jackson County executive Frank White, also a former Royals star, opposed it. 

D.C. Approval

The Washington, D.C., council unanimously approved, as expected, $515 million in funding over the next three years to improve Capital One Arena, solidifying a remarkable turnabout for the Wizards and Capitals in which parent organization Monumental Sports & Entertainment walked away from a proposed $2 billion development deal in Virginia to stay at its current site.

Earlier this week, MSE chair Ted Leonsis said on the Front Office Sports Today podcast that D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser “overcame, in an integrated way, all of our objections, and so it just felt natural to get there” on a deal. A final term sheet will now be developed over the next 45 days. 

“Now, we will roll up our sleeves to reimagine a sports and entertainment experience that this region will call home for the next generation,” MSE said. 

The MLB Players Association appears to have survived its recent leadership crisis, at least for now, but a newly released annual report shows an organization still in the midst of significant transformation. 

More than a week after the union became enveloped in an accelerating executive struggle—in which a group of players pushed to oust deputy director Bruce Meyer and replace him with Harry Marino, a former MLBPA lawyer who was instrumental in the recent unionization of minor league players—no senior-level changes have been made. Momentum behind a potential shift has also faded since the union’s executive subcommittee, a group of eight among the MLBPA’s 72-player board—issued a statement in late March that appears to reject Marino. 

The union’s annual financial report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, meanwhile, reflects a series of sizable changes that players will likely continue to grapple with in the coming years. Among the notable elements in the document:

• Executive director Tony Clark (above) received $4.29 million in total compensation for 2023, nearly twice the comparable $2.28 million for the year before. Clark’s base salary last year increased to $3.25 million following a new contract signed in late ’22, and he then received a $1 million bonus following the completion of the latest labor deal with MLB. 
• The union last year showed a 38% surge in licensing income compared to 2022 to $152.1 million, accelerating a multiyear growth trend in what remains by far the union’s leading source of revenue. Trading card manufacturer Topps led the way with $49.6 million in payments, up from nearly $46 million a year ago, followed by Fanatics ($44 million), OneTeam Partners ($28.6 million), and Panini ($10.2 million). 
• Overall revenue for the year stood at $173.3 million, up 6%.
• Total MLBPA assets similarly rose by 39% to $206.6 million, boosted in part by an escalation in the value of investments held by the union.

Part of the Marino push to assume power within the union was his belief, and that of his supporters, that there is excess to be cut in MLBPA operations. Overall spending on MLBPA salaries stood at $16.6 million in 2023, up sharply from ’21’s $11.9 million. But the organization is also much larger following the recent inclusion of minor league players in the union.

The Masters doesn’t begin until next Thursday, but the most famous course in American golf is already getting prepped for its annual spotlight this weekend thanks to a new tradition unlike any other.

On Wednesday, the fifth Augusta National Women’s Amateur tees off, ironically not at Augusta National. The 54-hole tournament featuring 72 of the best female golfers yet to turn professional plays its first two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. 

After that, all players get a practice round at Augusta National on Friday before the top 30 and ties that made the cut compete in the final round at the home of the Masters. That gives Augusta National a chance to extend its grip on the golf world to 10 days, from the first ANWA practice round to the final round of the Masters, while not putting too much extra stress on maintaining the course’s pristine nature. Tickets for the ANWA have annually sold out just as fast as they do for the Masters, and they are going for no cheaper than $500 on secondary marketplaces. The amateur tournament features most of the same concessions and merchandise options for fans on-site.

Going for the Green

Since debuting in 2019 (canceled in ’20), the amateur event has been a launchpad for champions like Rose Zhang (’23) and Jennifer Kupcho (’19), who have both gone on to win on the LPGA tour and have racked up a combined $5.7 million in career earnings. But the unique tournament features an array of talent, like ’22 winner Anna Davis (above), who captured her title at just 16 years old, and is back in this year’s field as she competes collegiately at Auburn.

The ANWA is also a chance for NBC to broadcast live action at Augusta National, as the tournament’s final round plays out on the network. NBCUniversal’s Golf Channel gets access to Augusta National during the Masters, but all live play is shown by CBS and ESPN. Last year’s final round was delayed until Sunday due to rain, drawing an audience of 747,000, down from 859,000 in 2022 during its regular Saturday slot.