The Kansas City Chiefs are moving from one side of the border city in which they reside to the other, and the most famous Missourian in sports media, Nick Wright, is disappointed.
Wright grew up and launched his career on the more heavily populated Missouri side of Kansas City, and, in a recent episode of his What’s Wright podcast, confessed that he “hates” that the team is moving to the Kansas side. However, Wright said, “I don’t hate that Missouri was not held hostage by pro sports owners.”
Kansas is footing a significant part of the $3.3 billion bill for the new stadium, which will open in 2031. Some have estimated the $1.8 billion price tag given over by taxpayers is the largest in American history. In principle, Wright said he does not support municipalities paying so much money. But he understands that Kansas City (and either state) was in a bind, given that it is a small market and teams have left before.
“The thing that makes Kansas City different than Des Moines, Iowa, or Omaha, Nebraska, is that we have the Chiefs and the Royals. That’s it,” Wright said. “We’re a two-team, pro sports city. There is huge economic and civic pride benefit to that, and Kansas City’s not a huge market. So you can’t just dare a team to leave the way L.A. could, or New York could, or Washington, D.C., could. Because they might leave.”
The city got NBA and NHL teams in the 1970s. Both were gone by the late 1980s.
And as Wright pointed out, corporations in Kansas City and other cities split in half by state lines often jump between the states based on the incentives they and their employees receive. So all in all, Wright was not overly angry by the potentially inevitable consideration that the Chiefs would give to Kansas, or the stadium moving less than half an hour East.
However, Wright took a far bigger issue with the NFL’s overall trend of teams transitioning to indoor stadiums.
“I think we are moving toward a reality where there are only maybe three or four stadiums in the country where weather plays a part, and I don’t like that for football,” Wright said. “I think football is a game made to be played in the elements.”
A couple of years ago (in the first-ever Peacock exclusive NFL playoff game), the Chiefs hosted the Miami Dolphins in the coldest postseason game in league history. Kansas City dominated the game because it was far more comfortable in the conditions.
And when it comes to those conditions, Wright emphasized the fact that a domed stadium will not suddenly make Kansas City a desirable host city for the Super Bowl. The surrounding area will still be freezing and potentially snowy, and the city is far smaller than most hosts.
“People will complain,” he said.
Wright predicted that it is “not true” that Kansas City will be a fixture in the NFL’s Super Bowl rotation after the stadium is complete, because “the Super Bowl should not be in Kansas City.”
The Kansas City native argued that New Orleans, Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles should be the only cities to host the big game.
Wright also addressed the team’s notorious home-field advantage and whether it will be diminished in a new building.
“Certain stadiums are more conducive to noise than others, and Arrowhead has been the loudest open-air stadium in the country forever,” he said. “And I just hope they’re able to recreate that.”
Even though it is a relatively short move and ought not to disrupt much for the Chiefs and their fans, Wright understands the city will feel the change. And the team may face unforeseen challenges as a result.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.