The Chiefs Are Leaving Missouri for Kansas, but What's Behind the Decision?

As anyone who paid attention when they were studying a map of the United States might know, there are actually two Kansas Cities. One is in Missouri, and the other is in Kansas. The two cities are relatively close together, but until now, the Kansas City Chiefs have played in Kansas City, Mo. Now, though, news has broken that they are planning to move to Kansas.

The news that the Chiefs are planning to move to Kansas was undoubtedly a surprise to many fans of the franchise, and comes at the end of the team's most tumultuous season in years. Here's what we know about why they're moving, and how far they're planning to go.

The Chiefs announced on Dec. 22 that they are planning to move to Kansas beginning in 2031 and that they will leave Arrowhead Stadium, their long-time home, for a domed stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line, per ESPN.

It seems the decision was made chiefly because Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously to fund up to 70 percent of the building of this new stadium with state tax and revenue bonds.

The bonds, which are estimated to be worth around $2.4 billion, will reportedly be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in an area around the stadium.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt explained that there were several reasons the team had decided to make this move.

"We made a decision as a family that this was the right opportunity and the best for the organization for several reasons," he explained.

"It's about the fans. My dad [Lamar Hunt, who founded the franchise] was always about the fans and thinking about the future," he continued. "This will give Chiefs kingdom a state-of-the-art facility for multiple generations, a building that can last for at least 50 or 60 years. We believe it's the best thing for the region. It will give Kansas City the opportunity to bid on events that we can't host right now, like the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff and the NCAA Final Fours."

A final site for the Chiefs' new stadium has not been selected yet, but Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said that the stadium will be in Wyandotte County, and reports suggest that the team is interested in having the stadium built in Kansas City, Kans., near a casino. Ultimately, then, fans of the Chiefs will still be able to get to games, as the move will only put the team a few dozen miles from its long-time home.

"We had a great dialogue with Missouri all the way through the end of last week," Clark Hunt said. "Frankly, not everything was resolved that needed to be resolved. The big difference is we're working with one party here, the state of Kansas. In Missouri, we'd been working with the Governor's office, [Jackson County] and also the city. We just didn't get there for the timeline."