What a grand and noble idea, the idea of the Chiefs hosting a Super Bowl in a new state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof. A Super Bowl in Kansas City may seem like a pipe dream, but if Detroit can host it in 2006, why not Kansas City in 2012 or beyond?
The economic gain alone should inspire the Kansas City metropolitan area to soften its stance on stadium renovations. I know a little about Kansas City but I know a lot more about Detroit. The amount of infrastructure work being done in and around the Detroit metropolitan area alone is worth bringing a Super Bowl to any large city. Highways from the airport are being rebuilt. These roads would be allowed to deteriorate further were it not for the impending Super Bowl at Ford Field. This is just one example of the improvements that last long after a Super Bowl has come and gone. So financially it’s a no-brainer, right? The only way the Chiefs will build a new stadium is with some form of public funding. Until now, this has been a hot topic for local voters who last fall rejected a much more modest attempt at such legislation. It seems even more unlikely that local voters will approve taxes for a new stadium given their love for Arrowhead.
What could influence the opinion of voters? What single event could turn the tide and have voters rushing to the booths in jubilation to approve a new stadium proposal? Of course, the answer is simple. Win the Super Bowl. That’s right, it’s that simple. It’s time for the Chiefs organization as a whole to put all its chips in the middle and go for the Super Bowl. The window is open for this to happen, but it won’t stay open forever.
I know what the skeptics think. Every year, the Chiefs delegation goes to league meetings and pitches some ideas from left field. This idea of Kansas City hosting a Super Bowl is not one of them. It can happen, but not before funding for a new stadium is approved by the public and the only way it will happen is with a Super Bowl title. If the Chiefs do their part and win the Super Bowl, I’m confident the voters will do their part and approve funding for a new stadium. I can’t see one happening without the other. I think the fan passion for Arrowhead and aversion to porcine public funding proposals will preclude passage without a Super Bowl title to sway the public.
So as Lamar Hunt pushes the league for a Super Bowl in Kansas City, the ball is essentially in his court. Will Carl Peterson and the front office be allowed to go all out in their search for offseason talent? Peterson and his staff have started the process with the signings of Bell and Knight, but what else can they do? Anyone else the Chiefs sign, trade or draft will go a long way toward answering the question: can the Chiefs win the Super Bowl? Which in turn will answer the bigger question: Will Kansas City ever host a Super Bowl?
There are a lot of questions and it’s up to the Chiefs to find the right answers.
No Comment