Kansas City business leaders urge ‘swift action’ to keep Chiefs, Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City’s business leaders are joining the push to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the Kansas City area.

In a video shared Monday to various social media pages, the KC Sports Commission, Visit KC, Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, KC Civic Council and KC Area Development Council came out with one singular mission.

That mission is to keep the Chiefs and Royals “in our region,” they said.

The coalition of local business leaders joined together and called for leaders to get a deal done before someone else does.

“Greater Kansas City’s business and civic organizations are united in the singular mission to ensure the Chiefs and Royals remain in our region for decades to come,” said Charlie Shields of the KC Chamber. “But time is not on our side.”

“While both teams are working hard to evaluate their future in KC, other markets are actively competing to lure them away,” said Rob Bratcher of KCADC in the video.

“To keep these cherished franchises in KC, we need strong, realistic, public-private partnerships that make staying home in our region the only choice,” said Wesley Shields of the KC Chamber.

Chiefs owner and chairman Clark Hunt responded to the video on Tuesday:

It comes just a year after a vote failed that would’ve paved the way for a new Royals stadium in the Crossroads and allowed for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. For the past year, the Royals and Chiefs have said they’ve begun exploring options separately with each franchise working on their own plans and timelines.

During a press conference just before Opening Day this year, Royals owner John Sherman said his franchise’s timeline to decide on a future stadium site was in the June or July period this summer. Sherman said he would not comment on Washington Square Park in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, or the old Sprint campus in the area of 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park.

He did, however, reinforce that he didn’t think the Royals would play baseball at the Truman Sports Complex once the current lease expires in 2031.

Sherman released the following statement on Tuesday:

The group of KC business leaders stressed that losing either franchise would be a “major setback for regional pride and economic momentum.” In a letter signed by the group they called upon public leadership, saying they “must intensify efforts, ensuring the Chiefs and Royals fully understand their options and feel confident in making the decision to stay in the region.”

“Our community is a major league region, and we are committed to keeping it that way,” they said.

You can watch the video and read the full letter here.

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.