Three Takeaways from the New Royals Stadium Announcement

On Wednesday morning, owner John Sherman and the Kansas City Royals made an important announcement about the future ballpark.

Sherman had been forthright about not staying at Kauffman Stadium and the Truman Sports Complex after the lease expired in 2031. However, on Wednesday, after years of keeping things close to the chest and working with city and state officials, the Royals shared their future plans following their tenure at Kauffman.

The full press conference aired around 10 a.m. and is available in its entirety on the Royals' YouTube channel. The stadium announcement took place at The American restaurant in Crown Center.

There were rumblings that the Royals were looking to build a ballpark around Washington Square Park, which is right across the street from the iconic Union Station. However, a new report, based on rumors from city officials on Tuesday, stated that the stadium wouldn't be in Washington Park, sparking speculation that it would take over the Crown Center area.

In the press conference, Sherman announced that the new stadium would take over the Hallmark headquarters located just south of Crown Center and east of the Liberty WWI Memorial. The Royals and the Hall family, who run Hallmark Cards, reached a deal that would allow the Royals to overtake that space, with Hallmark relocating its headquarters.

The Royals' new ballpark project would preserve not just Crown Center (and allow for possible revitalization), but also keep Washington Square Park as a space for mixed-use development. 

Despite rumors of possibly moving to North Kansas City or to Kansas (like the Kansas City Chiefs), the Royals have committed to staying in Kansas City, Missouri, for the long term. Thus, let's take a look at three takeaways from the new Royals stadium renderings and plan, as well as the future of Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals' Stadium Plan Is a Win-Win For the Team and City

Listen, I know there's controversy with any stadium that takes public funds. It's definitely a lose-lose situation in many ways. 

If a city says no to supporting a stadium with tax dollars (or bonds), it risks losing the team to another city that's more than willing to offer those incentives. As someone who grew up in Northern California, I saw how multiple teams in Oakland were ripped away from the city because they couldn't come up with something quickly enough. Do I believe tax dollars should go to more important public resources? Absolutely. But it's no fun losing a sports team that means so much to a city and a community.

I don't think the Royals were ever in danger of moving under Sherman. After all, Sherman grew up in the metro and is a lifelong Kansas Citian. That said, failure to come up with something could've perhaps encouraged him to sell, which could've left the future of the Royals in Kansas City in doubt.

With this deal with the city and state of Missouri, Sherman and the Royals ownership group get what they need to build a state-of-the-art 21st-century ballpark in the heart of the city. Additionally, businesses or homes do not need to be displaced in order to make this a reality.

That was the main issue with the East Crossroads plan a couple of years ago when the tax went to a vote. It wasn't necessarily the tax that was the issue; it was the plan that seemed ill-conceived and unfavorable to local businesses, especially as some would've been displaced by eminent domain. The Dodgers Stadium history in Chavez Ravine should serve as a precedent for what a team and city should NOT do to build a ballpark.

Lastly, the Royals will invest to make this ballpark a reality. According to reports, the Royals will put in $2 billion in private investment for this $3 billion ballpark project. 

Thus, this move, on a financial front, is not just a win for the Royals in upgrading their home ballpark, but also for downtown Kansas City, giving the area the attraction that has been missing without being a total drain on public resources. 

The Stadium Could Make Kansas City a Hub for Baseball Fans

When visiting Chicago, one common sight is many out-of-town fans arriving by train, whether it's Amtrak or the South Shore Line, to watch a Cubs game (or a White Sox game if you want to make the trek south on the L Train). The same could be said for fans in New York, Boston, or San Francisco. For many downtown stadiums, baseball is the magnet for travelers who want to visit and spend time in a metropolis. 

As great as Kauffman Stadium is, its remote location on the outskirts of Kansas City and Jackson County makes it one of the farthest from its respective downtown. 

Only the Braves and Rangers were farther away than the Royals. However, the Rangers and Braves had developments around their respective ballparks, unlike the Royals, whose ballpark is surrounded by industrial buildings and a highway. 

If you were visiting from out of town and you wanted to go to a baseball game? You will need a car or be prepared to pay a sizeable amount for an Uber/Lyft, especially if you are staying in the downtown Kansas City area. It's worth it for a one-time visit, but it definitely deters visitors without vehicles from going to multiple games in a series.

In its proposed location? Fans can get to the ballpark on the Streetcar, whether from the UMKC area or the River Market. Furthermore, fans can take the Amtrak from out of town to Union Station and go immediately to a baseball game. Not a lot of ballparks have that luxury.

That should entice baseball fans from Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa to take the train and watch a game within walking distance of the stadium. This trend would make Kansas City not just a hub for baseball, but for visitors who want to watch baseball and experience everything Kansas City has to offer, especially downtown and along the Streetcar route.

This "train trip" appeal is not limited to St. Louis for baseball fans in the Midwest. 

Enjoy the Tailgating at Kauffman While You Can

The reality is that parking will look different at the new Crown Center stadium than at the Truman Sports Complex.

That's not a bad thing. Public transportation is easier downtown. Patronizing restaurants and bars before a game is easier as well. Downtown ballparks like Oracle Park in San Francisco, Target Field in Minneapolis, Coors Field in Denver, and Busch Stadium in St. Louis offer plenty of attractions for baseball fans of all ages and interests that do not require entrance into the stadium. 

Many downtown Kansas City businesses will benefit from the new stadium. Furthermore, patrons will also benefit from more choices than they are used to, especially if they're willing to go a little farther on the Streetcar line. That said, some time-honored traditions will be lost for Royals fans who grew up going to baseball games at the Truman Sports Complex.

Tailgating in the parking lot will be one of those traditions lost.

Now, tailgating at a baseball game is a much different affair from tailgating at an NFL or College Football game. Tailgating at a football game is a no-holds-barred affair that pretty much takes a whole day and then some (it was common for many Chiefs fans to camp in their cars in a line outside the parking lot the night before a Chiefs game). It requires a plethora of food, beverages, and yard games to pass the time (and technology if you're a fantasy football fan).

Conversely, tailgating at a baseball game is a much tamer affair. It's a smaller get-together that depends on the day of the week and the time of year.

Yes, grills are involved, but they are Weber Smokey Joes, much smaller than the massive smokers and drums seen on a Sunday gameday outside of Arrowhead Stadium. Instead of brisket, ribs, and pulled pork, it's typically burgers and dogs. In terms of beverages, it's only 2-3 before heading into the park (unless one is a college student or a raging alcoholic), and it's a more laid-back vibe. If going to an NFL tailgate is a Frat-House kegger, an MLB tailgate, especially at Kauffman Stadium, is like a backyard BBQ on a Friday after work. 

Some of the appeal of those kinds of tailgates will be lost with the move to the new ballpark in 2030 or 2031 (the projected dates, as the Royals' lease with the Truman Sports Complex expires after 2031). From the renderings, gameday parking will not be in lots but on the streets and in parking garages. One can't do the current TSC tailgating experience in such environments, unfortunately. 

Thus, for the time being, Royals fans should enjoy their tailgating experience outside of Kauffman Stadium while they can. 

Because by the time the new ballpark opens by 2030 or 2031, the Kansas City baseball tailgate will have gone the way of the dodo.