KC Star: Hunt answers cynics on stadium funding (Murphy)

[FloridaChief]

Hunt answers cynics on stadium funding

By KEVIN MURPHY The Kansas City Star

Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt said Thursday that passing a sales tax to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium would require answering critics who think the team should pay for the work.

Voters in the Kansas City area will be asked Nov. 2 to approve a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for $180 million in construction at Arrowhead Stadium, with a similar amount for Kauffman Stadium. Arts projects also would be funded.

The Chiefs had a profit of $24 million last year and have a value of $709 million, according to a Forbes magazine report this month.

“I know there is a cynicism that says, ‘Oh, if the Chiefs are making money, why should we help?' ” Hunt said in an appearance Thursday before the Kansas City Rotary Club at the Arrowhead Club. “The fact is, this is a public facility. The Chiefs only play 10 games a year here.”

Arrowhead and Kauffman are owned by Jackson County. Hunt alluded to other events scheduled at Arrowhead this fall, such as Wizards soccer games, the Billy Graham crusade and the Big 12 Conference championship football game.

Hunt, who said he planned to take an active role in trying to pass the tax, urged Rotary members to explain to skeptics that Arrowhead's value goes beyond housing the Chiefs.

The tax would pay for new concession areas, restaurants, enlarged concourses, more rest rooms, utility upgrades, and a training and administrative building. The Chiefs would contribute $50 million.

Arrowhead opened in the early 1970s. “While this is a magnificent home and has been for 32 years, I think you can appreciate that a house needs refurbishing after 32 years,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the team was not about to move if the tax measure failed. The team has 12 years left on its lease.

In addition to the Chiefs profitability and value, ticket prices may also be an issue with people, Hunt said in an interview Wednesday. The team's average ticket price of $67.26 ranks third in the National Football League, according to a survey released last week in Team Marketing Report, a Chicago research publication.

Hunt said: “We need to step back and think about the Chiefs coming to the middle of the range in ticket price.'' Hunt said he wrote a memo to that effect this week to Carl Peterson, Chiefs general manager.

The sales tax measure would raise more than $1 billion over at least 12 years. Voters in Jackson, Clay and Johnson counties would have to approve the tax for it to take effect, but it also will be on ballots in Wyandotte and Platte counties.

[morphius]

Hunt said: “We need to step back and think about the Chiefs coming to the middle of the range in ticket price.'' Hunt said he wrote a memo to that effect this week to Carl Peterson, Chiefs general manager.

This is the most important line in the thing...

[Mark M]

Originally Posted by FloridaChief

“The tax would pay for new concession areas, restaurants, enlarged concourses, more rest rooms, utility upgrades, and a training and administrative building. The Chiefs would contribute $50 million.

...

Hunt said: “We need to step back and think about the Chiefs coming to the middle of the range in ticket price.'' Hunt said he wrote a memo to that effect this week to Carl Peterson, Chiefs general manager.

Damn ... I thought Lamar was a cheap bastard.

So who is right -- BigRedChief and Wahzarus .... or the facts?

MM
~~

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Mark M

Damn ... I thought Lamar was a cheap bastard.

So who is right -- BigRedChief and Wahzarus .... or the facts?

MM
~~

oh fuck you, rahtard.


the fact that we had cap room, had profit margin and still said we didn't have the money to add free agents this year is proof enough for me.



if Lamar Hunt we so concerned about ticket prices then why did he let them get that high in the first place?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by lazarus

oh fuck you, rahtard.


the fact that we had cap room, had profit margin and still said we didn't have the money to add free agents this year is proof enough for me.



if Lamar Hunt we so concerned about ticket prices then why did he let them get that high in the first place?

FACT: the team made a profit
FACT: the team said we didn't have any money to sign free agents
FACT: the team didn't sign any high-profile free agents
FICTION: the team has cap room

Look, I'm just as upset that you that the team did nothing in the offseason, and I would still like to see McCardell and McKenzie in a Chiefs' uniform.

But I'm to going to let this die. You THINK (by way of compelling circumstantial evidence, I'll admit) that we have cap room. You do not KNOW they have cap room.

[Brando]

It's cheaper than buying a beer.

That it is! Now it's just a matter of convincing the cheerleaders to drink directly from the bottle.

[beavis]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

You do not KNOW they have cap room.

Very true. But when I look at teams like the Redskins who go out and sign whoever they damn well please, (and I am in no way saying we should be taking personel advice from Snyder) it really makes me wonder why we can't sign the big name free agents.

[Logical]

Winning would do more to help pass this sales tax than any explanation. Get some talent and the rest would probably take care of itself. The way the Royals and Chiefs approach winning they probably do not deserve the investment or the public's trust.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by beavis

Very true. But when I look at teams like the Redskins who go out and sign whoever they damn well please, (and I am in no way saying we should be taking personel advice from Snyder) it really makes me wonder why we can't sign the big name free agents.

You do realize the differences between Arrowhead and FedEx, right? Daniel Snyder can pay for players with REVENUE, whereas Lamar has to take money out of his pocket.

The Chiefs need to sign somebody like McCardell to give the fans some confidence. Pass bi-state2, build some skyboxes, and start using that money to build a real team.

[Mark M]

Originally Posted by Waaaahhhhhhhzarus

oh fuck you, rahtard.


the fact that we had cap room, had profit margin and still said we didn't have the money to add free agents this year is proof enough for me.



if Lamar Hunt we so concerned about ticket prices then why did he let them get that high in the first place?

**** yourself, crybaby. And get over yourself as well.

Did you ever stop to think that there is a reason they didn't make those moves?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Lamar has shelled out over $50 million in bonuses the past few years (Priest, Trent, Tony, Barber, Holliday, Hall, Maz, Hicks, McCleon and others have been signed or re-signed).

Maybe it has to do with them not being "profile" guys, as DV puts it.

Maybe it's because the Chiefs have been burned by bad FA moves in the past and didn't see the need to add any more high-priced FAs.

The fact is, no one knows why. But for you and others to call Lamar "cheap" is ludicrous. The reason ticket prices went up is because the Chiefs need more revenue. It's just that simple. There simply aren't enough ways at the stadium to make money (i.e. more luxury boxes, concessions, etc.), so they have to find ways to generate more money, and the best way is through ticket sales. If you don't like the price of tickets, then don't buy them.

No matter what you or others say, running an NFL team is BUSINESS. The point of ANY BUSINESS is to make money. Operating in the red is just plain stupid. Sure, it'd be nice to spend hundreds of millions on signing bonues ... after all, that's worked so well for Dan Snyder, hasn't it?

What's even funnier is that, if KC did sign these players and they didn't work out, everyone would be saying how Carl shouldn't have signed them, that they are busts and how much of a waste of cap room the players are.

It's a lose/lose proposition with you and others, and your hatred of all things Carl and Co. prevent some of you from using rational, logical thought. Either that, or you really might wanna mix in some decaf.

MM
~~

[BigRedChief]

Hunt said: “We need to step back and think about the Chiefs coming to the middle of the range in ticket price.'' Hunt said he wrote a memo to that effect this week to Carl Peterson, Chiefs general manager.

It's a friggin bribe to get us for more money.

MM let me straighten you out on something. I have respect for Lamar. He has been a great owner. That doesn't mean I have to agree with every one of the teams financial decisions.

[Mark M]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

MM let me straighten you out on something. I have respect for Lamar. He has been a great owner. That doesn't mean I have to agree with every one of the teams financial decisions.

You can disagree all you want ... I have no issues with that at all. I've done it just as much as anyone else.

But calling them "cheap" is, IMHO, a flat-out lie, as is calling the desire to have lower ticket prices a "bribe."

It's simple economics -- if the stadium receives the rennovations it needs, then there will be no need to have higher ticket prices because revenue will increase.

If anyone votes down Bi-State2, then turns around and whines about the price of tickets, hot dogs, etc., they should be slapped and told to .

MM
~~

[Brando]

Is there any chance that if the bi-state tax passes they will start using warmer water in the urinals?
Man that stuff is cold.

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by Brando

Is there any chance that if the bi-state tax passes they will start using warmer water in the urinals?
Man that stuff is cold.

You're not supposed to drink it.........

[KCFalcon59]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

You're not supposed to drink it.........

It's cheaper than buying a beer.