The East Village Area - A Likely Destination for a New Baseball Stadium & the End of the Truman Sports Complex

In 1967, Jackson County voted to approve a bond that would fund the construction of the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex. The complex houses two stadiums; Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. At the time, many cities across the country had designed multi-purpose stadiums that housed two teams in one home, but Kansas City went in a new direction. However, the Truman Sports Complex is in danger of losing one of its tenants, and the complex that was once known as a trendsetter in modern stadium architecture will be no more. In August of 2019, an ownership group led by John Sherman purchased the Royals, and in September of 2021 they announced plans to potentially construct a new stadium in the downtown area of Kansas City. A drastic change to the sports scene of Kansas City is coming, and although the move is years away, it has certainly created a divide in the community.

The most widely discussed location for a new ballpark in Kansas City is the East Village area, where there is an 8-block stretch of space that was designated by the city as a “redevelopment zone” in 2005. This area is near city hall and houses the J.E. Dunn Construction headquarters. J.E. Dunn also happens to be part of the ownership group of the Royals, making this area a likely destination for a downtown ballpark. Kauffman Stadium has housed the Kansas City Royals for the last 49 seasons, but the 50-year milestone could be the last one the stadium will hit, although the Royals and the Chiefs both have leases that tie them to the Truman Sports Complex until 2031.

Affectionately known as “The K” to the people of Kansas City, Kauffman Stadium has remained a signature spot to sports fans. In 1973, baseball returned to Kansas City with the opening of Kauffman Stadium as one half of the Truman Sports Complex. In 1993, the stadium was renamed after the passing of the man responsible for its construction, Ewing Kauffman. In 2008 and the years following, stadium-goers saw Kauffman Stadium undergo a massive renovation project, and today the park is regarded as one of the best venues to watch a baseball game at. Fountains run along nearly the entire length of the outfield and are overshadowed by a massive jumbotron dawning a golden crown at its peak. It is one of the most unique sports venues in the country, and one that embodies the “City of Fountains” aesthetic that Kansas City is known for.

The construction of the stadium in a downtown area has become a trend among professional sports organizations in recent years, with the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins as the most recent examples of teams who have relocated to their downtown cities. John Sherman has discussed his ownership group’s plans in more detail ever since he made the announcement of exploring the possibility of moving the team, “Sherman said the process of deciding where the club will play will be driven by measurable community impact, measurable economic growth and a positive impact on the quality of life for Kansas Citians”. A downtown stadium would instantly become a heavy influence on the improvement of the local economy.

Kauffman stadium has been a part of two revivals of baseball in Kansas City, with the first being the move to bring the Royals back to Kansas City in 1969. The stadium hosted World Series games in 1980, 1985, 2014, and 2015. Two MLB All-Star games have been hosted at Kauffman too, specifically in 1973 and 2012. The expansion team was successful in its early years, as they were a regular contender in the playoffs and capped off a run of winning baseball with a World Series Championship in 1985. Then, the drought happened.

For nearly 30 consecutive years, the Royals failed to have a single winning season. The 2014 Royals team finally ended that drought, as they dominated opponents through the playoffs before eventually losing in Game 7 of the World Series, which took place at Kauffman Stadium. In the following 2015 season, the Royals accomplished a rare feat by making it to a second consecutive World Series and winning the title for the first time since 1985. Kansas Citians will never forget that championship parade, as it signaled the second revival of Royals baseball at The K. 

This is arguably the top reason that fans oppose a move to a downtown ballpark. Along with its unique look. Kauffman Stadium is an enormous source of nostalgic memories for the sports community in Missouri and Kansas, and people do not want to lose it. Often, cities move teams or construct new stadiums because there is a need for it. Stadiums get old, and new venues are needed. Kansas City does not have that problem, however. Renovations on Kauffman Stadium are recent additions. The ballpark is up to date and remains as one of the most unique in all of sports.

The biggest hurdles for John Sherman and his ownership group to clear would be the location for a new stadium, and funding. A new stadium for the city would not be cheap, and is among the biggest reasons for hesitancy among Kansas Citians. According to Sherman, the potential construction of a downtown stadium would be funded by a public-private partnership, and he expects that taxpayers would be involved. Nowadays, new sports stadiums cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and some even cost north of a billion dollars. According to an article from PBS, many economists maintain that cities that are responsible for helping fund new stadiums rarely get their investments returned. For example, St. Louis is still paying for the Edward Jones Dome that opened in 1995, even though their team left for Los Angeles in 2016.

Funding also begs the question of whether Kansas City is ready for a downtown ballpark. Many Kansas Citians state that parking and public transit would become a nightmare in the future. The construction of a stadium in downtown would only make those issues worse in the short term. Many journalists in the Kansas City area have also stated that Kansas City could use funding in other areas of the city’s infrastructure. The sentiment of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has been a common line thrown around in newspaper articles recently. The Truman Sports complex allows easy access for fans and provides a massive space to gather and experience the classic Kansas City tailgating scene. 

A potential move of the Royals would also affect the Chiefs, who are the Royals’ neighbors at the Truman Sports Complex. If the Royals receive tax dollars for a new downtown stadium, it is believed that the Chiefs will want a piece of the monetary pie, according to the Kansas City Star. Clark Hunt, Current Chairman and CEO of the Chiefs, discussed in a recent press conference that the Chiefs will watch as the Royals undergo their moving process, and that in a year or so the Chiefs will begin to think about what is next for them. Hunt continued to say that if the Royals were no longer at the Truman Sports Complex, the amount of freed-up space could allow the team to do some “different programming” that they haven’t been able to do in the past.

No matter what happens in the next decade, Kansas City will be changing. Kansas City is a growing metro area, and John Sherman’s ownership group wants to capitalize on that, even if it means the legacy of Ewing Kauffman, Lamar Hunt, and the Truman Sports Complex will be forgotten.

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