Dallas Mayor wants Kansas City Chiefs to move back to Dallas
The mayor of Dallas would love for the Kansas City Chiefs to make Texas their home again. Eric Johnson went to social media to invite the Chiefs to move back to Dallas. This comes after voters in Jackson, County, Missouri rejected a sales tax extension that would have renovated Arrowhead Stadium.
“Welcome home, Dallas Texans!” Johnson wrote in a social media post, adding a hashtag suggesting the team could have their home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan had threatened the team could leave if the sales tax extension didn’t pass. The team was founded as the Dallas Texans in 1959 and played in Dallas for three seasons before moving to Kansas City.
Johnson has been pushing for a Dallas-based NFL team for at least two years. “Dallas was named the top sports city in the United States because we play to win,” Johnson told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday. “As I have said previously, our market is big enough, growing enough, and loves football more than enough to support a second NFL team — especially a franchise (and an owner) with deep roots here.”
The Dallas Cowboys do not play their home games in Dallas as AT&T Stadium is based in Arlington, Texas, which is half an hour away from Dallas. The team did play in the city in the past, having their home games in the Cotton Bowl from 1960-1971. Following the 1971 season, the Cowboys moved to Irving, Texas to play at Texas Stadium. AT&T Stadium opened its doors in 2009.
Kansas City Chiefs have options after failed vote
The Chiefs have been playing at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972. According to the Associated Press, 58 percent of the voters in Jackson County rejected the plan, which would have rejected an existing three-eights of-a-cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Truman Sports Complex, the home of Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium, which is home to the MLB’s Kansas City Royals.
The Chiefs could try again with a new plan that is more voter-friendly. But it’s also possible they could listen to offers from competing cities and states like Kansas which is right next to Missouri.
“We’ve been talking a lot about the democratic process. We respect the process,” Donovan said. “We feel we put forth the best offer for Jackson County. We’re ready to extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with this county.”