KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When the Chiefs’ $3 billion domed home opens in 2031, Travis Kelce could be preparing to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And, if so, he might be part of the dedication ceremonies.
But Kelce this week said he’s disheartened that his team is leaving Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ home since 1972.
“We grew up in a in an era of fandom, and Cleveland did this to us,” Kelce told his brother on Wednesday’s edition of New Heights. “Cleveland had all sporting events in one located area. The Gateway District in Cleveland, you had the Tribe, you had Jacobs Field, you had Gund Arena, they kept it all downtown right there. And it just it made it easy, and it made so much sense in our minds.”
But even Kelce’s hometown NFL team, the Browns, are now planning to leave downtown Cleveland for a new stadium. The Chiefs on Dec. 22 announced plans to leave the Truman Sports Complex in Missouri. In five years, they’ll play in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where the state will fund 60 percent of new stadium construction.
Understandable decision
“The owners, they get so much more opportunity getting to the outskirts of the city,” Kelce said. “And it’s hard to argue with those opportunities, and we’re dealing with it right now in Kansas City, like we’re going over to Kansas. … If you look at that deal in terms of an owner, that’s one of the greatest opportunities you could ever get as an owner.
“And I think it’s going to be unbelievable once it’s finally set in stone, but it is going to be kind of heartbreaking knowing that the Chiefs are going to move away from Arrowhead and the Missouri side of Kansas City. It’s just a part of professional sports. You know, it is a business at the end of the day.”
Too far from downtown
Kelce touched on the subject while looking back at his Super Bowl experience in the Bay Area. The tight end – who knows a few things about Super Bowl cities, having played in five of the last seven – also attended the previous Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium, Denver’s victory over Carolina 10 years ago.
But the only disappointment, Kelce said, was the stadium’s distance from downtown San Francisco. The home of the 49ers is in Santa Clara, 44 miles from the TransAmerica Pyramid, a drive that can take around an hour depending on traffic.
“It was still awesome to be around the city of San Francisco,” Kelce said, “feel the culture, feel the excitement that was going on all week inside that city. And then it’s still a beautiful stadium.”
