It was Sunday January, 4 1998, a day I’ll never forget.

I was three days shy of my 17th birthday but I received the greatest gift a boy that was a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan could imagine.

The Chiefs were hosting a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium against Denver and I would make my debut in the stands.

It was magical. All my life I had wanted to attend a Chiefs game. The atmosphere on television displayed the electricity of a loyal fan base. However, all that paled in comparison to attending a game in the loudest stadium in the NFL.

Over 75,000 screaming fans that frustrated opposing teams, causing penalties and forcing timeouts. The most famous event took place on December 9, 1990, when Denver’s John Elway twice appealed to the officials to make the Arrowhead crowd quite down so his team could run a play. Despite the threat of a penalty, the fans roared even louder.

For 45 years I have proudly supported the Red and Gold. Win or lose, it did not matter.

One of the biggest factors to my original fandom was the fact that the Chiefs were a Missouri team, which meant a great deal to me.

So, in December 2025 when Clark Hunt announced that his team would move 23 minutes away to Wyandotte County in Kansas to build a new stadium, it was a personal gut punch to millions, of fans including myself.

I have no problem admitting that my biggest issue is one of pride — state pride.

I was and am a Chiefs fan because they were Missouri’s team. St. Louis had lost the football Cardinals to Arizona and Rams to Los Angeles, but the Chiefs were the state’s gridiron institution.

Football fans identified Missouri as the Chiefs Kingdom.

For the next five years I will be likely in a football state of depression as the Missouri era draws closer to its end.

I will be frustrated with the voters of Jackson County for not extending the 3/8’s cent sales tax for the overhaul of the Truman Sports Complex. I will be frustrated with Frank White, a Royals baseball legend, turned politician, who worked tirelessly to thwart the stadium efforts — more out of spite from being fired from the Royals broadcast booth than concern for the Missouri taxpayers.

I will be frustrated with Clark Hunt for turning his back upon a state that built, paid, cheered and lived and died every Sunday for his team.

The Chiefs released a statement in an attempt to spin the development as a positive one for the fans.

It read in part: “What makes Chiefs gamedays so special is you. Seats don’t make noise, concrete doesn’t intimidate opponents, parking lots don’t cook barbecue. You do.” 

They also put this in bold: “Every step of the way, he (Lamar) prioritized the fans.”

I personally like former Chiefs standout lineman Mtchell Schwartz’s response on X (formerly Twitter) and felt it summed up my feelings.

“I’m fine with owners doing whatever they want to make more money,” Schwartz said. “That’s how they’re all wired regardless of how much they/their families are worth. I can hate that it’s always about money but it’s reality. Just be honest. Don’t lie and try to placate the fans with platitudes.”

Everything about the move benefits the Hunt family and not the fans, players, employees, taxpayers and most of all me — The World’s Biggest Chiefs Fan (it’s on my coffee cup so it’s official).

The deal includes a roughly $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County, a $300 million team headquarters and training facility in Olathe, Kan., and at least $700 million in surrounding mixed-use development.

The new stadium under consideration will only seat 62,000 to 68,000 a decrease of 8,000-14,000 seats from Arrowhead, meaning higher ticket costs. Tell me again how this benefits the “average” Chiefs fan.

Every benefit for getting a Super Bowl, Final Four, Taylor Swift Concert with Travis Kelce dancing or whatever, it will be the Hunt family and not the Chiefs family that benefits.

Reading the breakdown on how the facility will be financed makes fans even more frustrated. The Hunts got a deal and made a business decision.

I don’t think I am alone in saying that the owner will need to repair some damaged bridges with Missouri fans. Because right now, I don’t know if I’ll be supporting the Red and Gold in 2031.

Jared Lankford is the sports reporter for Monett Monthly and has more than 15 years experience covering Monett-area athletics. He may be reached at [email protected]