Just over one year ago, Kansas City opened the gleaming new Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City to replace the aging Kemper Arena. It was hoped that this new arena would bring at least one major tenant (an NHL or an NBA franchise) to town. It hasn’t.
Now the Arena Football League cancels the upcoming season, and the Sprint Center has one fewer tenant than originally planned at least for the next year. So Blair Kerkhoff of the KC Star has devoted a column entirely to ways to bring more sporting events permanently to the Sprint Center.
I’m far from convinced that the Sprint Center would have been able to attract a major tenant for even in the absence of the tough economy. With all the sports options available in Kansas City (Royals, Chiefs, Wizards, three Big XII universities within 120 miles of KC), a new arena isn’t enough to generate the requisite demand for sports. But when you’re spending other people’s money….
