public funding of sports facilities

Verifiable numbers are hard to come by in the bidding war for the Royals and Chiefs. Last year, the two teams generated nearly $70 million in city, county and state taxes, but it would take decades to generate enough revenue to make up the price tag of new stadiums.

Even the poorest-drawing baseball teams can attract more than 1 million fans in a year, far more than any football stadium. As Kansas and Missouri continue their border war over Kansas City sports teams, should they be focused on courting the Royals over the Chiefs?

On Monday, lawmakers in Kansas opted to extend the deadline for state incentives, so that the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have more time to negotiate building new stadiums across state lines.

The teams have already had one year to negotiate with Kansas officials. But supporters say the deals are complicated — and are frustrated by delays.

Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan asked Kansas officials to alter the deadline for a state incentive package "in light of substantial progress the Chiefs have made in discussions" about building a new stadium, headquarters, or other facilities across state lines.