GUEST COLUMN, Vance Ginn, Kansas Policy Institute
A new SurveyUSA poll of Overland Park and Leawood residents confirms what many Kansans already feel in their gut: people love their teams, but their desire to spend tax dollars on it declines as the taxes hit closer to home.
When asked if the state should use tax or other “cash-like” incentives to help build a new professional stadium, 58% expressed support (32% opposed). However, when the same question was applied to local property or sales tax breaks, support dropped sharply to 47%, with 42% opposed. The closer government subsidies hit home, the more skeptical voters become.
The numbers above are combinations of those strongly support and somewhat support and both somewhat and strongly opposed. Full crosstabs and details polling information is available here.
That skepticism is warranted. Every “economic development” incentive comes with a hidden cost. Tax dollars used to finance a stadium, factory, or corporate campus aren’t free—they’re taken from families, small businesses, and workers who could have used that money far more efficiently.
Speaking of which, it shouldn’t surprise us that support for subsidies to sports teams is higher than it is for a “normal” corporation. A 2022 poll from SurveyUSA showed support for tax dollar subsidies for the Panasonic plant at 38% support, 39% opposed, and 23% unsure.
Regardless of our affinity for the outfit receiving the subsidies, the takeaway is that handouts simply do not work. And, Denver is currently doing stadium redevelopment without taxpayer cash.
Kansas has learned this lesson the hard way. Programs like STAR bonds and targeted abatements have repeatedly promised job creation and regional revitalization, but too often delivered little more than headline ribbon-cuttings. The winners tend to be well-connected corporations; the losers are everyone else, who continues to pay for the privilege.
Even among some of the most affluent and sports-loving communities in Kansas, the appetite for public subsidies is weak.
The survey found 40% prefer keeping the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, with just 26% backing a move to the proposed Aspiria site in Overland Park. Half want the Chiefs to stay at Arrowhead Stadium, compared with only a quarter who support building a new one in Wyandotte County. Kansans want growth, not gimmicks. The Royals, at least, have openly said they do not plan to play at their current Kauffman Stadium home when their lease expires. The Chiefs are more open to staying at Arrowhead, but only if significant, taxpayer-funded upgrades are made.
This isn’t about opposing sports or business investment—it’s about fairness and economic reality. When the government starts handing out special favors, it distorts the market and invites even the soft corruption of politicians. Businesses compete for political favor instead of consumer loyalty. Innovation slows, efficiency drops, and taxpayers end up underwriting risk for private profit. That’s not capitalism. It’s cronyism dressed up as “development.”
Real prosperity doesn’t come from the government choosing winners and losers. It comes from individuals freely pursuing opportunity in open markets—where success depends on satisfying customers, not lobbying lawmakers. The state’s role should be to protect property rights, enforce contracts, and keep taxes low and rules simple, not to finance private ventures with public money.
If Kansas wants to continue growing, it should trust its people and its markets, rather than relying on political and bureaucratic deal-making. Stop writing checks to billion-dollar franchises and start letting free enterprise do what it does best—create value, opportunity, and prosperity for everyone.
That’s how you let people prosper—not through subsidies, but through freedom.
