A Kinsley gaffe, named for the journalist and Slate editor Michael Kinsley, is “when a politician tells the truth—some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.”
Chiefs President Mark Donovan committed such a gaffe when he spoke at a press conference to unveil planned renovations at Arrowhead Stadium. He was asked why the Chiefs aren’t planning to build any retail developments if the Royals leave the complex to move their stadium downtown. He responded: “Right now in this market, this is not a location that is worthy of developing. As harsh as that sounds, it’s just the reality from a business standpoint.”
At the very least, this was an impolitic thing to say about the region. Located between Kansas City and Independence on Interstate 70, the location would seem to have a lot of potential. More importantly, Donovan concedes what many economists conclude and what Show-Me Institute researchers have been pointing out for years: stadiums do not generate economic growth.
Rest assured, I will be adding Donovan’s comment to my PowerPoint deck on the many false claims of economic development impact statements.
