Chiefs season ticket holders in the Ozarks react to Missouri exit

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Chiefs Kingdom expands well beyond the Kansas City area, and those in Southwest Missouri are telling Ozarks First how they feel about the team’s decision to move to Kansas.

Ozarks First heard from several season ticket holders who live in the Ozarks who shared their thoughts about the move. On our new streaming show “Put Me In, Coach” on the new Ozarks First+ app, Jesse Inman and Chris Pinson took live calls from two season ticket holders: One in Ava, and one in Battlefield.

In Ava, Tyler Watterson has been a season ticket holder since 2016. He works at 92.1FM in Ava. He tells us it’s been a wonderful run as a member being able to watch the team. He believes a sales tax in Jackson County, MO that didn’t pass last April, along with the team sending out lots of surveys about the future signified this type of move could be coming.

“I’m very pessimistic in nature, but I had a fear that this was the door opening in allowing them to leave,” Watterson said. “It’s the pricing. People are starting to hear this term ‘PSL’. Having to buy the rights to have your seat before you even pay for the season tickets. I have a very real fear of being priced out from being able to go to games. A lot of anxiety in the Kingdom right now.”

He adds that he’s curious what season tickets will look like next year, as they have gone up each year the team has won a Super Bowl. That won’t be the case this year, of course.

Another season ticket member in the Ozarks is Dakota Fortner, 30, of Battlefield. His family has two tickets, and he called into “Put Me In Coach”.

“We had season tickets for about a decade when I was growing up. We took a break, and then have had them again since Mahomes rookie season (in 2017),” Fortner says.

Asked how he feels about the move to Kansas coming in 2031, he says it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Arrowhead.

“It’s one of those moves, for the state of Missouri, it stinks losing out on a professional sports franchise,” Fortner says. He explains that PSL’s (Permanent Seat Licenses) are going to be a major obstacle.

“Now that they have the PSL’s in place, those are going to be per ticket. Our tickets cost around $5,000-$6,000 per ticket now. Going forward, if we want to be able to keep those, which we’re not going to be able to, it’s going to be like $26,000. We’re going to get phased out, and I’m sure there are thousands of families in the same position. The clock is ticking on the amount of games we’re going to be able to go to,” Fortner says. His seats are in section 107 rows 4 and 5.

If you want to hear their full thoughts on the show, check out Put Me In Coach on the Ozarks First+ app. Download it on your smart TV, Apple TV device, or Roku device.

We also heard from a couple of other season ticket holders. One is Dylan Burks of Mountain Grove, MO. He tells us he is grateful for his time as a season ticket holder because of what he has gotten to see and experience, but he is disappointed. He also echoed the PSL concern.

“It’s a frustrating ordeal, but it’s hard to blame somebody for making a business decision based on their organization and what they think the future holds. This is going off of the survey that we’ve taken, and the numbers that were on the survey indicated it could be about 5 to 7 grand per seat,” Burks said. “It probably looks like instead of me going to five or six games a year, it looks like me going to probably two games a year. I’ve been able to witness a great run, so I can’t be upset.”

While he is trying to look at the bright side with what kind of experience a dome and new amenities could bring, he believes fans in Missouri have given the franchise everything they have.

“Of course there are fans in Kansas, I’m not denying that. But Missouri has been the heart and soul of the fan base the whole entire time,” says Burks, adding that he hopes people will still support the team, and he intends to still be a big fan.

We also heard from Darryl Barr, who has been a season ticket holder for over 20 years. He and his wife Jennifer own two Springfield sports bars: Georgia Mac’s and Uncle Bentley’s in Springfield. They primarily use their tickets for promotional purposes at their restaurants, but go to about one game a year.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. I had met Lamar Hunt in the past, and I think he’d be kind of disappointed that this is happening. But again, it’s all about the money,” Barr says, adding that he’ll always be a Chiefs fan, but it stings.

As for whether or not he’ll renew his season tickets when the team goes to the new dome in 2031, he’s taking the “wait and see” approach.

“They’re going to have to do something to keep season ticket member base happy, I would think. I’m waiting to see how much they go up, what kind of deals they give. You know, people that have had tickets like me for 20-25 years, I need to wait and just see what they do for me,” Barr explains.

He believes there are positives to a new stadium but has things he is hoping to see.

“It depends on the layout. If they make it better than Arrowhead was as far as restroom facilities, and for people to tailgate, because tailgating is a big thing.”

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