Kansas City’s Sprint Arena Plans To Crush Competition

(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — When plans for Kansas City’s Sprint Center were signed by the city council last week, AEG’s President Tim Leiweke made sure that the city knew its mistake in funding two other smaller venues 20-30 minutes away from the Sprint Center, according to the Kansas City Star.

“There’s going to be one major league arena in the heart of this country, and it’s going to be Sprint Center,” Leiweke affirmed. The Johnson County taxpayers, who would be subsidizing the other arenas in Overland Park and Olathe, “are being sold a bill of goods,” said Leiweke, “Those taxpayers are going to get screwed in this deal.”

His assumptions were retorted by Overland Park Mayer Ed Eilert, who said that Leiweke was mischaracterizing the proposals for funding the suburban arena, as they would be funded partly by patrons. “I don’t see a small suburban arena 20 or 30 minutes away competing with Mr. Leiweke’s arena,” said Eilert.

At the meeting, the Kansas City Council voted unanimously on a final development agreement between the city and AEG to build the 18,000- to 20,000-seat arena. The planned opening date for the venue is spring of 2007.

AEG has contributed $50 million to the $250 million dollar project, which is set to replace the city’s Kemper Arena. The new Sprint Center is planning to court an NBA or NHL franchise to its facility. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers