See, my problem with UMKC is less their lack of athletic success and more the fact they seem to be attached to the hip to UM-C. From what I gather they don't even have a separate endowment, which means if they ever wanted to build a new practice facility or give their coaches raises it needs to be approved by a board full of UM-C people. Correct me if I'm wrong. Imagine if a board of KU and KSU alums had to approve Gregg Marshall's $1.5MM salary. He'd be long gone.
And even though it's the only game in town, isn't it very close to Lawrence and Columbia and full of rabid Kansas and Mizzou fans? That's a problem for Eastern Illinois (in Champaign's shadow) and Eastern Michigan (Ann Arbor). It's tough to develop a fan following with nearby competition like that.