Sports in Kansas City
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area has a long history of sports, which has included national championship teams and championship title events.
Major professional teams
| Club | Sport | League | Founded | Venue | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | American football | National Football League | 1960 | Arrowhead Stadium | 2 |
| Kansas City Royals | Baseball | Major League Baseball | 1969 | Kauffman Stadium | 2 |
| Sporting Kansas City | Soccer | Major League Soccer | 1996 | Children's Mercy Park | 2 |
Kansas City has had teams in all five of the major, professional sports leagues; three major league teams remain today. The Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball became the first American League expansion team to reach the playoffs (1976), to reach the World Series (1980), and to win the World Series (1985; against the state-rival St. Louis Cardinals in the "Show-Me Series"). They did not make the playoffs again until 2014, winning the American League pennant before falling in a seven-game World Series to the San Francisco Giants. The Royals would return to the World Series in 2015, defeating the New York Mets in five games, clinching the title with a 7–2 win in 12 innings.
Since moving to the city in 1963, the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFL title in 1966, ultimately losing Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers, and again in 1969 as the last ever AFL champion, en route to their first Super Bowl win. They won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings, 23–7. 50 years later, they would win Super Bowl LIV 31–20 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer (MLS) plays its home games at Children's Mercy Park, formerly named Livestrong Sporting Park and Sporting Park. Kansas City has won the MLS Cup twice — first in 2000 by defeating the Chicago Fire 1–0, and next in 2013 by beating Real Salt Lake at Sporting Park. Kansas City has won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup four times — first in 2004 by beating the Chicago Fire, next in 2012 by beating the Seattle Sounders at Sporting Park, again in 2015 by beating the Philadelphia Union, and most recently in 2017 by beating the New York Red Bulls. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is named for Lamar Hunt; while he was best known as the founding owner of the Chiefs, he was also a principal founder of both the original North American Soccer League and MLS.
Other current teams
| Club | Sport | Founded | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Comets | Indoor soccer | 2010 | Major Arena Soccer League | Cable Dahmer Arena |
| Kansas City Mavericks | Ice hockey | 2009 | ECHL | Cable Dahmer Arena |
| Kansas City T-Bones | Baseball | 2003 | American Association | T-Bones Stadium |
| Sporting Kansas City II | Soccer | 2016 | USL Championship | Children's Mercy Park |
College sports
| Program | School | Location | Division | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Roos | University of Missouri–Kansas City | Kansas City, Missouri | NCAA Division I | Summit League |
| Rockhurst Hawks | Rockhurst University | Kansas City, Missouri | NCAA Division II | Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Avila Eagles | Avila University | Kansas City, Missouri | NAIA | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers | MidAmerica Nazarene University | Olathe, Kansas | NAIA | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
Past teams
In 1972, Kansas City gained an NBA franchise, when the Kansas City-Omaha Kings – which had originated as the Rochester Royals, before becoming the Cincinnati Royals – relocated to the city from Cincinnati; the Kings split their home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska until 1975, when the team began playing its games exclusively in Kansas City, shortening its name to the Kansas City Kings. In 1985, the Kings relocated to Sacramento, California, becoming the Sacramento Kings.
In 1974, the National Hockey League (NHL) added an expansion team in Kansas City,[1] when the Kansas City Scouts began play. The team would suffer due to an economic downturn in the Midwest. For their second season, the Scouts sold just 2,000 of 8,000 season tickets and were almost $1 million in debt. Due to their various on- and off-ice disappointments, the franchise moved to Denver before settling on the East Coast as the New Jersey Devils.
The Kansas Crusaders won the 1993 Women's Professional Basketball WBA Championship and the Kansas City Mustangs went undefeated in 1994.
| Club | Sport | Years of Operation | League | Venue | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Kansas City | Women's soccer | 2013–2017 | National Women's Soccer League | Children's Mercy Victory Field | Folded and roster transferred to Utah Royals FC |
| Kansas City Athletics | Baseball | 1955–1967 | Major League Baseball | Municipal Stadium | Moved to Oakland |
| Kansas City Attack/Comets | Indoor soccer | 1991–2005 | National Professional Soccer League (1991–2001); Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2005) |
Municipal Auditorium, Kemper Arena | Suspended operations for 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons |
| Kansas City Blades | Ice hockey | 1990–2001 | International Hockey League | Kemper Arena | League folded |
| Kansas City Blues | Baseball | 1898–1900 | Western League | Became the Washington Senators, now Minnesota Twins | |
| Kansas City Blues | Baseball | 1902–1954 | American Association (20th Century) | Blues Stadium | Moved to Colorado, now the New Orleans Baby Cakes (PCL) |
| Kansas City Blues/Cowboys | Football | 1924–1926 | National Football League | Team folded | |
| Kansas City Comets | Indoor soccer | 1981–1991 | Major Indoor Soccer League | Kemper Arena | Team folded |
| Kansas City Command | Arena football | 2006–2012 | Arena Football League | Kemper Arena, Sprint Center | Team folded |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Baseball | 1884 | Union Association | Association Park | League folded; team moved to the minor league Western League |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Baseball | 1886 | National League (1886) | Association Park | Team folded; players sold to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Baseball | 1888–1889 | American Association (1888–89) | Exposition Park | Team folded |
| Kansas City Explorers | Tennis | 1993–2012 | World TeamTennis | Barney Allis Plaza | Moved to Irving, Texas, and became the Texas Wild |
| Kansas City Kings | Basketball | 1972–1985 | National Basketball Association | Municipal Auditorium, Kemper Arena | Moved to Sacramento |
| Kansas City Knights | Basketball | 2000–2005 | American Basketball Association | Kemper Arena, Hale Arena | Suspended operations for 2005–06 season |
| Kansas City Maroons | Baseball | ||||
| Kansas City Monarchs | Baseball | 1920–1955 | Negro National League (1920–1930), Negro American League (1930–1955) |
Blues Stadium | Became full-time barnstorming team until 1965 |
| Kansas City Mustangs | Women's basketball | 1992–1996 | WABA-Kansas Crusaders (1992–1994), Women's American Basketball Association (1995–1996) |
Municipal Auditorium | League folded |
| Kansas City Outlaws | Ice hockey | 2004–2005 | United Hockey League | Kemper Arena | Team folded |
| Kansas City Packers | Baseball | ||||
| Kansas City Phantoms | Indoor football | 2017–2018 | Champions Indoor Football | Silverstein Eye Centers Arena | Team folded |
| Kansas City Renegades | Indoor football | 2013 | Champions Professional Indoor Football League | Kemper Arena | Team folded |
| Kansas City Scouts | Ice hockey | 1974–1976 | National Hockey League | Kemper Arena | Moved to Colorado; now the New Jersey Devils |
| Kansas City Spurs | Soccer | 1968–1970 | North American Soccer League | Municipal Stadium | Team folded |
| Kansas City Steers | Basketball | 1961–1963 | American Basketball League | Municipal Auditorium | League folded |
| Kansas City Tornadoes | Basketball | 2018–2019 | The Basketball League | Hy-Vee Arena | Folded |
Sporting events
- Kansas City is often the home of the Big 12 Basketball Tournaments. The men's tournament is played at Sprint Center, while the women's tournament has often played at Municipal Auditorium. Lately newer arenas in Dallas and Oklahoma City have hosted both tournaments.
- Arrowhead Stadium serves as the venue for various intercollegiate football games. Often it was the host of the Big 12 Football Title Game. On the last weekend in October, the Fall Classic rivalry game between Northwest Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University takes place here. Usually, the Bearcats of Northwest and Gorillas of Pitt State are ranked one-two in the MIAA conference. In 2005, other games at Arrowhead included Arkansas State playing host to Missouri, and Kansas hosting Oklahoma.
- Kansas Speedway, located in Kansas City, Kansas, hosts many auto racing events, including two NASCAR race weekends with the Cup Series and Truck Series in the spring and the Cup Series and Xfinity Series in the fall. The track formerly hosted a race in the IndyCar Series.
- Kansas City has also hosted the 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium as well as the 2013 MLS All-Star Game at the venue now known as Children's Mercy Park. In 2006, Kansas City was awarded Super Bowl XLIX, but a vote for a rolling roof to be put over Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums was voted down, eliminating that possibility.
Sports headquarters
Kansas City and nearby Overland Park, Kansas were once the home of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and has hosted ten men's final fours, more than any other city. However, Kansas City will be unable to host an 11th Final Four due to the NCAA's requirement starting with the 1997 tournament that all Final Four venues have a minimum seating capacity of 30,000.
In recognition of Kansas City's ten final fours, the National Association of Basketball Coaches are based in the city, and operates a full-time museum in the new Sprint Center which opened in 2007.
Kansas City is home to the Mid–America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, a NCAA Division II conference of 14 schools in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics was formed in Kansas City. The national basketball tournament for the NAIA takes place each year in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is located in the 18th and Vine district.
References
- "National Hockey League (NHL) Expansion History". Rauzulu's Street. Retrieved August 30, 2006.