Photo by Briana Tozour via Uplash.

If you’re looking for a good sports city and atmosphere, Kansas City is your place to be. It’s host to four major professional sports teams across three different sports: baseball, football and soccer. This article aims to be a survey of Kansas City sports, highlighting each team and providing a little history for each.

Chiefs Kingdom: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are the oldest professional sports team in Kansas City, although they weren’t established in Kansas City. Our beloved Chiefs were established in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by then-American Football League (AFL) founder Lamar Hunt.

A minor tangent about the AFL: The AFL was created as an alternative to the NFL by Lamar Hunt. To avoid a talent war, the AFL merged with the NFL to create one league in June 1966. The AFL became the American Football Conference (AFC), whose title still bears Mr. Hunt’s name. The first AFL-NFL championship in 1967, amusingly called the World Championship, kicked off what would become the Super Bowl era.

In 1963, the Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City and rebranded as the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, they’ve won six league titles (four Super Bowls and two AFL championships, before the AFL and the NFL merged) and are currently one of the best teams in the league. Under the leadership of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have won their division for nine straight years, the AFC championship game for five of the last six years, and three Super Bowls.

On first arrival in Kansas City, they played at the Municipal Stadium on E. 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue. In 1972, the team moved to Arrowhead Stadium in Jackson County, where they have played for the last fifty years.

Across from Arrowhead is the second team we’ll encounter on this tour of KC sports: Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals.

The Boys Are Playing Some Ball: Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals inhabit Kauffman Stadium (in the same sports complex as Arrowhead), named after entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing M. Kauffman. (His family foundation also contributed significantly to Kauffman Gardens and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, both located in downtown KC.) Like the Chiefs, the Royals also played in Municipal Stadium until 1972.

The Kansas City Royals are currently in-season. As of the time of writing, they place third in the American League Central, trailing the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers. The Royals haven’t seen as much success as the Chiefs. They’ve only won the World Series twice, in 1985 and 2015. Since that win in 2015, the Royals have only made the playoffs once.

That said, the Royals are looking to turn things around this year and build on their AL playoff appearance last season. Stars like Bobby Witt Jr. (#7) have garnered significant attention; Witt Jr. was selected as a starting shortstop on the US national baseball team. Last year, KC Royals ace Cole Ragans (#55) was named to an All-Star team, and the Royals hope he can continue to deliver.

The Other Midwestern Football: Sporting KC

Sporting KC came to Kansas City in 1996 as the Kansas City Wiz, creating electric football from the second they landed in Kansas City. A decade and a half of KC Wiz brought an MLS Cup (2000), a US Open Cup (2004), and a dramatic victory against Manchester United in 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium; Man Utd. would go on to win the English Premier League that year.

In late 2010, the Wizards rebranded as Sporting KC and opened their own stadium, Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, although they’ve kept elements of the Wiz heritage ever since. Six years of MLS playoff appearances through 2017 have been followed by what the Sporting website politely calls a “dip in form.” Although the team is third last in Major League Soccer, they’ve won two of their last three matches against St. Louis and San José.

Making a Splash: KC Current

The Kansas City Current are KC’s newest addition to professional sports, playing in the NWSL – the National Women’s Soccer League. In Dec. 2020, the NWSL awarded an expansion franchise to Kansas City, and the city was up for the challenge. KC Current owners constructed CPKC Stadium for the club, the first stadium in the world specifically created for a women’s professional sports team.

While some may be tempted to write off the Current due to a rocky start in 2021-23 (where they had two seasons placing in the bottom three), the Current have made waves in the league ever since. They qualified for the 2024 playoffs as the #4 seed and made it to the semifinals, losing to top-seed and eventual NWSL champions Orlando Pride.

The Current have substantial talent on their side, including 2024 Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga (#6), whose 20 goals last year set an all-time NWSL record. This year, the Current have only allowed one goal this season and won their first five regular season matches, the only team in the league to do so. Their only loss came to the North Carolina Courage on Apr. 26, 3-2.

—

Whether you prefer watching boys in blue or exploring #TealTown, Kansas City knows how to bring the energy to its local sports teams. At home, away, and at the stadium, there is always a KC sports team for you to discover.

October is a busy month for Jewell’s fall sports. This year, the teams are looking at some crucial wins with a lot of talented players.

Football

Despite sophomore Tabren Yates leading a typically successful Cardinal Offense, the football team is sitting at a 1-5 record so far this year. There is no doubt that the “Agents of Change” have been showing signs of improvement every week — displayed by their win against Kentucky Wesleyan College a couple of weeks ago. With five more games to play, the team will hopefully utilize its talents well.

Volleyball

The volleyball team definitely has the talent to win a lot of games, whether it’s senior Haidan Baade recording her 1000th career dig at the team’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) win this season or sophomore Bella LaPorta leading the charge with 284 kills. The team hopes to gain some traction within their GLVC standing in their upcoming Oct. 14 tournament against Lake Erie College.

Men’s Soccer

Currently the men’s soccer team is sitting at a solid 2-4-3 record with a three-way tie for most goals on the team between junior Cole Bulgren, junior Ethan Nichols and senior Carson Lee. They are looking at three remaining conference heavyweights at the GLVC with Quincy University, University of Illinois Springfield and Truman State University, respectively, for the rest of their season.

Women’s Soccer

Despite senior Corrine Hughes having an impressive eight goals so far this season, the women’s soccer team is sitting at a record of 1-11-1. The talent on the roster shows that it is entirely possible they turn their luck around as they face three conference rivals in the weeks ahead to round out the 2022 season.

Men’s Golf

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the men’s golf team — having reached the heights of second place in the Kansas City Cup and third place at the Rockhurst Fall Invitational. Sophomore Aiden Sanders leads the team with the lowest score average of 75. The team has one final tournament in the form of the Oct. 24 and 25 Tulsa Cup in Oklahoma.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team received high placements at both the Kansas City Cup, third place, and Rockhurst Fall Invitational, second place. Senior Frida Hammarlund leads the pack with the lowest average score of 75.8 and was recognized as GLVC Player of the Week in late September. The team will play two more conferences this season: the Midwest Classic on Oct. 17 and 18 in Maryville and the Tulsa Cup on Oct. 24 and 25.

Men’s Cross Country

Performance for the men’s cross country team is high as they head into their final two competitions at the Baker Invitational and GLVC Championship. At the Oct. 8 Haskell Invite, the team placed fourth overall in the men’s 8k and five runners beat their career best time: senior Christian Santiago, sophomore Matthew Ingle, junior Harley Branch, sophomore Fabian Reyes and sophomore Samson Selleck. Santiago and Ingle both finished in the top 10 with eighth place and 10th place respectively.

Women’s Cross Country

The women’s cross country team is staying strong with two competitions left for the season at the Baker Invitational and GLVC Championship. The team placed sixth in the women’s 5k at the Haskell Invite with five runners beating their career best time: sophomore Lottie Vickers, sophomore Brooke Ware, first-year Lauren Flickinger, sophomore Carly Thacker and first-year Lillian Bogard. The team will face 15 college and universities at the GLVC Championship on Nov. 5, but overall their consistent performance should lead them to a good finish for the 2022 season.

Men’s Swimming

Having only started their season this past weekend, the men’s swimming team is off to a hot 2-1 start, having beaten both Maryville University, 226-31, and Truman State University, 121-83. The team scored four first place wins at the Truman State University competition: graduate student Austin Wolfe in both the 800 and 400 free, junior Conner Sawyer in the 100 free and junior Jose Carlos Sanchez in the 200 IM. The Cardinals will have to keep up their momentum through February to achieve their goals for a successful season.

Women’s Swimming

The women’s swimming team is showing signs of a winning season sitting at 1-1 after beating Maryville University, 187.5-59.5, in their opener. At the Truman State University competition, first-year Maddie Atwood placed first in the 50 free and sophomore Martina Torrent achieved first in both the 200 IM and 200 breast. It is no doubt this younger squad will have success throughout their season. 

Fall has officially begun with its beautiful colors and perfect temperatures. What better way to enjoy the outdoors than fun, friendly and competitive sports? 

There are a lot of great opportunities on the William Jewell College campus and in the surrounding community for people to watch and play games. Football, volleyball, cross-country, soccer and golf are in full swing competing for Jewell’s Cardinals.

While most sports will be on the road this weekend, women’s soccer will be at home Friday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 3. Additionally, softball and baseball will have scrimmages throughout the fall season to watch, providing another opportunity for the community to support and enjoy Jewell’s athletics. 

Students and the community can play all types of games outside on the Jewell campus as well. By the baseball field, there is a nine-hole frisbee golf course, which is completely free to play and has some nice scenery too. 

Additionally, the Mabee Center is open on the weekends for students to play pickup basketball. Another fun activity is playing Ultimate Frisbee on the open practice fields by the fraternities. You’ll need at least 8 people to play, so get your friends together and enjoy the brisk weather! 

For those looking to find the thrill of competition and don’t play an organized sport on campus, keep an eye out for intramural games that have been brought back in full swing thanks to seniors Issac Stormes and Mitchell Elsnes. So far, Volleyball, Kickball, and Tug of War competitions have happened, with plenty more throughout the semester sure to come. 

Missouri weather is sure to show itself in extremes, but staying active in our community will create a sense of warmth that will last through the winter.

As a student-athlete at Jewell, I’ve had the daunting task of taming the wild beast that is time management. Sustaining peak performance in both the classroom and the 6-yard box has required me to develop a stronger sense of self-discipline, to prioritize my health over taking on additional commitments and to learn greater reliance on the Lord. Although critical thought and inquiry were not needed to make a quick-reaction save, the application of this type of analytical processing was definitely at work during pre-practice conversations among teammates. Many away trips this year involved stuffing my soccer bag to the brim with Capstone research and mentally revising a paper during warm-ups. Not to mention the bus rides, consisting of both men and women half-past exhausted and on the brink of school-related despair. But take heart; somehow each bedraggled and beat up player managed to fight the good fight and make that 9 a.m. class come Monday morning.

There were, and still are, many advantages to doing life alongside a group of equally committed, mostly crazy and extremely close young women. For one thing, eating three plates of food in one sitting at a meal was never called into question. I could always count on my teammates to wear our self-proclaimed badge attire without fail: sweats, a dry fit jersey of some sort and a Jewell soccer pullover/hoodie. On days where the struggle was too real, I knew there were 22 others in my boat. Community was always guaranteed, as the girls I played with became my closest sisters. Marrying off a teammate, lifting up another through her ACL recovery and huddling together with heads bowed in prayer – these are the experiences that stand out so far during my time at Jewell and have helped shape me into the woman I am now.

In terms of the athletic department and playing for this institution, I have appreciated the privilege to play the sport I love on scholarship and have a platform to boast about Jesus. At the same time, I see the need for changes to be made in order for William Jewell to achieve greater success in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) conference and maintain a high standard of excellence among the athletes competing at such a high level. I hope to see the Mabee Center and turf field remodeled and upgraded to match the caliber of the training facilities at other institutions in our Division II conference – right now, ours are simply not sufficient for optimum progression in athletic development. I have friends from opposing schools in our conference who are provided with gear that is financially covered by the program, premier athletic training equipment and stadiums that reflect the type of funding I had dreamed of when I was a kid. It is my chief hope for our athletics to be radically transformed in staffing and facilities to match the outstanding stature of our curriculum and school facilities.

Photo courtesy of williamjewellphoto.com.