One thing is for sure: Kansas City knows ball.
Our start began the summer of 1866 with the city’s first organized baseball team, the Kansas City Antelopes. And records indicate we were just as loud and rowdy then as in Arrowhead now.
Tensions were still high on the heels of the Civil War. So much so that legend has it the Antelopes went so far as to hire gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok to umpire a game. After all, who would dare contest his calls? We were a frontier city on the edge of the American West, and it showed.
Kansas City Baseball History: The Monarchs and Royals
But by the time 1920 rolled around, KC would make a grand slam of a milestone by founding the Negro National League, and naturally, the Kansas City Monarchs were established that same year. The Monarchs developed true legends: Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.
Is it any wonder the Kansas City Monarchs became one of the most successful franchises in Negro Leagues history — and the longest-running?
To honor the league, in 2021, the Kansas City T-Bones rebranded. Now known as the Kansas City Monarchs, the team plays at the appropriately named Legends Field.
KC Parent Pro Tip: Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., “where history touches home.” Regular admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors (65+) and children ages 5-12; children 4 and under are free. And in Free February (at least for the last five consecutive years), museum visitors have received free admission in celebration of Black History Month thanks to the Kansas City Royals Foundation.
Baseball history continues at the College Baseball Hall of Fame located inside the Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park. This first-of-its-kind museum celebrates the achievements and stories of college baseball players, coaches and contributors while preserving the rich history of the game at the collegiate level. The first phase of the College Baseball Hall of Fame features the Home Run Dugout Batting Bay Experience, an interactive batting bay simulator, where players ages 6 and up can swing for the fences!
In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics relocated to be the Kansas City Athletics. The Athletics eventually moved again and became the Oakland A’s.
Kansas City was under threat of losing a team of their own, and that’s when Missouri Senator Stuart Symington put pressure on the MLB: Grant KC a new franchise, or else the MLB’s federal antitrust exemption was at risk. We have him, in part, to thank for the KC Royals (established 1969).
Our first World Series title was hard-fought against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. After a near 30-year playoff drought, the Royals made a comeback in 2014. They wouldn’t secure the title that postseason, but they would gain enough momentum and talent to succeed the following year.
KC Parent Pro Tip: Daily tours of Kauffman Stadium invite fans into the dugout, interview room, Diamond Club and more. Pricing varies throughout the season.
Coincidentally, 2015 was the only year in KC’s history that its MLB, NFL and MLS teams all reached the postseason. Better yet, all three won at least one postseason game or competition, with the Royals winning the World Series and Sporting KC claiming the U.S. Open Cup.
Kansas City Chiefs History: From the Cowboys to Super Bowl Champions
Speaking of the NFL, “How ’bout those Cowboys …?” The first NFL team to call KC home was the Kansas City Cowboys. It wasn’t until 1963 that Lamar Hunt relocated his franchise, the Dallas Texans, to Kansas City, where the team was renamed the Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs played in the very first Super Bowl. Since 1967, the Chiefs have been back six times, winning four Lombardi Trophies — the latest in 2024. Like its players, Arrowhead Stadium boasts impressive stats. In 2014, it was recognized by Guinness World Records as the loudest stadium, when fans reached 142.2 decibels.
The Chiefs are set to relocate across the state line to Wyandotte County, Kan., in time for the 2031 NFL season. If that thought makes you homesick for Arrowhead, take comfort in the plans for the new complex. The dome is designed for “Decibel UP!”
Kansas City Soccer History: Sporting KC, KC Current and the World Cup
Of course, soccer has had a growing presence in our community. Since the founding of the Kansas City Wiz (later Wizards) in 1995, the team has relocated to Children’s Mercy Park and rebranded as Sporting KC.
Under former player Peter Vermes, the club boasted four major trophies in six years: the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, the MLS Cup in 2013, and two more U.S. Open Cups in 2015 and 2017.
Perhaps, though, one of KC’s greatest sporting achievements was not won by a team, but by the city itself. Earlier this year, Kansas City welcomed the world as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Six matches were held at Kansas City Stadium (aka Arrowhead), including a quarterfinal.
Another goal in our favor? Fans can cheer on the KC Current from CPKC Stadium, the first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s sports team. For having the best record in the league for a regular season, the team earned the NWSL Shield in 2025.
But the Current isn’t KC’s only professional women’s sports team anymore. The KC Diamonds, a professional softball team, began their inaugural season this summer at Legends Field. Their arrival adds another exciting win to Kansas City’s evolving sports landscape.
Kansas City Mavericks: Hockey History in KC
And the fields aren’t the only playing ground. The ice at Cable Dahmer Arena is seeing its share of the action with the KC Mavericks. Starting in 2009 with a sold-out debut, the Mavericks bested the Wichita Thunder, and they haven’t let up. Last season (2025-26) was their best yet as the team finished first in the Western Conference and Mountain Division while also advancing to the Western Conference finals. In addition, general manager and head coach Tad O’Had was named ECHL Coach of the Year.
KC Parent Pro Tip: Win big on ticket savings by purchasing a GetOut Membership (formerly Pogo Pass), which includes one general admission ticket to home games for the KC Royals, Sporting KC, the KC Mavericks, the Kansas City Monarchs and more.
Kansas City Sports Museums and Exhibits to Visit
Before the clock runs out, take in two exhibits celebrating sports!
The Nerman Museum’s Sport and Spectator exhibit (Overland Park) invites fans to explore striking displays that celebrate sports and their impact, both individual and cultural. Catch it through Dec. 6, 2026.
For a deeper history of local sports, don’t miss the United We Play exhibit at the Truman Library (Independence). Special items on display include a 14k gold NFL season pass for President Truman and a soccer ball from Sporting KC’s 2013 championship team. Exhibit ends Dec. 31, 2026.
It’s clear. KC knows ball, and our best just keeps getting better.