Sports
Prime Time for Pickleball in Kansas City
Dubbed “the fastest growing sport in America” by the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA), Pickleball has come a long way since it was invented on a Saturday afternoon in Washington state back in 1965. It’s booming in Kansas City.
Backyards to Big Time: The Cornhole Craze in Kansas City
Founded in 2006, Kansas City Cornhole existed quietly until recently, when the sport half-hilariously was thrust into the niche-sports spotlight, including ESPN.
‘It’s a full-contact, mixed-gender sport’
Founded in 2016, the semi-professional club exists on principles of inclusivity and a strong sense of community. If Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley happened to watch the Kansas City Stampede play quidditch in the Major League Quidditch Championships in Richmond, Virginia in early August, they may have thought the Muggles have once again…
How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games?
When baseball season ends this month, Kauffman Stadium will have hosted 83 Royals home games. That’s 83 days of hot dogs, popcorn and beer. And each night, someone has to clean it all up. A reader asked curiousKC about that process: How do Kansas City’s professional sports venues get cleaned after games? We couldn’t connect…
Pickleball For All: The Cross-Generational Power Of Play
It’s a bright fall morning in Santa Cruz County, Calif., and the tennis area at Brommer Street Park is overrun with dozens of people. But they aren’t here for tennis. Instead, cadences of pick-pock sounds fill the air as doubles players — many in their 50s and older — whack yellow Wiffle-like balls back and…
How The Chiefs Can Win The Super Bowl
Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Texans 30-0 for KC’s first postseason win in 22 years. True, KC lost to New England the next week, but the Houston win was still a watershed. On Sunday, the club will try to build on that success, beginning its most anticipated season since Jeff Gillooly was in…
How The Royals Can Get Right
The Royals finished the first half of the season right around .500. At times, like last night against Cleveland, the club has looked like the world-beaters they were last year. At times, they’ve looked exactly as average as that record would suggest. There are a few very obvious things the club can do to get…
A Defiant Muhammad Ali Was Cherished By Black Men
Over the past few days, we’ve seen image after image of Muhammad Ali: triumphant in the ring, joking on talk shows and shakily lifting the Olympic torch at the 1996 Atlanta games. He’s remembered these days as an athlete and a humanitarian, and that was, definitely, Ali. But so was the defiant, incisive Ali. “I’m…
Game Changer
Jackie Robinson’s push for racial equality spanned a lifetime where he used his athleticism as a conduit to challenge our country’s segregated system and demand change. Now, a new two-part film on his life airs next week on KCPT. (Flatland is KCPT’s digital magazine.) Through a collection of old photos, film, and interviews, the project delves…
Commentary | The Prejudices of Patriotism
We have a funny relationship with patriotism in our country. Patriotism is about loyalty to and pride in our country. And, in many respects, nowhere does that get highlighted more than with the Olympics, where we salute gladiator-like battles every four years against other countries. Unfortunately, our competitors are allowed but one identity — American…