SportsBeat KC

The Chiefs continue to look for a complete, four-quarter game. But three solid quarters was enough on Sunday as they defeated Washington 31-13 on the road. Here, in podcast form, sports columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Herbie Teope join host Blair Kerkhoff in breaking down the game on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily podcast. The Chiefs proved that when this offense doesn...

A downtown stadium for the Royals is now a front burner issue. John Sherman, who leads the Royals ownership group, went public with the idea last month, and now it’s out there for everyone to consider. Where would it be built? How much would it cost and who gets the tab? What becomes of Kauffman Stadium, and does the popular Royals ballpark even need to be replaced? Those questions and more are ex...

Fixing the Chiefs’ problems begins with a two-pronged attack: Tightening up a defense that ranks last in the NFL, and taking care of the football. The Chiefs’ 11 turnovers also rank last in the league. These issues (plus others) have the two-time Super Bowl team off to a 2-3 start, but the turnaround can begin at noon Sunday in Washington D.C., where the Chiefs are a 6 1/2-point favorite against t...

When it comes to conference play, Kansas State, Missouri and Kansas are on the bottom — KSU and KU in the Big 12, MU in the SEC. Maybe that changes this weekend as Wildcats, Tigers and Jayhawks play at home? All three are underdogs: Mizzou against Texas A&M (-9), Kansas State versus Iowa State (-6) and KU against Texas Tech (-16). But all have reason to feel positive about this weekend, too. W...

Sporting Kansas City, KC NWSL, the U.S. Men’s National Team, Kansas City’s 2026 World Cup bid, we talk about it all on today’s SportsBeat KC with The Star’s soccer reporter Shaun Goodwin. The women’s team is coming off one of its best results of the season, a scoreless draw with Portland. They continue their excellent play at Legends Field. Sporting KC looks to stay in the hunt for the MLS Western...

Youth was served when it came to Royals pitching in 2021. Two years earlier, the club got 113 starts from pitchers who were 26 and older. This season, it was 51. And the Royals became the first team in major league history to have five players start games in the major leagues from the same draft class (2018) for the team that drafted them. We break down what this all means for next season with bea...

It’s not often that beat writers Herbie Teope and Sam McDowell and columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian talk about a lopsided Chiefs loss. But that’s where we are Monday on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily sports podcast. The Chiefs were crunched 38-20 by the Bills at rainy Arrowhead Stadium Sunday night. Issues that have plagued the Chiefs at every turn this season only intensified against...

Last year’s AFC Championship Game participants meet Sunday night in a Week 5 battle at Arrowhead Stadium, and there’s plenty on the line for the Chiefs and Bills. After consecutive losses, Kansas City got back on track at Philadelphia last weekend and is eager to prove it remains the AFC favorite. Buffalo was the Chiefs’ top competition in the conference last season, and the Bills are out to prove...

The losing trends on the gridiron continue at Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas. Conference play hasn’t been good for any of them. The Wildcats gave great effort in falling to Oklahoma. The same cannot be said for Mizzou against Tennessee and KU against Iowa State. College beat writers Lila Bromberg, Kellis Robinett, Jesse Newell and Gary Bedore break down the teams they cover —all three are 0-2 i...

The world’s best women’s soccer league is enduring a crisis. In a recent investigative report by The Athletic, players alleged that another former longtime coach, Paul Riley of the North Carolina Courage, used his power and influence to sexually harass players, and in one instance coerced a player into having sex with him. Riley was fired after the report was published. The NWSL shut down all game...

Another Royals season is in the books. Their final record of 74-88 marks the most victories for the club since 2017, and their winning percentage falls in the top half for the franchise since 2000. This season was dominated by one player, Salvador Perez. He became the first Royal to lead the American League in home runs and RBIs. On today’s episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily sports podcast...

There was plenty to celebrate with the Chiefs’ 42-30 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Andy Reid won his 100th game as the Chiefs’ head coach, Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes, three to Tyreek HIll, and the Chiefs ended a two-game losing streak, But oh, that defense. The Chiefs had to keep scoring because the Eagles did, too. The difference? Philly settled for three field...

Not to worry. This sluggish start for the Chiefs is nothing like the last one, six years ago. That season, the Chiefs started 1-5 before finding their rhythm all the way to their first playoff victory in more than two decades. This team is better than that one was and gets a chance to prove it on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Star’s coverage team of Vahe Gregorian, Sam Mellinger, Sam McDowell and He...

Kansas State, Missouri and Kansas went on the road last weekend seeking football victories. Each came away empty-handed. The Wildcats and Tigers return home Saturday, but the challenges only increase. The Wildcats take on sixth-ranked Oklahoma in search of a third straight victory over the Sooners. K-State’s chances may rest on who starts at quarterback. Could Fort Osage product Skylar Thompson ma...

It was good to see Andy Reid back at the podium at a Chiefs news conference Wednesday. The Chiefs’ head coach spent Sunday night in the hospital for an illness that he didn’t get into specifics about. Reid spoke briefly about the scare but spent most of his time Wednesday addressing questions about the team’s acquisition of wide receiver Josh Gordon and some of the problems that have pestered the...

A week remains in the Royals season, so Salvador Perez has that much time to become the American League leader in home runs and RBIs. What else can the Royals’ accomplish? On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writer Lynn Worthy and columnist Vahe Gregorian discuss the season’s final week, break down the candidates for the team’s pitcher of the year, and discuss how a successful year in the organization’...

Rare is the Chiefs losing streak. It hasn’t happen since the first half of the 2019, but now the Chiefs have lost consecutive games with Sunday’s 30-24 defeat against the Los Angeles Chargers. That followed the heartbreaker at Baltimore the previous weekend. The breakdown of this one starts with turnovers. The Chiefs gave it away four times, twice on Patrick Mahomes interceptions. Still, they had...

A last-minute loss, on the road, against a playoff team with an MVP quarterback doesn’t mean the Chiefs are headed in the wrong direction. But they should be paying closer attention to the road. On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writer Herbie Teope and columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian discuss the Chiefs as they prepare for Sunday’s home game against the Chargers. The bigger issues are on t...

Major college football teams from around the area hit the road this weekend with statement opportunities on the line, and we have the beat-writer breakdowns for Kansas State, Missouri and Kansas in this episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily podcast. K-State visits Oklahoma State in a battle of teams currently ranked in the coaches’ poll. Missouri travels to Boston College and looks for its fi...

The sky has stopped falling in Kansas City after the Chiefs’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. But the conversation about the direction of this season continues. In this episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily sports podcast, QB Patrick Mahomes, coach Andy Reid and defensive lineman Jarran Reed look in the rear-view mirror and discuss what happened in that gut-wrenching defeat. They also...

The Baseball 100, Joe Posnanski’s new book, tells the sport’s history through its greatest players. Posnanski, a former longtime KC Star sports columnist, joined Royals beat writer Lynn Worthy and columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian Tuesday to discuss his book, a sort of dress rehearsal for his appearance with baseball author and historian Bill James on Sept. 29 at Unity Temple on the Plaz...

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs don’t lose games the way they lost on Sunday. Heck, they haven’t lost many games at all — an NFL low 10 in the regular season over the past three years. So but to fritter away an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, that’s head-shaking stuff. We talked about what happened in the 36-35 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football with columnists Sam Mellinger...

Sporting Kansas City headed into a break in the schedule with a resounding 4-0 victory over Minnesota United with goals from four different players. One of them came from Daniel Salloi, who heard “MVP” chants break out from the crowd at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting finds itself atop the MLS Western Conference heading into the weekend. The news has been better for KC NWSL lately. The team is com...

The Chiefs should have a good sense of the AFC North after this weekend. After knocking off the Browns in their season opener, it’s time to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. In this episode of the daily SportsBeat KC podcast, we talk about both games with beat writer Herbie Teope, columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam Mellinger and host Blair Kerkhoff. What needs to be fixed, and wha...

Not again. Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson suffered another injury, this time to his knee, that will force him to miss games. Remember, a year ago, Thompson missed half of the season with an injury. He returned for a sixth year and got the season off to a terrific start with a resounding triumph over Stanford. Now, he’s in recovery mode once again. But he won’t be out for the season, K-St...