SportsBeat KC

The tight end position in the NFL has been undervalued, but players like the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the 49ers George Kittle are beginning to change that. The Chiefs recently announced an extention for Kelce that will pay him an average of $14.3 million annually. WIth four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, five Pro Bowls, two All-Pro honors and a big role in helping the Chiefs win the Super...

Sunday will be a day like no other for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the league’s founding in Kansas City. Every team throughout baseball will honor the Negro Leagues and the museum during Sunday’s games. Players, coaches and umpires will wear patches and museum president Bob Kendrick will be making appearances on broadcasts throughout the day...

The drama in college football this week involved the Big Ten, Pac-12 and the Big 12. Would their conferences have fall sports, including football? That never seemed to be doubt in the SEC. The league issued a statement on Tuesday that called for a “safe return to sports,” by Commissioner Greg Sankey. On SportsBeat KC, beat writer Souichi Terada talks about moving forward in football at Mizzou and...

The lineup is in for college football, at least at the moment. Moving toward a season are the Big 12, SEC and ACC. Not having a season are the Big Ten and Pac-12. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted college sports in a major way in March with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Now it’s playing havoc with college football. On this episode of The Star’s daily sports podcast, K-State beat writer Ke...

As the Chiefs put together their offseason financial puzzle, some top priorities were established: Take care of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Mission accomplished on both fronts. But the Chiefs were also intent on bringing back nearly every starter from their Super Bowl championship team, even if that meant restructuring some players’ contracts. So it was with wide...

By late Monday afternoon, nobody knew if there would be a college football season or how much of one there would be. One newspaper reported the Big Ten was ready to opt out on a fall, 2020 season. The Pac-12 might not be far behind. Where would that leave the Big 12, SEC and ACC? Star columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam Mellinger discuss the state of college football on SportsBeat KC with host Blair...

The Royals ended their week-long skid on Thursday with a 13-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs, which means they’ve won every game they’ve played with outfielder Nick Heath in the starting lineup. Heath, who grew up in Junction City, made his first major league start in the game, collected his first hit and ended the game with a catch that resulted in him crashing into the wall. You’ll hear from Heat...

On Thursday, Chiefs’ offensive lineman Lucas Niang became the first rookie to opt out of this season. Niang figured to compete for playing time with veteran guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif having already opted out. Instead, the door is open for veteran Keleche Osemele to step into a starting role. On SportsBeat KC, we hear from Osemele, who met the media earlier this week. He talks about his previou...

Big 12 schools will play a 10-game football schedule, but precisely when it starts and the one non-conference foe for each school remains uncertain. But these are uncertain times overall for the college sports landscape. Beat writers Kellis Robinett (Kansas State) and Jesse Newell (Kansas) discuss where things stand in the Big 12 and at the Sunflower State schools. After a break, the beat writers...

In any other year, the Chiefs would be counting down the days to their first preseason game. In 2020, thanks to the pandemic, there are no preseason games. But there are interviews with Chiefs coaches and players. Head coach Andy Reid discusses this unique preseason, carrying on without running back Damien Williams, who has opted out due to COVID-19, and several more topics on this installment of...

Never has the idea of “no time like the present” to make improvements been more true than this baseball season. The Royals have lost seven of their first 10 games, and in a 60-game season, the turnaround time is greatly reduced. That also goes for individuals like Adalberto Mondesi. The promising shortstop is off to slow start, at the plate, in the field and on the base paths. On SportsBeat KC, Th...

Travis Kelce says the Chiefs feel safe in their training camp facility at Arrowhead Stadium. The important thing is for players to be responsible when they leave the facility to return home. The Chiefs tight end touched on a range of topics head on SportsBeat KC, The Kansas City Star’s daily sports podcast. Also, on the episode, running back Damien Williams tells Sirius XM that opting out this sea...

If only Chiefs running back Damien Williams could return for the playoffs. That’s where he’s done his most damage in a Chiefs uniform with 10 touchdowns in five games over two seasons. But he won’t be in uniform this season, electing to opt-out because of COVID-19. Chiefs beat writer Herbie Teope joins SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff in breaking down the Williams’ decision and what it means for...

The newest member of the Kansas City Royals’ ownership group is ... Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Add that to the long and still growing list of accomplishments for the 24-year-old superstar. Let’s see ... first quarterback drafted by Chiefs in first round since 1983; NFL MVP in his first season as starter; Super Bowl MVP in his second; youngest member of an ownership group in Major League B...

Some sports have been more successful at re-starting than others. Baseball is going through a rough patch now with about half of the Miami Marlins traveling party, mostly players, having contracted COVID-19 during the team’s opening series at Philadelphia. The outbreak has ripple effects with other games being postponed. It’s baseball’s nightmare scenario that hasn’t occurred in some other sports,...

The Chiefs are working through health precautions and protocols as they report to training camp at the team facility at Arrowhead Stadium. The team says it’s doing everything right and is even somewhat of a model for the NFL. But safety concerns remain amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On today’s episode of the daily SportsBeat KC podcast, you’ll hear from Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and trainer Rick B...

We’ve arrived at the latest opening day in baseball history. And now, the sprint is on. A 60-game regular season and the quest to land in an expanded Major League Baseball playoff bracket begins Friday night for the Kansas City Royals. On this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast you’ll hear from seven-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder Alex Gordon on what he believes is a more danger...

The Royals played three exhibition games (“Summer Camp”) to tune up for Friday’s Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians, and there wasn’t much encouraging about those contests against the Astros and Cardinals. The Royals led for one inning in those three games, with pitchers having a difficult time commanding the strike zone. But those were exhibitions, their first games played since mid-March,...

Sporting Kansas City didn’t require a victory to advance in the MLS is Back Tournament. A draw would have done the trick, and even a loss might have sent them through. But Sporting left no doubt in a 2-0 triumph over Real Salt Lake in a match that started at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Before one minute had elapsed, Sporting was on the board thanks to Johnny Russell’s goal, and the rest of the game...

The Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center ended on March 11. The next major sporting event in Kansas City will happen 134 days later. The Super Start Battery 400 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at Kansas Speedway is Thursday. No fans will be in the stands for the race originally scheduled to run on May 31 but postponed because of the pandemic. But with five races over three days there will be some e...

Last week, the Chiefs and Chris Jones announced a new four-year contract, and the deal is worth up to $85 million. On Monday, Jones, Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach spoke to the negotiation and signing that allowed the team to retain Jones on a long-term basis instead of a one-year franchise tag. Jones explains what the contract means to him, and Reid speaks to the importance of Jones to...

The heightened sense of anticipation for Sporting KC’s opener made the loss last weekend feel like a gut-punch. Sporting surrendered two goals in extra time and fell to Minnesota 2-1. But onward we go in the MLS is Back Tournament. Sporting meets Colorado in Orlando Friday, and reporter Shaun Goodwin breaks down what must happen for SKC to return to the victory column on this episode of The Star’s...

No one knows what major college football is look like this fall, or if there will be a college football season. Two conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, have eliminated non-conference games. Others are gathering more information. On SportsBeat KC, beat writers Kellis Robinett, Gary Bedore and Souichi Terada talk discuss how Kansas State, Kansas and Missouri are handling the COVID-19 pandemic and w...

The Royals are another day closer to Opening Day and getting a little healthier. Catcher Salvador Perez participated in his first scrimmage on Tuesday and singled in his first at-bat. There will be three exhibition games in three days starting on Monday before the regular-season opener Friday. Beat writer Lynn Worthy and Star columnist Sam Mellinger join Blair Kerkhoff on SportsBeat KC to talk bas...

It happened with a day to spare. Chris Jones remains a member of the Kansas City Chiefs with news that he and his camp agreed to a four-year deal Tuesday worth up to $85 million. The deadline to get a long-term deal done was Wednesday. Thus, the Chiefs’ tremendous offseason continues, and the A-Team of Herbie Teope, Sam McDowell, Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian join host Blair Kerkhoff to break d...