SportsBeat KC

The Missouri Tigers are coming off their best season under Eli Drinkwitz and are poised for even more success. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnist Sam McDowell discusses what went right for Mizzou in a season that finished with a Cotton Bowl triumph over Ohio State and No. 8 final ranking and what could be in store for the Tigers. Also, Coach Eli Drinkwitz shares his thoughts on...

Full-squad training camp is underway for the Chiefs, but discussion around the team’s future home never stopped. Renovate Arrowhead Stadium or build a new structure? In Missouri or Kansas? On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnist Sam McDowell and beat writer Jesse Newell analyze the decisions confronting the Chiefs after chairman and CEO Clark Hunt addressed the stadium issue Monday...

Four Royals players contributed to the American League’s 5-3 victory over the National League in baseball’s 94th All-Star Game played in Arlington, Tex. Starting pitchers Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo each pitched a scoreless inning and they took the field with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and catcher Salvador Perez. On SportsBeat KC, the Star’s sports podcast, Royals beat writer Jaylon Thompson discusse...

The Big 12 sure looks different these days. This week, 16 schools brought football players and coaches to Las Vegas for the league’s annual media days. Newcomers Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Arizona State participated. Founding members Oklahoma and Texas did not, having shipped off to the SEC. But there is something familiar about the league. Kansas State is expected to be good, again. On SportsBea...

From the late 1970s into the 1980, Tom Watson dominated golf. Five British Open championships among his eight major titles and 39 PGA Tour titles -- not to mention six major titles on the Champions Tour -- rank him among the game’s greatest ever. And he’s Kansas City’s own. Born and raised here, Watson has always called Kansas City home. In a conversation with The Star, Watson emphasized his local...

There’s less rest for the Super Bowl champion, which plays the final game of the previous season and the first of the next. But no complaints from the Chiefs, who squeezed in a White House visit and ring ceremony around their off-season workouts. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell puts a bow on the off-season and tackles the impending decisions at such positions...

Has Sporting Kansas City reached a pivot point similar to last year? The club can only hope said. After an awful start in 2023, Sporting rallied with a super second half that continued with a spirited playoff run. This season? After a somewhat encouraging start, Sporting dropped seven straight to drop into last place. Like last year, Sporting ended its woes with a victory over Seattle, and now we’...

Only 16 teams remain in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, and one of them is Kansas State. For the second time in program history the Wildcats have reached the Super Regional. Find a way to win twice at Virginia this weekend and K-State’s Bat Cats will play at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., for the first time. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Kellis Robin...

Often when a baseball record is set, it occurs during game with fanfare. Not this time. The integration of Negro Leagues statistics into Major League Baseball that has resulted in new leaders atop some lists, happened decades later, and determined by a committee. A Negro Leagues slugger, Josh Gibson, has surpassed Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb in a couple of batting categories, and some who started their...

In 2014, the Royals were scuffling around the All-Star break, falling a couple of games under .500 and looking like the postseason drought, nearing three decades, would continue. But the Royals put together a sizzling second half and qualified for the playoffs. There, they made history, becoming the first team to win the first eight games of a postseason. The quest reached Game 7 of the World Seri...

Only the NFL could turn its schedule announcement into an event. And we even know the opponents. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, Chiefs beat writer Jesse Newell previews the unveiling, and what’s known so far. The Chiefs first’ two games have been identified: home contests against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. What does that mean for the rest of the slate? Also discusse...

The winning continues for the Royals as baseball approaches the quarter pole of the season. We’re not longer waiting for the bottom to fall out on a team that dropped 106 games last year and has posted seven consecutive losing record records heading in 2024. The starting pitching has excelled. The defense is superb, and the Royals are getting enough offense the believe the success is sustainable....

The Chiefs’ 2024 draft class addressed needs, specifically at wide receiver and offensive tackle, and the team took some fliers on others. Did the Chiefs meet all their goals, and do more positions require more attention? On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell offers thoughts on all seven selections and looks ahead to how the group will blend with the the two-time de...

The Annual Player Selection Meeting, or informally known as the NFL Draft, kicks off its three-day run on Thursday in Detroit. As Super Bowl champion, the Chiefs own picks No. 32 and 64 in the first two rounds, but there should be good depth at the positions of team needs, like wide receiver and offensive tackle. Will the Chiefs go there? On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Je...

Quite the soccer scene in Kansas City last weekend. Sporting Kansas City took on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami before more than 72,000 last weekend at Arrowhead Stadium. The game, and Messi’s performance lived up the hype in Miami’s 3-2 victory. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian look back at the event and what it means for a stadium and region t...

The baseball season is about two weeks old, and the Royals are still in it entering a three-game home series against the Houston Astros. The team is off to its best start in three years and it’s a refreshing change from recent seasons. The starting pitching has been outstanding and players like M.J Melendez, Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr., are off to fast starts. On SportsBeat KC...

Jackson County votes have spoken, and they said “no” to a new stadium for the Royals and upgrades at Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian, who covered the stadium tax campaign from the beginning, share their thoughts on why it failed and what’s next for the teams. The teams didn’t put together a winning game plan....

On April 2, Jackson County residents will decide whether to approve a 3/8-cent sales tax that would fund a new stadium for the Royals and provide upgrades at Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. The tax expected to generate about $2 billion over 40 years. A “Yes,” vote means the Royals will move out of Kauffman Stadium and build a new stadium in the Crossroads District. The Chiefs will stay put and i...

The first wave of free agency has passed and the Chiefs were active. It actually started before the period opened when the two-time Super Bowl champion gave Chris Jones a record-setting contract . In free agency, the Chiefs came away with wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown as their big splash , while signing several defensive players in hopes of recreating the magic of the 2023 unit. The Chi...

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The Kansas Jayhawks won their most recent battle. How will they fare in the postseason wars? On SportsBeat KC, The Star's sports podcast, beat writers Gary Bedore and Shreyas Laddha break down KU's victory over Kansas State and look ahead to postseason prospects. The Jayhawks, who entered the season as the nation's top-ranked team but has fallen to No. 14 in the latest poll, do many things well, a...

In two weeks, the Kansas City Current of the NWSL will open its season and new stadium. The following month, Sporting will play host to Miami and Lionel Messi at Arrowhead Stadium. And the FIFA 2026 World Cup games are never far from mind. But on this SportsBeat KC podcast, we discuss Sporting Kansas City. Columnist Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Daniel Sperry are joined by special guest Nate Buka...

One final official act of the Kansas City Chiefs LVIII championship remains: Wednesday’s parade. After that, it’s on to 2024. On SportsBeat KC, The KC Star’s sports podcast recorded about 24 hours after the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, beat writer Jesse Newell discusses the game and some of its unsung heroes and the decision by the 49ers to take the ball first in ov...

The Chiefs bid for their third Super Bowl championship in five years, while the San Francisco 49s look to avenge their loss to Kansas City in the big game four years ago. Both teams make strong cases to feel confident about victory. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell break down the game and make the case for both tea...

The Chiefs have had a more impressive path to the Super Bowl than the San Francisco 49ers, with Kansas City winning twice on the road. Their most recent common opponent is the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs beat them for the AFC championship last week, the 49ers lost them at home late in the regular season. So why are the Chiefs underdogs in Super Bowl LVIII. Beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists...