For years, the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the hearts of local sports fans.
But we wanted to know how the Kansas City Royals’ recent World Series win and national attention changed the conversation, even as the Chiefs flirted with a chance at the Super Bowl.
When we asked Kansas Citians to draw a line in the sand and answer, “Is Kansas City a football or baseball town?” we suspect a little bit of “Midwestern nice” took over.
“Just say, ‘Yes,’” Joyce Winter Neises tells us on Facebook.
Some version of “both” was the most common response we heard from Kansas Citians.
“Let's not fall into the ‘one true sport for the city’ narrative that plagued the city on the other side of Missouri,” Chris Neises tells us on Facebook. “Plenty of room for multiple sports teams.”
RELATED: Without The Rams, Will St. Louis Football Fans Find A New Home Team In Kansas City?
Despite the popular need to bleed red and blue, football came in as a close second in our informal poll.
"I believe Kansas City loves both of its teams, but the Chiefs (and the NFL in general) have a bigger draw,” Kyler Christian, of Liberty, Missouri, writes us via an online survey through our Tell KCUR source network.
“Looking at things like attendance will show the real story; even in their worst years, the Chiefs manage to fill out Arrowhead Stadium each Sunday.”
@kcur Because of the last couple years I'd say its rapidly becoming a baseball town, but I'd still give the edge to football.#TellKCUR
— Mitchell Scott (@ScottsOriole) January 16, 2016
The Royals fans we did hear from begged to differ, however:
@kcur Until we win a Super Bowl, we're a baseball town #Royals #chiefs #chiefskingdom Go get your rings fellas!! @Chiefs
— Dean Allen (@dmaofkansascity) January 16, 2016
As an aside, Monja Calvert, of Raytown, Missouri, tells us the 2015 Royals season helped her cope with the death of her father, an avid Royals fan.
After her father died in June, “my brothers talked, (texted) and emailed each other speculating how much dad was enjoying this season through us. This season brought our family closer together,” Calvert writes in her response to our survey.
And there was a small contingent of folks who didn’t think Kansas City was a baseball or football town. Instead, they sided with soccer.
“Sporting KC has captured the imagination of a revolutionary segment of KC's millennial population,” the Rev. Rick Behrens, of Kansas City, Kansas, writes us. “The days of Chiefs loyalty are numbered. The Royals will remain in the picture as Sporting ascends."
How would you cast your vote? You can still chime in by filling out our survey.
Tell KCUR is part of an initiative to engage the community and shine a light on your experiences and opinions. Become a part of our Tell KCUR source network and help inform our reporting.
Alyson Raletz is KCUR's social media editor. She can be reached at alyson@kcur.org or follow her on Twitter, @alysonraletz.
