Kansas City has gotten quite a bit of love lately.
The BBC earlier this year picked Kansas City as one of the 25 best places in the world to visit. Our fair city also was chosen by CNN as among the 25 underrated destinations in the United States.
And last month, the Washington Post asked nine writers to pick America’s best sports city, and Kansas City made the list. The others were Buffalo, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle.
David Von Drehle, a former Washington Post columnist and editor who lives in Kansas City, wrote about the diverse reasons why KC should be No. 1.
That includes the Chiefs dynasty and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ star power, of course. But Von Drehle also mentioned the Royals’ two World Series titles and a history that includes one of the best players of all-time, George Brett, and a current star in Bobby Witt Jr.
But there’s much more.
“Wanna ding K.C. for lacking an NBA franchise?” Von Drehle writes. “The city has something better: University of Kansas basketball. KU is the cradle of the sport. An overtime game in the historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse is the best college athletic vibe in America.
“Speaking of college athletics: Kansas City is rekindling one of the oldest and fiercest college rivalries in America. That stuff about harmonious neighborhoods does not apply to Kansas versus the University of Missouri, a tradition busted up by conference realignments but coming back to life.”
Any talk of Kansas City has to include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and that’s part of Von Drehle’s case.
And don’t forget we’re the Soccer Capital of America.
“The same Lamar Hunt who conceived of what is now the American Football Conference and its dominant Chiefs was also the visionary behind European football in the U.S.,” Von Drehle wrote. “Next year, the World Cup will pay homage to Kansas City’s long history at the forefront of North American soccer by staging multiple matches here.
“The entire World Cup tournament will have Kansas City fingerprints. Games in Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, California and Washington will all be played in stadiums designed by architects in Kansas City — the world capital of sports stadium design.”
It’s a convincing argument for Kansas City being No. 1.