How a Senator’s Ultimatum and a Livestock Show Created the Kansas City Royals

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When Kansas City lost its baseball team in 1967, a furious U.S. Senator forced Major League Baseball to grant the city an expansion franchise. The resulting team, named after a local livestock exhibition, transformed from a struggling startup into a two-time World Series champion, overcoming decades of postseason drought.

The Kansas City Royals were born from political pressure. After the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968, Missouri Senator Stuart Symington threatened to strip Major League Baseball of its antitrust exemption unless the city received a new team. MLB complied, awarding Kansas City an expansion franchise that began play in 1969. Pharmaceutical executive Ewing Kauffman purchased the team and held a contest to name it. A local resident suggested 'Royals' to honor the American Royal, a long-standing regional livestock and barbecue competition. The team's board approved the name by a 6-to-1 margin, with Kauffman himself casting the lone dissenting vote before eventually warming to the choice.

The franchise quickly established a competitive identity, reaching the playoffs seven times between 1976 and 1985. This era featured iconic players like George Brett and Bret Saberhagen, culminating in the 1985 World Series title. The team's history is marked by intense rivalries, most notably the 'Pine Tar Incident' of 1983, where a home run by Brett was initially disallowed due to illegal bat modifications, only to be reinstated later. The team's home, Kauffman Stadium, has hosted the All-Star Game three times, in 1960, 1973, and 2012.

Following the death of Ewing Kauffman in 1993, the team entered a period of instability and decline. Kauffman had implemented a complex succession plan to keep the club in Kansas City, eventually leading to a 2000 sale to David Glass for $96 million. The team endured a 28-season postseason drought from 1986 to 2013, including a record-setting string of 100-loss seasons in the mid-2000s. However, the franchise successfully rebuilt, securing a wild card berth in 2014 and winning their second World Series championship in 2015. Today, the team is majority-owned by John Sherman and remains a fixture of the American League Central division.

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