GLADSTONE, Mo. (KCTV) – As Jackson County officials work to plan the Royals’ future, fans and businesses reflect on the impact the team brings to their community.
At Northland Baseball Cards in Gladstone, everything Royals rests on the shelves at Brandon Castillo’s family business. The shop has been open for about eight years.
“A huge chunk of what we sell is Royals stuff, Royals memorabilia from all the way from George Brett to Bobby Witt,” Castillo said.
The store preserves plenty of history and serves as evidence of the face value of the Royals franchise to the KCMO metro community. As the organization searches for a new place to play its games, Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota works to keep them close by.
“They’re looking at different sites in Kansas and Missouri,” LeVota said. “I’m confident we can keep the Royals here in Jackson County.”
LeVota said conversations have been good with the Royals, and he is confident the county will reach an agreement.
“We don’t want to lose the Kansas City Royals,” he said. “We’re gonna do everything we can to keep them here.”
Morgan Rainey, whose family has attended games since he can remember, said he would hate to see the team leave Missouri.
As Jackson County officials work to plan the Royals’ future, fans and businesses reflect on the impact the team brings to their community.(KCTV5/Jordan Fremstad)
“What a thing to move, you know,” Rainey said. “I’m used to driving through Jackson County. That’s gonna be a bummer, yeah.”
Rainey said he will always remember 2015 and believes sports franchises are bigger than business.
“Nothing beats the hype and the feeling of the 2014 and ’15 Royals because that’s the first thing that broke the dam open,” Rainey said. “Then we all had a Royals hangover after they kinda had to rebuild. Then Andy Reid came and then Mahomes came, and man, that was really special.”
Castillo agreed about the team’s broader impact.
“The Royals are very important for the economy, the culture,” he said.
Rainey said he is excited that the Chiefs are staying in the metro. He also emphasized the Royals connection to Kansas City, Missouri.
“It’s KCMO, it’s on the Royals City Connect jerseys. It’s KCMO,” he said.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.