In November 2015, Kansas City sports kicked off a decade of success no one could have predicted.After falling short in the 2014 World Series, the Kansas City Royals went on another improbable run to win the 2015 World Series.The championship was the Royals’ first in 30 years and led to a celebration Kansas City had never seen before.About 800,000 fans packed into downtown Kansas City to applaud and cheer their champion Royals. It was a beautiful day, both figuratively and literally.”That day it was 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC.Nelson, who led the sports commission at the time, helped plan the World Series parade.”To create a playbook for it in 2015, and then to be looked upon by other cities as, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you do this?'” Nelson said.From Nelson’s perspective, that 2015 World Series win was the beginning of something truly special in Kansas City.”We had hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, we had hosted Major League Soccer All-Star and that started to put us on the map,” Nelson said. “But until the Royals went to the World Series in 2014 and then won the World Series in 2015, that’s when Kansas City truly started to shine.”From there, the first-in-a-generation championships continued with the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVI in 2020, the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes followed it up with Super Bowl wins in 2023 and 2024.Nelson said sports success like this provides advertising a city can’t buy.”What is happening in our city is truly priceless,” Nelson said. “We don’t have budgets that big. I don’t have a budget that competes with New York or Atlanta.”Nelson said this success has catapulted Kansas City into conversations for events, conventions and business it wasn’t a part of before.”They remember 2015 and the energy around the city,” Nelson said. “They know us now for Travis and Taylor and Pat Mahomes and everything the Chiefs have done. They know us for Ted Lasso. You can’t buy that kind of advertising.”When Nelson and others created their successful pitch to land the NFL Draft in 2023, they even used a photo of the sea of blue from the Royals’ World Series parade on the front cover.Along with the success of the Chiefs and Royals, Nelson said the creation of the Kansas City Current and CPKC Stadium, the first soccer stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team, has brought even more attention to KC.”What the Longs and the Mahomes have done through the ownership of that team has really opened doors well beyond the sport of soccer and well beyond the ladies on the pitch, which is most important to us,” Nelson said.Nelson said the Current and CPKC Stadium are major talking points for her and her team. Just this weekend, she was in Chicago for meetings about the 2031 Rugby World Cup. Kansas City is one of 27 cities hoping to help host that event and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup.”That wouldn’t have happened without the KC Current and the first-ever purpose-built women’s stadium,” Nelson said.Kansas City is now preparing to focus even more on soccer as the 2026 World Cup arrives next summer. Nelson said it is the biggest event the city has ever hosted, and that stage is fueled by the past 10 years.”We’re not only winning sports events, but we’re winning conventions that we hadn’t bid on or even thought about before,” Nelson said. “And this decade of success, of championships, of winning, of celebrating in our city will propel us for the next 30 years.”It has been just over a year since Kansas City’s last championship parade, but Nelson said the city is ready to celebrate again. She has her eyes on the Current as the team heads into the NWSL playoffs as the top seed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

In November 2015, Kansas City sports kicked off a decade of success no one could have predicted.

After falling short in the 2014 World Series, the Kansas City Royals went on another improbable run to win the 2015 World Series.

The championship was the Royals’ first in 30 years and led to a celebration Kansas City had never seen before.

About 800,000 fans packed into downtown Kansas City to applaud and cheer their champion Royals. It was a beautiful day, both figuratively and literally.

“That day it was 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC.

Nelson, who led the sports commission at the time, helped plan the World Series parade.

“To create a playbook for it in 2015, and then to be looked upon by other cities as, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you do this?'” Nelson said.

From Nelson’s perspective, that 2015 World Series win was the beginning of something truly special in Kansas City.

“We had hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, we had hosted Major League Soccer All-Star and that started to put us on the map,” Nelson said. “But until the Royals went to the World Series in 2014 and then won the World Series in 2015, that’s when Kansas City truly started to shine.”

From there, the first-in-a-generation championships continued with the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVI in 2020, the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes followed it up with Super Bowl wins in 2023 and 2024.

Nelson said sports success like this provides advertising a city can’t buy.

“What is happening in our city is truly priceless,” Nelson said. “We don’t have budgets that big. I don’t have a budget that competes with New York or Atlanta.”

Nelson said this success has catapulted Kansas City into conversations for events, conventions and business it wasn’t a part of before.

“They remember 2015 and the energy around the city,” Nelson said. “They know us now for Travis and Taylor and Pat Mahomes and everything the Chiefs have done. They know us for Ted Lasso. You can’t buy that kind of advertising.”

When Nelson and others created their successful pitch to land the NFL Draft in 2023, they even used a photo of the sea of blue from the Royals’ World Series parade on the front cover.

Along with the success of the Chiefs and Royals, Nelson said the creation of the Kansas City Current and CPKC Stadium, the first soccer stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team, has brought even more attention to KC.

“What the Longs and the Mahomes have done through the ownership of that team has really opened doors well beyond the sport of soccer and well beyond the ladies on the pitch, which is most important to us,” Nelson said.

Nelson said the Current and CPKC Stadium are major talking points for her and her team. Just this weekend, she was in Chicago for meetings about the 2031 Rugby World Cup. Kansas City is one of 27 cities hoping to help host that event and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

“That wouldn’t have happened without the KC Current and the first-ever purpose-built women’s stadium,” Nelson said.

Kansas City is now preparing to focus even more on soccer as the 2026 World Cup arrives next summer. Nelson said it is the biggest event the city has ever hosted, and that stage is fueled by the past 10 years.

“We’re not only winning sports events, but we’re winning conventions that we hadn’t bid on or even thought about before,” Nelson said. “And this decade of success, of championships, of winning, of celebrating in our city will propel us for the next 30 years.”

It has been just over a year since Kansas City’s last championship parade, but Nelson said the city is ready to celebrate again.

She has her eyes on the Current as the team heads into the NWSL playoffs as the top seed.