Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed a beautiful reason for his interest in helping to bring a WNBA franchise to KC.
Patrick Mahomes II and his wife, Brittany, are attempting to help bring a WNBA franchise to Kansas City.
As reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on October 30: “As WNBA expansion continues, ownership of the NWSL’s KC Current — which includes Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany — has met with the WNBA and is in contention to bring the league’s next franchise to Kansas City.” Schefter also reminded that Mahomes “co-owns the KC Royals and Sporting KC.”
On October 31, Mahomes was asked why this specific WNBA venture and women’s sports as a whole are both so important to him, and his reasons were quite touching.
“I think, first, it’s just to showcase to my daughter — who I believe loves sports so far because everything we do, she wants to hit the baseball off the tee, she wants to play soccer,” Mahomes told reporters ahead of Week 9. “I want to show that she can follow her dreams and make an impact in this world in whatever that dream is.”
“And then, as I’ve met players and women from other sports that I’ve kind of been around — including my wife — and show that they didn’t get some of the same things that I got coming up as far as the resources and the facilities and stuff like that,” the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback went on. “So, I want to give them those same resources, those same facilities.”
“You’ve seen it with the [KC] Current. Whenever you give [athletes] the best of the best, they go out and perform at an even higher level,” Mahomes added. “So, I’m excited for the playoff run we’re about to have with the Current and I want to continue to work in women’s sports as long as I can.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Calls WNBA Franchise ‘No-Brainer’ for Kansas City
Per KCTV 5, “the WNBA has said the league would like to expand from 12 to 16 teams by 2028.” KCTV 5 also noted that “Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city should be a no-brainer for a new team in an interview with KCTV last week.”
Mahomes sent a similar message on the subject on October 31.
“We want to get basketball to Kansas City in general,” the superstar QB said, “and the WNBA and the success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons, it’s kind of a no-brainer to try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City to this fanbase.”
Mahomes cited the support that the University of Kansas basketball program gets, as well as the Chiefs and the other KC sports franchises as evidence of that.
“The city of Kansas City is going to come out and they’re going to fill the stadium,” he stated confidently. “It was cool that we were able to get this women’s soccer team here in the Current and they’re going to the playoffs now, and you see the support that they have. And so, let’s try and get a WNBA team in here as well.”
Patrick Mahomes Says Kansas City Is ‘Home’ to Him
Mahomes may have Texas roots, but Kansas City has become a second home to him throughout his career.
“Just because Kansas City is such a great place for me,” Mahomes replied, when asked why he’s been so active in the KC sports community in particular. “It’s a place that I call home, it’s a place that I built a house at and will be for a long, long time.”
He also added that he’d always like to be “involved in the community as much as possible,” noting that he “loves sports” and also knows “how much the city loves sports.”
“So, let’s bring as many sports [franchises] in here [as possible] and showcase how great Kansas City is not only as a city but the people that are in the city as well,” Mahomes concluded.
Although the Chiefs QB made it clear that KC is still currently vying with other cities to prove why they are the right destination for a WNBA franchise, the opportunity certainly seems to have a local backing.
“Kansas City is a perfect place to support a WNBA team,” KC Sports Commission President Kathy Nelson told KCTV 5 on October 24.
KC Current VP of Marketing Jocelyn Monroe also voiced that “I think there is enough love and support in Kansas City sports fans’ hearts to support two women’s professional teams.”
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL and NHL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, as well as the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include FanDuel's The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller