Now that the Chiefs are officially headed to neighboring Kansas for a new, domed stadium, the spotlight shines brighter on MLB’s Royals, who are also seeking a new facility.

The Royals have been on a parallel path as their current Truman Sports Complex neighbor in pursuit of a new ballpark to succeed Kauffman Stadium, and are aiming to close their own facility deal. Since a stinging April 2024 defeat at the ballot box on a joint measure with the Chiefs for stadium funding, the Royals have conducted their own search, apart from the NFL team.

Overall, the Royals’ stadium site pursuit has been operating in fits and starts for more than three years, with neighborhood opposition to some potential locations near downtown Kansas City particularly slowing the club’s progress. Similar to the Chiefs, the Royals’ current stadium lease expires after the 2030 season.

“On behalf of the Kansas City Royals, I want to wish the Hunt family and the entire Chiefs organization all the best on this important day,” club owner John Sherman said in a statement after the Chiefs’ decision. “Though a few more miles may separate us in the future, let’s continue our work as we build a world-class championship sports legacy for the Kansas City region.”

Local Politics

The key question is whether Missouri legislators, stinging from the loss of the Chiefs in 2031, can coalesce around completing a baseball deal. Kansas presented a strongly united front in its pursuit of the Chiefs, helping finalize the deal for a $3 billion stadium and a team headquarters and practice facility set to cost more than $1 billion. 

Missouri, conversely, has shown a more varying level of engagement and strategy in the stadium discussions between state, county, and city officials. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement Monday that “our unified, hardworking, and exceptional team will continue our strong efforts as we work to retain the Kansas City Royals in a transformational downtown facility.”

The bond measure being used for the Chiefs could be applied to the Royals, and there have been some discussions between Kansas and the baseball team. In fact, some recent discussion has hovered around a parcel in Overland Park, Kan., with the mortgage on that land already owned by a Royals affiliate.

Missouri, however, is well aware of that.

“The Royals are also a great legacy team that we would love to keep in Missouri,” said Gov. Mike Kehoe. “We will do everything we can to continue those conversations.”

Like most every team now in professional sports, including the Chiefs, the Royals intend to complement a new stadium with a large-scale, mixed-use development—similar to what the Braves have notably built with The Battery. 

The future of Notre Dame football continues to look more uncertain as the program’s independent status is complicating its place in the sport.

Notre Dame and USC on Monday announced they will not play each other in 2026 or 2027, bringing at least a two-year pause to one of college football’s most historic rivalry games. Since first playing in 1926, the only season the two teams didn’t play each other was in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the two schools said in a joint statement. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

Notre Dame is replacing USC on its schedule with a home-and-home series against BYU the next two seasons. The Trojans have yet to announce who will take the Fighting Irish’s place on their schedule. As part of the Big Ten, USC plays nine conference opponents each season, and three non-conference games. 

Lights, Camera, Action

The decision to not play each other in 2026 or 2027 comes after USC reportedly explored moving an edition of its annual Notre Dame matchup to Las Vegas and bringing on Netflix to broadcast the game, according to Puck News. 

If Notre Dame and USC are looking to capitalize further on their rivalry game, it may be 2030 before they play again. NBC’s media rights deal for home Notre Dame games runs through 2029, as does the Big Ten’s current pacts with Fox, CBS, and NBC. After that, the schools could look to sell their annual matchup to a streamer like Netflix with less pushback from current partners.

Playoff Power

Notre Dame losing USC as an annual opponent comes just as the school’s longtime ACC partnership attracts scrutiny after it missed out on the College Football Playoff and boycotted Bowl Season altogether.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said the ACC caused “permanent damage” to their relationship by advocating for Miami, which received the CFP selection committee’s final at-large bid, over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame plays five games per season against ACC opponents.

But starting next season, under the terms of a new CFP contract running from 2026 to 2031, Notre Dame will automatically earn an at-large playoff bid if it is ranked inside the top 12 of the season-ending standings. If that had been the case this year, No. 11 Notre Dame would have been included in the CFP over No. 10 Miami. 

That intricacy could theoretically be problematic for USC. The school could beat Notre Dame in a given season, and finish higher than them in the CFP rankings, but still be left out of the playoff. That structure could potentially change further, though, if the CFP expands to 16 teams or more, which will be determined in January.

LIV Golf is losing one of its biggest stars, as five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is leaving the league despite having one year left on his contract.

“We have amicably and mutually agreed that Brooks Koepka will no longer compete in the LIV Golf League, following the 2025 season,” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon. “Brooks is prioritizing the needs of his family and staying closer to home. We appreciate the significant impact he has had on the game and wish him continued success, both on and off the course.”

Koepka joined LIV midway through its first season in 2022, signing a five-year deal worth more than $100 million. In 2023, he became the first active LIV player to win a major, claiming victory at the PGA Championship (which is run by the PGA of America and has never banned LIV players like the PGA Tour has).

A statement from Koepka’s representatives said the golfer is “deeply grateful” to LIV figurehead Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, O’Neil, LIV’s leadership team, his teammates, and fans.

“Family has always guided Brooks’s decisions, and he feels this is the right moment to spend more time at home,” Koepka’s statement read. “Brooks will continue to be a huge supporter of LIV Golf and wishes the league and its players continued success. Brooks remains passionate about the game of golf and will keep fans updated on what’s ahead.”

Shortly after the news broke, the PGA Tour released a statement of its own: “Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional, and we wish him and his family continued success. The PGA Tour continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness.”

It’s unclear whether the PGA Tour would welcome Koepka back in 2026, or if his LIV contract would even allow him to play on the PGA Tour. Non-PGA Tour members who have competed in LIV events have faced one-year bans from PGA Tour events, but there is no formal process for a former member like Koepka to return.

This fall, Laurie Canter became the first former LIV member to earn a spot on the PGA Tour, but then decided to rejoin LIV in 2026 rather than play on the PGA Tour. Canter had never been a PGA Tour member.

Koepka remains eligible to compete in the four major championships (his 2023 PGA Championship victory earned him five-year exemptions), beginning with the Masters in April. Beyond playing the majors, Koepka could also potentially play DP World Tour events, if the PGA Tour is not an option.

The PGA Tour is considering massive schedule changes as soon as 2027, so having Koepka and any other former LIV players return for that season could be a boon. Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV contract also expires after the 2026 season, but he has been a much more vocal supporter of LIV than Koepka.

Koepka was captain of Smash GC team at LIV, and won five individual tournaments. He earned $38.3 million in individual prize and bonus money at LIV. Koepka has $43.8 million in PGA Tour prize money, which includes major championships.