Swish! Shout! Crack! As the weather warms and the flowers bloom, winter sports come to a close and summer sports begin. Freshmen Shea Splittorff, Caroline Gordon and Andrew Mazzapica discussed Kansas City’s favorite sports teams. 

March Madness marked the end of collegiate basketball, and for fans, it is an exciting time of tension and relief to see if their favorite teams make it through the tournament. 

“I hope [KU] wins again, two years back-to-back,” Splittorff said. “They’re not as good as they were last year, so I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Unfortunately for Splittorff, KU got knocked out in the round of 32, and for KSU fans, the Wildcats lost in the Elite Eight. However, March Madness can be fun even without a team to root for. 

“We always do brackets and competitions within my family,” Splittorff said. “Whoever wins gets to go out to dinner.” 

Half the fun of March Madness lies within the betting, and with the historic win of Fairleigh Dickinson, a 16th seed competitor from New Jersey, this tournament was especially unpredictable. 

The arrival of spring kicked off the soccer season, which is enjoyable for the “Soccer Capital of America.”

“I root for Sporting Kansas City, the local team,” Mazzapica said. “Around the world, I prefer clubs in England like Tottenham Hotspur or FC Barcelona, which is in Spain.” 

KC Sporting held its home opener on March 11 and tied 0-0 with the LA Galaxy. Kansas City’s women’s team, KC Current, had their first home game on April 1 and lost 4-1.

Mazzapica is overall excited for the upcoming soccer season but not too optimistic because “the team isn’t that good this year.”

Another sport that commenced with the start of spring is baseball. The Royals began their season with a home opener game on March 30 where they lost 0-2. For some baseball fans it is not a complete summer without attending a game.

“I didn’t go when I was younger really,” Splittorff said. “I think that I’m more interested in it [now]. I go once or twice a year.”

The Royals had a disappointing season last year with a record of 65-97. 

“Around when they won the World Series was when we went a bunch,” Gordon said. “Then, they kind of started getting really bad.”

Luckily the buzz of the fans, the memorable traditions, the laid-back atmosphere and a multitude of entertaining activities can make up for even the worst of seasons. 

“I like getting Dippin’ Dots and the little hat,” Gordon said.