7 Facts About the Kansas City Royals You Probably Didn’t Know

So, you’re a Royals fan. But before you sport your favorite Royals tie to work tomorrow, read up on these 7 facts about the team and impress everyone you know with your super fandom.

1. They were named after a livestock show. You might have assumed the name “Royals” came from some sort of connection to royalty. But in reality, the team was named after  the American Royal livestock show held every year in Kansas City. When the city held the team’s naming contest, some of the alternative submissions were names like “Mules” and “Cowpokes.”
2. Bo Jackson was an all-star athlete. In baseball AND football. In fact, Bo was the first athlete to be named an all-star in two sports. He began his careers as a football player, and after suffering a hip injury gave it up and focused on baseball.
3. Sluggerrr is a troublemaker. Sluggerrr is the team’s mascot and he’s been accused of everything from trolling to detaching a retina. In 2009 he was even sued for hitting someone in the face with a slab of meat.
4. The team stadium’s namesake was pretty cool. Ewing Kauffman is his name and he’s led a remarkable life. From being bedridden as a child to launching a foundation to help kids afford college, this man has done it all.
5. One lucky Alex Gordon fan flipped 5 of his baseball cards for $5,761.79. Gordon’s card was accidentally included in some 2006 card packs even though he didn’t meet the MLB Players Association guidelines, which required he be on the 25-man roster or played in a Major League game the year before.
6. A Royals Hall of Famer is a cheater. Amos Otis admitted to corking his bat for over 3,000 of his plate appearances. The outfielder hit .277 and was on 5 all-star teams throughout his long career.
7. Instead of scouting the team would take non-baseball players and train them. The Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy was laughed off and only stayed open for four years. But not before churning out 14 major league players, including Gold Glover Frank White.

Now that you’ve been schooled in the team’s exciting history, you can wear that Royals tie to work tomorrow with confidence. Now when someone shoots you a compliment, you’ll be able to come back with 7 interesting facts and blow them away with your Kansas City knowledge.

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