Sports in Kansas City (Overland, Washington: neighborhood, theatre, college)

[BajanYankee]

Just curious...someone told me that soccer is becoming almost as popular in Kansas City as football, baseball and basketball. They said that there are plenty of pickup soccer games to be found in KC, but that they wouldn't even know where to go to play basketball. Do you find this to be the case? Is it harder to find a pickup game of soccer or a pickup game of basketball?

[xenokc]

Overland Park was recently named #1 soccer city. No surprise it's a soccer mom capital but didn't figure it would get this much attention...

Livability.com Names the Top 10 Soccer Cities in the U.S.

There are a lot of pickup games (adults) at Mill Creek park off the Plaza in KCMO. Central/S Americans to Africans to Saudis gather several evenings a week, allowing walkups if you feel you can play to their level. There may be other parks to, not sure. For kids though, it's mostly organized leagues.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by xenokc

There are a lot of pickup games (adults) at Mill Creek park off the Plaza in KCMO. Central/S Americans to Africans to Saudis gather several evenings a week, allowing walkups if you feel you can play to their level. There may be other parks to, not sure. For kids though, it's mostly organized leagues.

This is the case in many cities, including New York. Most of the people playing pickup soccer games are immigrants. It's rare to find kids playing pickup soccer the way you would find kids playing HORSE, 1 on 1 basketball, or Around the World in their backyard. Is it pretty much the same there?

[xenokc]

Yeah, sort of. Many makeshift gatherings happen with adults, not the kids (maybe in the burbs kids tend to do it, but not as much in the city). I have noticed an influx of lacrosse last 5 years in parks, but it's organized. I suppose the skateboarder gatherings are makeshift.

I'm not really into sports but hang out and bike around Mill Creek park often and there's usually some kind of pickup activity every evening if nice out. It's not just immigrant soccer. There's also volleyball, some kind of frisbee thing on bikes, rugby, football sometimes in fall, etc. - but for adults. Frisbee golf is huge in KC but not in this park. Soccer is more common than football in my closest park. 20somethings will write up in chalk on the sidewalk near main fountain about some kind of childhood re-enactment game gathering for the week, like dodgeball, hopscotch or made up variation of tag. Sometimes it's yoga or tai chi.

This probably isn't common in most KC parks though. Mill Creek is one of the most active parks in the metro with a lot of immigrants from everywhere, especially late night. Is interesting being there after 10PM weeknights. A lot of Latinos and Arabs bring their young kids to play around the fountain. It's KC's Washington Sq Park.

Frisbee on bikes, not sure of rules of game...

[TabulaRasa]

I don't notice a ton of soccer outside of suburban organized youth leagues, but it could just be that I don't notice it b/c I'm not into it.

[RjRobb2]

I'm the person that Bajan is referring too. He doesnt believe me that I have the ability to go play pickup soccer games pretty much every night of the week at different parks and that it is common to see people playing soccer openly in parks.

[xenokc]

^I took this video a few weeks ago. Immigrants playing soccer in Mill Creek Park. Various groups are there 3-4 evenings a week. I don't follow soccer much but was impressed with these guys so grabbed a shot, but not much game play came out...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/umdum6k8lt...2019.33.20.mp4

Not related but I also took this vid the same evening of the nearby fountain. A geeky guy was setting up a giant balloon that talks to a satellite. Some inner city kids were banging on drums. Some days there are street theatre players at the fountain.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2gcqau0m7o...2019.44.14.mp4

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by RjRobb2

I'm the person that Bajan is referring too. He doesnt believe me that I have the ability to go play pickup soccer games pretty much every night of the week at different parks and that it is common to see people playing soccer openly in parks.

That's not what I'm asking about. You can find pickup soccer games in many cities, but you rarely find kids playing in them. It's usually immigrants, as the poster above already stated. It's rare to see a kid kicking a ball down the street, knocking on all of his friends doors, and saying, "Hi Mrs. Wilson...can Timmy come out and play soccer?" You don't really see that in New York, so I was wondering if soccer had permeated the culture out there. Do kids play a lot of "street" soccer there? In New York, basketball and baseball still reign supreme on the streets.

I'm also curious as to whether there's a lot of discussion about Premier League matches at local bars, barbershops and just in small talk with the delivery guy. I mean, do people talk about soccer the way they talk about the Chiefs or about Lebron finally winning his ring?

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I don't notice a ton of soccer outside of suburban organized youth leagues, but it could just be that I don't notice it b/c I'm not into it.

So you think that most kids who want to play soccer generally do so in organized leagues (as opposed to pulling neighborhood kids onto the sandlot to play)?

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

That's not what I'm asking about. You can find pickup soccer games in many cities, but you rarely find kids playing in them. It's usually immigrants, as the poster above already stated. It's rare to see a kid kicking a ball down the street, knocking on all of his friends doors, and saying, "Hi Mrs. Wilson...can Timmy come out and play soccer?" You don't really see that in New York, so I was wondering if soccer had permeated the culture out there. Do kids play a lot of "street" soccer there? In New York, basketball and baseball still reign supreme on the streets.

I'm also curious as to whether there's a lot of discussion about Premier League matches at local bars, barbershops and just in small talk with the delivery guy. I mean, do people talk about soccer the way they talk about the Chiefs or about Lebron finally winning his ring?

I can't imagine the vast majority of people in Kansas City giving a rip about anything NBA. Lebron who? would be the typical response.

I lived in KC during 6 recent years, and soccer seemed like barely a blip on anyone's radar. I almost never encountered anyone wearing jerseys or talking about the sport, not even the then-Wizards.
There may be pockets of soccer love among immigrants and soccer-mom land and perhaps a few other people who find themselves liking the sport, but it's not even close to the attention given the Chiefs, Royals or the local college sports.

For what it's worth, I'm not knocking soccer. These are just my observations. Soccer is totally not my thing, but if other people like it, good for them.