The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since 1973, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. The Royals have participated in two World Series, winning in 1985.
The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899. The name also followed a theme of other professional franchises in the city, including the Kansas City Chiefs football team and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League. (The Kansas City Kings basketball team was also named the Royals before moving to Kansas City in 1972.) Entering the American League as an expansion franchise in 1969, along with the Seattle Pilots, the club was founded by Ewing Kauffman, a Kansas City businessman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-United States Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics (Kansas City's previous major league team from 1955 to 1967) moved to Oakland, California. The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs 7 out of 10 seasons from 1976 to 1985, including one World Series championship and another pennant, led by stars such as George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson and Bret Saberhagen. The team remained competitive throughout the mid-1990s, but had only one winning season from 1995-2012. The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was hosted by the team on July 10, 2012. The 2012 season marked the third time the All-Star Game was played in Kansas City, with Kauffman Stadium (then named Royals Stadium) previously hosting the event in 1973. The event was also held at Municipal Stadium in 1960, when the Athletics were based in Kansas City.