NFL Sunday means that the majority of the Crown Town Daily universe is settled in to watch the Chiefs in their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.

What a wild ride it’s been this last decade, and, thanks to the greatest quarterback on the planet, there’s no telling how long we will get to enjoy this dynastic bliss. We are so lucky.

But let’s not forget the other three franchises in our backyard who have built their own cases as the next Kansas City sports franchise to bring home a crown.

The Royals seem to be the most popular choice to break through. With one of the game’s youngest and brightest superstars, a steady veteran slugger, and some of the game’s best pitching, there’s really no reason why they can’t play deep into October this year. But what Bobby Witt, Jr., Salvador Perez, and all the arms in the world can’t control is the absolute chaos and random nature of Major League Baseball’s playoffs.

If you’ve ever read the now-iconic book Moneyball, you know that MLB’s postseason chaos is one of the least predictable forces in all of sports.

Anybody who knows me knows that I’m all-in on this #KCBaby life. Our Kansas City Current are the toast of global women’s sports, thanks to one of the most beautiful soccer stadiums I’ve ever seen. For real, CPKC Stadium is absolutely worthy of North American sports tourism bucket-list treatment, is still so new that I wouldn’t be surprised to know the plastic film hasn’t been pulled off JumboTron yet.

But it’s not just the stadium, the team is also in serious contention to be playing in the championship that it will be hosting this postseason. (In case you didn’t know, the NWSL championship is hosted at a neutral site, but the neutrality will quickly fade if the our Current are still playing on Nov. 23.) This team is incredible. Global superstars Temwa Chawinga, Debinha, and Lo’eau LaBonta give our KC XI serious claim to their championship hopes.

Of course, no talk of Kansas City major championships would be complete without talk of Sporting KC. While 2024 will almost certainly not be the season that they do it, the franchise has a long a stories tradition of winning the big one.

In the last quarter-century, alone, Sporting (formerly the Wizards/Wiz, of course) has won four US Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017), two MLS Cups (2000, 2013), and one Supporters’ Shield (2000). All of this is to say that, here in Soccer City, our MLS team doesn’t waste much time rebuilding its claim to the throne.

Who do you think is next?