CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 09: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals prepares to bat against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Progressive Field on September 09, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
Whit Merrfield called out a store that seems to only have Patrick Mahomes gear in the Royals section.
The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015 and haven’t been back to the postseason since. The team is now in a rebuilding phase and it is easy for fans to not know many faces on the team.
Whit Merrifield is still one recognizable name and he took to Twitter to defend his team against what is some clear disrespect from a Kansas City area sporting good store. A full section of Royals gear seems to only feature the name of one Patrick Mahomes.
Royals get no respect in KC
It is the offseason so it is fair to assume most of the focus in the area is on Mahomes and the Chiefs. But Merrifield or even Salvador Perez could have gotten some representation with a shirt or two.
Mahomes and the Chiefs are the top show in the Kansas City region. That is no secret. The team just won a Super Bowl and that makes it easy to push the Royals’ own title into the background as fans wonder about a Chiefs repeat this season.
The Royals went to the World Series in 2014 and won it all in 2015. The 2014 postseason appearance was the first time the team played in October since 1985 and it seems to be World Series or bust for the franchise. Running a small budget with the payroll also makes it tough to develop and maintain top talent.
That means more marketable players leave town and stores are left wondering what name would sell the most jerseys. In Kansas City that is the name of Patrick Mahomes and that isn’t changing anytime soon.