The Kansas City Royals are an American professional 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 (also known as "The K"), but formerly known as Royals Stadium. The Royals have participated in three World Series, winning the 1985 World Series and losing in 1980 and 2014.
The name Royals originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbeque competition held annually in Kansas City since 1899. The name also fits into something of a theme for other professional sports franchises in the city, including the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, the former Kansas City Kings of the NBA, and the former Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League.
Entering the American League as an expansion franchise in 1969, along with the Seattle Pilots, the club was founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman. 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 that played from 1955 to 1967) moved to Oakland, California in 1968.
The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs seven times from 1976 to 1985, winning one World Series championship and another AL pennant, led by stars such as George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, and Bret Saberhagen. The team remained competitive throughout the mid-1990s, but then had only one winning season from 1995 to 2012 (2003). For 28 consecutive seasons, from 1986-2013, the Royals did not qualify to play in the Major League Baseball postseason, one of the longest postseason droughts during baseball's current expanded wild-card era. The team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchise's first wild card berth and advancing to the World Series, to face the San Francisco Giants.