It’s getting crowded on the Kansas City Royals bandwagon

Winning, like money, changes everything. 

There’s no problem that a victory on the field can’t solve for a professional sports franchise. Most of all, it energizes an apathetic fanbase, making them eager to buy merchandise and tickets, and quickly learn the names of the players. It also converts nonbelievers, or even people who aren’t that interested in sports, into a legion of suddenly dedicated fans.

The Kansas City Royals for two decades have had one of the roomiest bandwagons in professional sports, owing to a harsh stretch of futility that traces its roots to the days of slap bracelets and unironic fluorescent-colored clothing. Suddenly, however, the bandwagon is getting crowded. Data proves it.

Public Policy Polling is a national firm that tracks political sentiments and publishes many of their results for all to see. In this midterm year, PPP has frequently solicited voter opinions in Kansas. Back in February, it quizzed nearly 700 Kansas voters about their thoughts on legislation introduced at the time that would allow businesses to deny services for same-sex couples. PPP polls almost always include a throwaway question. In the February poll, PPP asked respondents about their favorite baseball team. Before the season started, 49 percent named the Royals. 

By late August, during a time when it looked like the Royals would seriously challenge for a postseason berth, that percentage in the PPP poll grow to 58 percent among 906 respondents.

PPP’s latest Kansas poll emerged on Monday. It reported that Republicans Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback were narrowing polling deficits against their opponents. (Did Paul Davis and Greg Orman peak too soon?) But it also showed that the Royals, so far undefeated in the postseason, were the favorite team of 69 percent of poll respondents.

That’s a swing of 20 percentage points since the start of the season.

This shouldn’t be taken as a criticism of local sports fans. No one should be expected to spend their money on a subpar product. 

But Royals fans should enjoy this playoff run while it lasts. Given baseball’s economics, who knows when a small-market team like the Royals will taste this postseason success again?