Sporting Kansas City Ends Relationship With Livestrong

In the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, and Armstrong’s admittance that he used steroids during his run of a record seven consecutive Tour de France championships, Livestrong and Sporting KC have terminated their deal for the naming rights of the club’s stadium.

Sporting KC announced yesterday that they would sever all ties with Livestrong, the cancer awareness organization Armstrong founded. For the time being, the stadium will be known as “Sporting Park.”

Livestrong has claimed that Sporting KC had only paid $250,000 of its $1 million pledge for 2012. The original agreement called for Sporting to contribute $7.5 million over six years to Livestrong by donating portions of ticket, concession and souvenir sales. Sporting KC President and CEO Robb Heineman has strongly disputed this claim, and has stated that the $250,000 was all that the club contractually owed Livestrong. Heineman also criticized the Livestrong organization for using the media as a platform to criticize Sporting KC.

Armstrong recently admitted to doping throughout his record-breaking and inspirational career in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. This interview is scheduled to be aired tomorrow.

The writing was on the wall for Sporting KC when the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused Armstrong of doping and trafficking drugs, and later when Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from competitive cycling for life. 24-Hour Fitness, Anheuser-Busch and Nike have all ended their sponsorship with Armstrong as well, and while Sporting KC initially stood by Livestrong, Armstrong’s confession and the accusations made by the Livestrong Foundation made the decision to end the relationship easy for Heineman.

It is unknown at this time if any potential sponsors have contacted Sporting KC about the naming rights to Sporting Park. The stadium recently was named as the host for the 2013 MLS All-Star game, and has also hosted several United States Men’s and Women’s soccer games.

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Kansas City Selected To Host 2013 MLS All-Star Game

After hosting the 2012 MLB All-Star game, Kansas City has been selected to host another all-star game this summer. MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed yesterday that his league will be having its all-star game this summer at Kansas City’s Livestrong Sporting Park.

Since its opening, Livestrong Park has grown into one of the top venues to watch a soccer game in the country. Sporting KC fans have quickly become one of the most supportive and passionate fan bases in the MLS, and US men’s and women’s national games held at Livestrong have also been a success.

Peter Vermes, the head coach of Sporting KC, will coach the MLS all-star team in the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and will be broadcast on ESPN and Univision. The match will also be shown in more than 100 countries.

Tickets start at $50 for the members’ stand and rise as high as $115 for seats in the west stands. Tickets for the Shield Club start at $160. A special presale for tickets has already begun, and it is possible that the entire stadium sells out quickly.

At this point, it is not clear who the MLS all-stars will actually play in the game. Since 2003, the MLS all-stars have faced top club teams from around the world, including seven matches against teams from the English Premier League. The MLS all-stars hold a 6-2-1 record all time in this format. If a European team is selected for this game, it likely will not be announced for at least another month, when these clubs begin planning and announcing their United States tours.

Is Kansas City becoming a soccer town? With the Chiefs and Royals both stuck in mediocrity, Sporting KC has given fans a winner to cheer for. In this case, the support Kansas City residents have shown for Sporting and the US national teams has been rewarded.

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Lance Armstrong Steps Down As Chairman of Livestrong

Amid a doping scandal that has shocked the nation, Lance Armstrong has announced that he is stepping down as chairman of Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity that he founded and sponsor of Kansas City’s Livestrong Sporting Park.

Armstrong was not paid a salary for serving as the chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and he will remain on the 15 member board. Vice chairman Jeff Garvey, who helped Armstrong start the foundation in 1997, will now serve as the chairman. Garvey will handle the foundation’s strategic planning and handle many of the public appearances and meetings that used to be Armstrong’s responsibility.

After Armstrong announced his departure from Livestrong, Nike cut all of its ties from the former cycling great, citing “seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.” Nike has stated that despite Armstrong’s scandal, the company will continue to support Livestrong.

Armstrong’s huge fall from grace comes in the wake of a massive report compiled by the US Anti-Doping Agency last week, which detailed Armstrong’s widespread doping and how he convinced his teammates to join him. Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 t0 2005 and has now been banned from cycling for life. All of Armstrong’s titles and cycling accolades are being erased as well. Armstrong has denied all of the doping charges, but he chose not to fight the USADA’s accusations and report through arbitration, citing that the process was unfair.

This has a profound effect on Kansas City as Livestrong is the primary sponsor of Sporting KC and has the naming rights to KC’s hottest new outdoor venue, Livestrong Sporting Park. Many predicted that these allegations could threaten the future of the foundation, which could have an effect on Sporting KC and the stadium. With Armstrong stepping down, hopefully the foundation will be able to focus on helping those who are battling or have been affected by cancer, and there will be no negative impact on Kansas City.

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LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Hosts USA World Cup Qualifying Match Tonight

The United States Men’s National team has a big game tonight against Guatemala, the semi-final round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. The match will take place at Kansas City’s LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, and will begin at 6 p.m.

The United States needs a win or a tie to advance to the finals. The Americans can also advance with a loss in the game based on the result of the Jamaica vs. Antigua and Barbuda match, but the US squad has made it known it intends to go for the win. USA found itself in this game after winning a critical World Cup qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda 2-1, with both goals being scored by national team veteran Eddie Johnson.

LIVESTRONG has turned into one of the best venues to watch soccer in the nation, and Kansas City has slowly grown an impressive soccer fan base. A lot of the credit has to go to the success of Sporting Kansas City, which has become one of the best teams in major league soccer and is fueled by a terrific home crowd whenever it plays in KC.

With the Royals stuck in two decades of futility and the Chiefs looking like the worst team in the NFL this season (not to mention they haven’t won a playoff game since January of 1994) Kansas City fans should be grateful that they have Sporting KC and LIVESTRONG park. Our MLS team has given the city a winner to root for, and helps attract marquee matchups like tonight’s world cup qualifier featuring our national team.

Is Kansas City turning into a soccer town? If the Royals and Chiefs keep underperforming, it is entirely possible.

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