Royals Switch Around Schedule to Accommodate Chiefs Playing in First Game of NFL Season

The custom of the defending Super Bowl champion opening the NFL season at home on the first Thursday night game of the season is more of a modern protocol than long-lasting tradition, but it is one that the Kansas City Royals and the MLB are willing to accommodate with a schedule change.

Since 2004, the defending Super Bowl Champion has usually kicked off the NFL season on their home turf, and the Kansas City Chiefs set to do so this season on Sept. 10. Major League Baseball did not expect this and the Royals had a game of their own that evening against the Oakland Athletics. But that's now no more.

The Royals have changed the dates of a series against the As in Kansas City. The series would have made it hard for the Chiefs to be the first game of the NFL season and this clears the way for that pic.twitter.com/3xoEOpmiKB
— Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) March 4, 2020

Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium are neighboring facilities that share parking lots. The prospect of a late season Royals baseball game coinciding with the Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration would likely create chaos in Kansas City, so the adjustment was made to avoid such a conflict.

With the baseball season being 162 games, it's certainly not too difficult to make such an adjustment, especially when it's so far out. All parties can easily prepare for this.

With the Chiefs expected to host the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, Sept. 10, as reigning Super Bowl champions, the Royals are preemptively changing their schedule that week: https://t.co/1sfCdZLBcN pic.twitter.com/y9qZm9RatO
— 41 Action News (@41actionnews) March 4, 2020

So for all the diehard Kansas City fans out there, enjoy yourselves a Royals game on Sept. 9 before going to watch the Chiefs start the 2020 NFL season on Sept. 10!