How & why ESPN’s ‘SportsCenter’ landed at Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium this weekend
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- ESPN spotlighted lacrosse during its 50 States in 50 Days tour stop in Missouri
- The PLL and new WLL used the All-Star Weekend to expand Midwest fan engagement
- ESPN renewed its media deal with PLL and invested in its long-term growth efforts
ESPN crew members staged a temporary broadcast set just inside the main entrance at CPKC Stadium early Saturday morning for the ninth segment of SportsCenter’s 50 States in 50 Days tour.
The Missouri show, hosted by SportsCenter’s Christine Williamson, centered around the men’s and women’s professional lacrosse leagues’ All-Star Weekend. It marked yet another key moment in ESPN’s partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League and newly-founded Women’s Lacrosse League as the organizations look to grow their fan bases across the country.
ESPN began its run of 50 consecutive broadcasts in Washington, D.C., on June 27 and will wrap at the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania on August 16. It marks the company’s first cross-country tour since 2005, when the show traveled to WaKeeney, Kansas, and St. Louis, Missouri.
Each stop spotlights a different sporting event. Producers targeted the biggest events of the summer while striving to highlight stories unique to each area, said Scott Clark, vice president of “SportsCenter” production at ESPN.
“We want our hosts connecting directly with fans and creating content not only for our shows but across our digital and social platforms,” Clark wrote in an email. “With it being the 20th anniversary of the original 50 States in 50 Days, it became a perfect way to show how ‘SportsCenter’ has evolved.”
The PLL and WLL are both looking to grow their audiences as new leagues in a smaller sport. The men’s league was founded in 2018 and features eight teams split into the East and West.
The WLL is a brand-new four team league that was founded by the PLL in November.
Williamson has reported on several of the major developments since the women’s league’s inception last fall, making her a natural choice for the segment.
“We joke about me being the face of the WLL and PLL,” Williamson said in an interview with The Star. “Any time that they have an announcement, I do the 2 p.m. ‘SportsCenter’ show, and it’s always been on our show.”
Saturday’s show included a live broadcast from a CPKC Stadium concourse, as well as taped segments from Friday’s activities where Williamson took to the field for some hands-on experience.
She was joined by Boston Guard player Charlotte North, widely considered one of the world’s top women’s lacrosse players, for part of the broadcast. North set a new women’s fastest shot record of 95 mph in the skills challenge showcase Friday.
“One of our goals this weekend is to grow the sport in the Midwest,” said North, who also works with ESPN as a men’s and women’s lacrosse broadcaster. “Having ‘SportsCenter’ here promoting our events, our games, all the players and all the talent out here is doing that. We deserve that. Lacrosse deserves to be on this type of stage.”
North described CPKC Stadium as “one of the most perfect setups we’ve ever played in.” She added that playing in the world’s first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team “meant the world and more” to the athletes.
Lacrosse has historically been most popular in the Northeast, though the sport’s presence and visibility in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain region and along the West Coast rose in the early 2000s.
The sport has also seen significant international growth in recent decades and will appear in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a medal sport for the first time since 1908.
Right now the league operates on a tour based model. Long-term goals for executives include continuing to develop a strong fan base, having more players become full-time athletes and supporting the growth of youth lacrosse programs across the country.
“The last piece that is really important is the Olympics,” said Tom Brady, chief media and marketing officer for the PLL. “What we do and how we expose more people leading up to and during that is a really important time, too.”
Brady said discussions on how to bring the event to life with the 50 States in 50 Days tour began months ago. ESPN recently renewed its media rights agreement with the PLL for an additional five years and made a minority equity investment in the league.
Everything came together seamlessly with Williamson anchoring and the opportunity to play at CPKC Stadium. “The stars just all kind of aligned,” Brady said.
The tour circles back to Wichita on July 11 when Kevin Negandhi will host a segment partnered with the Dude Perfect Hero Tour.
This story was originally published July 5, 2025 at 2:55 PM.
