As the 2022 MLS regular season gets underway, Sporting Kansas City's captain and winger Johnny Russell made an appearance on Sports Radio 810-WHB's The Zone with Jason Anderson and Cory Anderson. After signing a five-year extension with the club, Sporting KC's President and CEO Jake Reid sat down with Alex Gold on 610 Sports Radio to discuss the legalization of sports gambling in Kansas and Missouri.
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- Watch: Reid on 610 Sports Radio
On The Zone, Russell started off the conversation talking about the season opener in Atlanta, and how the team responded with a win in the home opener. The Sporting KC captain dove into the performance of the new guys on the team, and how good of a feeling it was to get a 1-0 win and snap the 19-match winless run (0-12-7) when scoring one or fewer goals.
Speaking of runs, the next topic of conversation was Russell's historic run in 2021 in which the Scotsman scored in eight consecutive matches, a club record, and MLS high in 2021.
The interview concluded with Russell speaking on the growth of MLS and the way the league has set itself up for success and growth in the near future.
Over on 610 Sports Radio, Reid sat down to discuss the potential legalization of sports betting in Kansas and Missouri. Reid and Gold talked about the ever-changing dynamic of sports betting in America and how far the concept of legalized betting has come. Reid spoke on the direct impact that legalized sports betting would have on Sporting KC from a financial side, as well as from a fan experience side.
The talk concluded with the topic of infrastructure and how Sporting KC would include gambling in their business. Reid mentioned that Sporting has the infrastructure in place and could roll out plans if sports gambling is legalized. While there is no timeline because sports betting is still illegal in Kansas and Missouri, Reid ends the call by saying that if sports betting is legalized by the end of the legislative session, Sporting KC would be able to execute any plans for the 2023 MLS season.
