Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City’s relationship with the Big 12 has never been limited to a few tournament dates on the calendar.
For generations, the city has been woven into the conference’s identity, and Mayor Quinton Lucas says departing Commissioner Brett Yormark helped make sure that connection remained strong during one of college athletics’ most unsettled periods.
With Yormark preparing to leave the conference after January 31, 2027, Lucas last week thanked the commissioner for four years of partnership with Kansas City, crediting him with strengthening the city’s role as what has effectively become the Big 12’s “home away from home.”
Yormark’s tenure came as conference realignment and shifting television agreements reshaped college sports. During that period, the Big 12 expanded while also reinforcing its presence in Kansas City.
One of the clearest signs came through basketball. The conference extended both its men’s and women’s basketball championships at T-Mobile Center through 2031, ensuring Kansas City will continue hosting two of the Big 12’s signature events for years after Yormark’s departure.
The relationship also moved beyond basketball. The Big 12 brought its soccer championship to CPKC Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Current, adding another major conference event to the city’s sports calendar.
Lucas said those decisions reflected both Kansas City’s long history with the conference and Yormark’s willingness to maintain that connection while navigating broader changes across college athletics.
“Kansas City has been the heart of the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences for more than a century and will remain it. I write today to recognize the outstanding work of departing Commissioner Brett Yormark,” Lucas said.
The mayor also credited Yormark with guiding the Big 12 through realignment, television rights negotiations and the continued development of its basketball programs and tournaments.
“We are proud to be the heart of the expanded Big 12 and will miss Commissioner Yormark. We wish him well in his next steps,” Lucas said.
“Kansas City looks forward to working with the conference and hosting its premier tournaments for generations to come.”
Yormark will leave the Big 12 to take a position outside college sports. His exit will eventually bring new leadership to the conference, but the commitments made during his tenure mean Kansas City’s place in the Big 12 calendar is already secured well into the next decade.
