50 years ago, in compiling his list of stadiums and expiring leases, Labinski also noted facilities that were in their prime but would require replacement much later.

“This huge bubble started to burst in the 1990s and early 2000s when all the leases on these multi-purpose stadiums expired. I learned in conversations with the owners that multipurpose stadiums were not the way they wanted to go in the future. They wanted to get rid of them. And really, when the time came, every old stadium meant two new ones for us,” Labinski said.

“Progressive Field and Browns Stadium in Cleveland.

“PNC Park” and “Heinz Field” in Pittsburgh.

“Camden Yards” and “M&T Bank Stadium” in Baltimore.

“Minute Maid Park” and “Reliant Stadium” in Houston.

“The Edward Jones Dome” and “New Busch Stadium” in St. Louis.

HOK Sports Division, under Labinski’s direction, designed all of that list, plus baseball stadiums in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cincinnati, San Diego and new hockey/basketball arenas for NHL and NBA clubs in Anaheim, Chicago, Nashville, Toronto, Denver (Colorado), Houston, St. Paul (Minnesota), Phoenix (Arizona), Newark (New Jersey).

And then, separated from the HOK, continued that list: Pittsburgh, Orlando, Las Vegas, Milwaukee and Quebec (for a potential NHL club).

Kansas City became not just the sports capital of the United States, but of the world. In the late 1990s, Populous (then part of HOK) acquired LOBB in London, which also had an office in Brisbane, Australia.

Populous’s work is now on show in London, with both Emirates Stadium and the huge Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, designed for both soccer and soccer, thanks to the transformative power of the pitch.

The Populous aren’t the only ones from Kansas City to enter the international market. HOK now has its own London office, too. And the big firms HNTB and AECOM (Ellerbe Becket) have not been left out either.

The sports market continues to grow and develop.

“The whole idea is that you change what the owners have and create new revenue opportunities. In today’s market, it’s not enough to just be a sports architect, you have to have a deep understanding of design in the hospitality industry,” says Tom Waggoner, one of HOK’s principals.

It’s safe to say that this deep understanding began in Kansas City and has spread around the world.