Published May 11, 2025
Ask the Editor: May 11
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Kyle McAreavy  •  Mizzou Today
Senior Editor
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@kyle_mcareavy
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It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for me to open up the mailbag to answer your questions from the week.

Thanks to those who submitted questions. If you have questions you would like answered in next week’s edition, look out for a thread named “Calling for questions” with a blue “Off-Topic” tag that I will post in the next couple of days and leave open all week.

MIZ25! asks: “Will a winless baseball season actually call for some major change and finances towards baseball? Or is it too far down to even matter at this point?”

(This question was asked before the Texas A&M series began)

Kyle: I don’t think it’s necessarily about how long the possibility of going winless lasted this season, but just the consistent lack of competitiveness of the program recently, that is going to lead to investment and changes.

If you mean changes like a new coaching staff, I don’t think so right now. But changes in investment have already begun by receiving bids to re-turf the field and get it to a fully-turf facility.

When you stretch further than that, I’m not sure. I think it’s probably going to take a massive individual investment like the soccer stadium recently got if you’re hoping for a full revamp of the stadium or something to that effect.

Past that, they’re not going to invest at the level of the top SEC teams, the funds just aren’t there when comparing to the bigger-revenue schools, but that’s part of the plan for increasing the overall athletic revenue. As that number goes up and an actual revenue sharing system is put into place with, essentially, a salary cap, then that allows for more funds to get spread a bit and possibly go towards baseball.

crestmead asks: “Once the football stadium construction is completed, what big capitol projects could be on the horizon?”

Kyle: Well, as I mentioned in the last answer, the soccer stadium already has the funding for some big changes. So that’s likely where the next construction will actually take place.

I do think some changes to the baseball stadium could be on the horizon in the next few years, but first the athletic department is going to have to pay back the loan it got from the university to pay for the NEZ and general athletics fund.

So, outside of the soccer stadium, I doubt there’s going to be a major project in the year or two after the NEZ construction is completed as those funds are recouped and the athletic department adjusts to revenue sharing as a model.

RockM asks: “Have you noticed that more and more schools (Oklahoma, K State, kansas, etc) are wearing black road uniforms? Will the trend continue? Definitely bulletin board material if they wear black in Columbia.”

Kyle: Ya, it’s been a growing trend for a while as teams try to stick with current aesthetic trends.

Not sure why, but black as a uniform has just become a super popular look.

I’m someone who’s on board with teams wearing basically whatever they want at home or on the road as long as the two uniforms aren’t too similar and the home team should get the first choice.

So if the home team wants to wear black, then no black for the road team. If the home team wants to wear gold, no gold or yellow for the road team, that type of thing.

But, yes, I expect the trend to continue and more and more teams will just wear whatever they feel like at any stadium as we continue to move away from the idea that the home team wears its colors and the road team wears white.

RockM asks: “Why can’t Mizzou create a low-cost, one-room sports legends visitors center at Faurot Field? Even a banner of Brad Smith or a kiosk telling the story of the first 1911 homecoming would be a good start!”

Kyle: I agree, I think that’s a fantastic idea. I’m all for team Hall of Fames at stadiums and I know there’s some memorabilia and stuff like that at Mizzou Arena, but putting it somewhere the public can regularly access whether they’re attending a game or just want to go take a look is a great idea.

Thanks to MIZ25!, crestmead and RockM for your questions, I greatly appreciate the participation.

If you have a question for next week's edition, look for a thread named "Calling for questions" with a blue "Off-Topic" tag that I will post in the next couple of days and leave open all week.

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