​A native of suburban Philadelphia and Chicago, Joel Goldberg is a member of the Kansas City Royals broadcasting team, serving as the host of every pregame and postgame show on FOX Sports Kansas City. He also serves as the television play-by-play voice for the ECHL Kansas City Mavericks.
 
Joel graduated with a degree in journalism and history from the University of Wisconsin, where he learned skills he still uses today in his television career.
 
“My education from Wisconsin had a lot to do with my career once I got into the specialized classes,” Joel said. “That’s what helped shape me into what I am today. I dreamed of being on TV since I was a little kid, but I wasn’t able to actually get in front of a camera until I took those journalism classes.”
 
After completing his degree, Joel began his professional broadcasting career at the local Wisconsin NBC affiliate, then quickly moved to Madison to become a sports reporter for WMTV NBC15. Joel moved onto covering sports in St. Louis, where he was awarded the 2001 Mid-America EMMY® Award for Sports Reporting.
 
“The Rams winning the NFC Championship game at home in the 1999 was just euphoric,” Joel said. “I remember seeing the look in everyone’s eyes, from players to fans. There was just something about that moment of winning the NFC Championship at home.”
 
Joel moved to Kansas City in 2008 to cover the Kansas City Royals. There, he was able to see young, unproven players come together over the course of several years to lead Kansas City to its first World Series championship since 1985.
 
“The whole 2015 World Series run with the Royals was completely life changing for everyone in Kansas City because I watched it bring a whole city together,” Joel said. “That’s a moment that I’ll forever remember because it was a generation of waiting. I was able to witness several players come up from the minors and see them grow to the point that they were veterans and world champions, and now I am watching the whole next wave of guys do the same thing.”
 
Joel is the keynote speaker for the 2019 MCCA Annual Convention and Tradeshow, Fountains of Knowledge. With nearly 25 years under his belt developing and maintaining strong relationships with professional athletes, coaches, and team management, Joel will share stories and strategies through the lens of professional sports.
 
“If you look at baseball, it’s a large amount of people on a team, not just the players, that have to come together to get things done, with a lot of different people from diverse backgrounds,” Joel said. “Baseball is about preparation every day, through the ups, downs, successes, and more importantly, the failures.”
 
Though his address is not about baseball itself, Joel said that it uses the lessons learned in the game and applies it to an everyday work environment.
 
“There’s a message in the game that applies to leadership, teaching, sharing what you know, and creating a positive culture. I think all of those lessons from the world of baseball will be positive and good lessons for everyone.”

When you think of Kansas City, most people turn to great barbecue, jazz heritage, and over 200 beautifully designed fountains. Besides this, Kansas City is full of wonderful museums, gorgeous landscapes and has enough to pack in for an entire week of sightseeing and leisure. Here are 7 stops on your trip to Kansas City that you don’t want to miss!

1. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
   Take a trip back to the early 20th century, during at time when baseball, like the rest of the country, was racially segregated and divided. Located at historic 18th and Vine Streets, the museum also shares a building with the American Jazz Museum, where one can look back on rich music history, or even take in a live performance or two!
2. The National WWI Museum and Memorial
   Come visit the country’s first official museum dedicated to World War 1! The declared mission of the museum and memorial is to be "dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community."
3. The Country Club Plaza
   Love to shop? The Plaza has 18 separate buildings and over 800 thousand square feet of retail space. Browse for your favorite brands while you take in the tremendous Spanish architecture! Created in 1922, the Plaza was designed architecturally after Seville, Spain, and is known for its ceremony of lights, where they place strands of lights around the plaza to signal the beginning of the Holiday season.
4. Leila’s Hair Art Museum
   Looking for something a bit out of the box? Look no further than Leila’s Hair Art Museum in Independence, which displays samples of hair art dating back to the 17th Century. Hair art was an art form that flourished during the Victorian Era, used by people wanting to keep a memento of a loved one before photography was invented. The museum has over 600 wreaths and 2000 pieces of jewelry that include hair.
5. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
   Want a more traditional art museum experience? According to TripAdvisor, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is the cultural jewel of Kansas City and just three blocks from the Country Club Plaza, and admission is free. Come for an hour, or spend an entire day looking at the world-class art galleries the museum has to offer!
6. Boulevard Brewing Company
   Founded in 1989, Boulevard has grown to be the largest specialty brewer in the US, and has been the staple beer of Kansas City for years. Take a tour of the facility, try one of the 30 beers they have on tap, or take some to go while enjoying the variety of snack foods they have to offer.
7. Union Station Kansas City
   ​To finish off the list, the century old Union Station has many options to experience what KC is all about. Visit national exhibits like their Science Center, see a movie, or try a special meal in this beautiful and historic building. Visitors of all ages will find something to do in the place “Where Kansas City Connects.”