KC Star sports columnist Sam McDowell wins national 1st place for sports opinion

Kansas City Star sports columnist Sam McDowell has earned a prestigious national journalism award.

McDowell’s work in 2023 recently garnered first place for sports opinion writing in the National Headliners Awards. The annual contest sponsored by the Press Club of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

McDowell took top honors for a three-part entry that included the following columns:

• Aaron Rodgers reveals hypocrisy in challenging Chiefs’ Travis Kelce to vaccine ‘debate’

• The NFL has earned the distrust that comes with Eric Bieniemy’s move to Washington

• MLB created this economic problem but expects Royals, KC to pay a $2 billion solution

A graduate of the University of Missouri journalism program, McDowell was hired by The Star in 2012 after working for the Island Packet in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Before being promoted to sports columnist in 2022, he covered such beats as the Chiefs, Sporting KC and high school sports for The Star.

He has also reported and written extensively on the Royals, college sports and other topics of high interest to Kansas City sports fans.