Why would the Kansas City Royals tank?

Kansas City Royals owner David Glass, right, visits with general manager Dayton Moore and team president Dan Glass during batting practice before action against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

To say this season has been a success or fun for the Kansas City Royals would be a lie. It has already been a long and winding season and it’s only mid June.

Currently, the Kansas City Royals‘ record stands at 21-46. For the second season in a row, they are competing for the first overall pick in next year’s draft. After a few seasons of poor performance, one begins to wonder if the Royals are tanking or what is going on if they are not tanking?

If the on-field product was to tank, then what is tanking?

Merriam Webster defines tanking as, “to make no effort to win: lose intentionally”. ‘Tanking has become a popular term around the sports landscape. Many teams have used this strategy to get back into relevant play.

Two notable examples of tanking include the early 2010s’ Cubs and Astros. The Cubs and Astros tanked and received Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa for their efforts. Their use of the strategy not only paid off with those players, but with World Championships, but not everyone is a fan of tanking.

A copious amount of statements have been made in regards to tanking, including Major League Player Association President Tony Clark. Last year Clark stated,

"“This year a significant number of teams are engaged in a race to the bottom. This conduct is a fundamental breach of the trust between a team and its fans and threatens the very integrity of our game”."

MLB has nipped the issue of tanking in the bud.

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