Kansas City Current, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Team Up for Fifth Annual Sideline the Stigma Event

KANSAS CITY (Sept. 9, 2026) — The Kansas City Current hosted its fifth annual Sideline the Stigma event, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Tuesday afternoon at CPKC Stadium. One hundred high school-aged female student-athletes from the Kansas City metro joined the Current and Blue KC for a full day of programming and workshops centered around empowering young women to prioritize their mental health.  
 
This year’s event featured a variety of interactive sessions for participants, including a brief fitness program, small-group activities, panel discussions and, for the second consecutive year, a keynote speaker. In addition, several all-star female athletes, industry professionals and Kansas City natives helped lead discussions that fostered open, honest conversations about mental health as both panelists and facilitators.  
 
“Our longstanding partnership with Blue KC has allowed us to make a tangible impact with young female athletes across Kansas City, which can be seen firsthand at our annual Sideline the Stigma event,” said Kansas City Current Vice President, Community Relations Ben Aken. “We’re extremely appreciative of Blue KC’s support in making this event such a resounding success year after year. The skills and conversations fostered here will give these young women the tools to be leaders in their school communities with impact that extends far beyond athletics.”  
 
The 2026 Sideline the Stigma session facilitators and panelists included Lindsay Kobolt, Krishna Lee, Betty Lennox, Betsy Maxfield, Angel McGee, Tiffani McReynolds, Merideth Rose and Fabiola Riobé. More information about the group can be found HERE. This year’s theme was “From Pressure to Power,” highlighting strategies and techniques to maintain confidence, resilience and positive wellbeing even in adverse situations. 
 
Tuesday’s event featured 100 female high school-aged athletes from 23 different high schools across the Kansas City metro. It also marked the third time the event was held at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team.  
 

“As the only locally based not-for-profit health insurer serving the Kansas City area for close to 90 years, we are proud to partner with the Kansas City Current to improve the mental health and well-being of female high school athletes in the communities we serve,” said Blue KC Behavioral Health Program Manager Rebekah Adams. “We hope that by having open conversations about mental health, we can help these young athletes be successful not only on the field, but also in the game of life.” 
 

Lee, a Kansas Citian with an extensive background in athletics as both a decorated competitor and seasoned coach, spoke to attendees between sessions as the keynote speaker. She was captain of the gold medal-winning 2022 U.S. Women’s National Tackle Football Team and a decorated track and field athlete at the collegiate level, earning three All-American honors at the University of Missouri. In June 2026, she was named the inaugural women’s flag football head coach at Park University.  
 
Additionally, attendees got to take part in an interactive panel discussion featuring KC Current players Alana Cook and Haley Hopkins. They were joined by McReynolds, a USA Track & Field athlete and Kansas City native and Lennox, the sixth overall pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft, 2000 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2004 WNBA Finals MVP and 2004 WNBA Champion.  
 
For more information about Blue KC and the Current’s commitment to mental health and the Sideline the Stigma program, visit kansascitycurrent.com/sidelinethestigma. The page also includes access to Mental Health First Aid® training and other mental health resources at both the local and national level.