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The below is an excerpt from an article on communityplaymaker.com. The full article can be found here.
Honor Roll
We profile four communities driving sports tourism in states topping the ranking for biggest economic impact.
SportsETA, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, annually tracks sports tourism’s impact across the country. Northstar assists in the research for the State of the Industry report, which is released each Spring
The most recent SportsETA report, compiling data from 2023, found Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the country in sports-driven economic impact. California, Texas, and Florida were the only states with higher rankings.
As the research shows, bigger does in fact seem to be better in sports tourism. The top-performing states are among the country’s largest, providing more opportunities for travel tournaments and competitions. They share little else in common, as the approach to sports tourism varies due to levels of government-funded support.
To that point, PA Sports only recently began receiving statewide dollars despite two decades of boosting the economy through its cooperative effort. Meanwhile, Texas and Florida are empowered by governmental financial support which allows destinations to offer sports organizers incentives, such as financial grants, to bring their events to the state. The Sunshine State’s destinations also benefit from the Florida Sports Foundation advocating on their behalf.
On the other hand, California is more of a free-for-all. Still, its pristine weather and Tier One cities attract events year-round, to say nothing of the Super Bowls and Olympics that make Los Angeles part of their regular rotation.
Here, we examine four communities in these states that have capitalized on sports tourism to boost their local economies.
Frisco, TX
How important is sports in Texas? Josh Dill, now assistant executive director at Visit Frisco, transitioned from his previous role as director of sports and events, where his data-driven approach helped inform the community about the value of incoming events.
“We don’t have to fight the battle of relevancy that a lot of other DMOs fight,” said Dill. “Our city gets it.”
It helps when the numbers are on your side. Sports had a $29.8 million impact on the local economy in 2024, building on the success of hosting 1,500 events from 2017-2023. As the home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Frisco should score big during the incoming 2026 World Cup, in which Dallas will host nine matches, including a semifinal.
A booming suburb of Dallas, Frisco is at the forefront of a movement toward creating “pockets”—as Dill calls them—within cities. The Star in Frisco, the 91-acre Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters, is one such example. Another is the PGA Headquarters, which opened in 2022. include sports facilities and feature on-site restaurants and shopping, ensuring that participants’ families and friends can enjoy the experience as much as the athletes.
Indeed, Visit Frisco concentrates on quality as much as quantity—namely room nights and economic impact.
“We’re now looking for the best business, not just the most business,” Dill said.
Dill said Frisco has that luxury, as its 28 hotels regularly run 80 percent occupancy rates due to corporate and sporting events. That fuels the more than 9 million square feet of retail and over 400 restaurants in the region.
”We’re taking sports tourism to the next level. It’s about getting involved in economic development conversations and redevelopment conversations.”
To that end, Dill has created a scorecard with 13 KPIs to measure events. Among the categories is capturing television and live-streaming events that promote Frisco to a wider audience.
The efforts are getting noticed. Frisco, which calls itself “Sports City USA,” was named Best Sports Business City in 2023 and designated “One to Watch” in 2024 by the Sports Business Journal.
Full article HERE