An investigation of the economic impact of small-scale sports events: The case of a medium-sized city in the Western United States

The current study was designed to bridge a sporting event typological and geographical gap by investigating evidence of the economic impact of five small-scale sports events in the Western region of the United States. Utilizing the input-output economic impact equation established by the Sports Event and Tourism Association, data was collected from participants and spectators through on-site intercept surveys. Data was analyzed using the traditional calculations for economic impact as well as offering real-time economic impact data using an sporting event intercept survey procedure. Results showed small-scale events impact the economy of their host city positively, mainly by filling hotel rooms that would otherwise have gone vacant. Results also show that real-time economic impact data may prove more reliable to future decisions of cities hosting events. Previous research on mid-sized cities hosting sporting events as well as the current research related to small-scale sporting events proves more beneficial than large-scale sporting events in large-sized cities. Given the information from the current study, local sports commissions and political figures may effectively advocate hosting small-scale events to their public using the justification of economic impact (traditional or real-time). Additionally, stakeholders of such events should consider maintaining or expanding the current inventory of small-scale events throughout the calendar year.

1. Agha, N., & Taks, M. (2015). A theoretical comparison of the economic impact of large and small events. International Journal of Sport Finance, 10(2), 199-216.

2. Agha, N., & Taks, M. (2018). Modeling resident spending behavior during sport events: Do residents contribute to economic impact? Journal of Sport Management, 32(5), 473-485. CrossRef

3. Allan, G., Dunlop, S., & Swales, K. (2007). The economic impact of regular season sporting competitions: The Glasgow Old Firm football spectators as sports tourists. Journal of Sport Tourism, 12(2), 63-97. CrossRef

4. Barnes, B., & Henrickson K. E. (2015). The public benefits of the proposed Spokane SportsPlex. Spokane, WA: Spokane Sports Commission.

5. Barnes, C., & Henrickson, K. E. (2017). Economic development generated by investment in participation sports. J. Bus. Econ. Policy, 4(1), 156-162.

6. Bazzanella, F., Peters, M., & Schnitzer, M. (2019). The perceptions of stakeholders in small-scale sporting events. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 20(4), 261-286. CrossRef

7. Bull, C., & Lovell, J. (2007). The impact of hosting major sporting events on local residents: An analysis of the views and perceptions of Canterbury residents in relation to the Tour de France 2007. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 12(3-4), 229-248. CrossRef

8. Capurso, N. (2017). Nutrition on the road. Retrieved from https://www.jtsstrength.com/nutrition-on-the-road/.

9. Coates, D., & Humphreys, B. R. (2008). Do economists reach a conclusion on subsidies for sports franchises, stadiums, and mega-events? Econ Journal Watch, 5(3), 294-315.

10. Chernushenko, D. (1996). Sport tourism goes sustainable: The Lillehammer experience. Visions in Leisure and Business, 15(1), 65-73.

11. Crompton, J. L. (1995). Economic impact analysis of sports facilities and events: Eleven sources of misapplication. Journal of sport management, 9(1), 14-35. CrossRef

12. Crompton, J. L. (2006). Economic impact studies: Instruments for political shenanigans? Journal of Travel Research, 45(1), 67-82. CrossRef

13. Crompton, J. L., Jeong, J. Y., & Dudensing, R. M. (2016). Sources of variation in economic impact multipliers. Journal of Travel Research, 55(8), 1051-1064. CrossRef

14. Crompton, J. L., & McKay, S. L. (1994). Measuring the economic impact of festivals and events: Some myths, misapplications and ethical dilemmas. Festival Management and Event Tourism, 2(1), 33-43. CrossRef

15. Csobán, K. V., & Serra, G. (2014). The role of small-scale sport events in developing sustainable sport tourism - A case study of fencing. Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, 8(4), 17-22. CrossRef

16. Daniels, M. J., & Norman, W. C. (2003). Estimating the economic impacts of seven regular sport tourism events. Journal of Sport Tourism, 8(4), 214-222. CrossRef

17. Daniels, M. J., Norman, W. C., & Henry, M. S. (2004). Estimating income effects of a sport tourism event. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 180-199. CrossRef

18. Deutsch, K., & Goulias, K. (2009). Investigating the impact of sense of place on travel behavior using an intercept survey methodology. University of California Transportation Center UCTC Research Paper No. 887.

19. Dixon, A. W., Henry, M., & Martinez, J. M. (2013). Assessing the economic impact of sport touristsʼ expenditures related to a universityʼs baseball season attendance. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 96-113.

20. Duglio, S., & Beltramo, R. (2017). Estimating the economic impacts of a small-scale sport tourism event: The case of the Italo-Swiss mountain trail CollonTrek. Sustainability, 9(3), 343-360. CrossRef

21. Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with forks: The TBL of the 21st Century Business. Capstone, Oxford.

22. Gibson, H. J., Willming, C., & Holdnak, A. (2003). Small-scale event sport tourism: Fans as tourists. Tourism Management, 24(2), 181-190. CrossRef

23. Gibson, H. J., Kaplanidou, K., & Kang, S. J. (2012). Small-scale event sport tourism: A case study in sustainable tourism. Sport Management Review, 15(2), 160-170. CrossRef

24. Gratton, C., Dobson, N., & Shibli, S. (2000). The economic importance of major sports events: A case-study of six events. Managing Leisure, 5(1), 17-28. CrossRef

25. Gratton, C., Shibli, S., & Coleman, R. (2007). The economics of sport tourism at major sports events. In: Sport Tourism Destinations (pp. 249-263). Routledge.

26. Hall, C. M., & Hodges, J. (1996). The partyʼs great, but what about the hangover? The housing and social impacts of mega-events with special reference to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Festival Management and Event Tourism, 4(1-2), 13-20. CrossRef

27. Harger, K., Humphreys, B. R., & Ross, A. (2016). Do new sports facilities attract new businesses? Journal of Sports Economics, 17(5), 483-500. CrossRef

28. Harris County, Houston Sports Authority (2021). Annual reports (2018). Retrieved from https://www.houstonsports.org/about-houston-sports/organization/annual-reports/.

29. Higham, J. (1999). Commentary-sport as an avenue of tourism development: An analysis of the positive and negative impacts of sport tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 2(1), 82-90. CrossRef

30. Hiller, H. H. (2006). Post-event outcomes and the post-modern turn: The Olympics and urban transformations. European Sport Management Quarterly, 6(4), 317-332. CrossRef

31. Humphreys, B. R., & Prokopowicz, S. (2007). Assessing the impact of sports mega-events in transition economies: EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2(5), 496-509. CrossRef

32. Hungenberg, E., Gray, D., Gould, J., & Stotlar, D. (2016). An examination of motives underlying active sport tourist behavior: A market segmentation approach. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 20(2), 81-101. CrossRef

33. IJspeert, R., & Hernandez-Maskivker, G. (2020). Active sport tourists: Millennials vs baby boomers. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing (JTHSM), 6(2), 12-20.

34. Jeong, J. Y., & Crompton, J. L. (2015). The potential influence of researchers "Hidden" procedure decisions on estimates of visitor spending and economic impact. Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=ttra.

35. Kassens-Noor, E., Gaffney, C., Messina, J., & Phillips, E. (2018). Olympic transport legacies: Rio de Janeiro's bus rapid transit system. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 38(1), 13-24. CrossRef

36. Kurtzman, J. (2005). Economic impact: Sport tourism and the city. Journal of Sport Tourism, 10(1), 47-71. CrossRef

37. Lee, C. K., & Taylor, T. (2005). Critical reflections on the economic impact assessment of a mega-event: The case of 2002 FIFA World Cup. Tourism Management, 26(4), 595-603. CrossRef

38. Malchrowicz-Mośko, E., & Poczta, J. (2018). A small-scale event and a big impact-is this relationship possible in the world of sport? The meaning of heritage sporting events for sustainable development of tourism-experiences from Poland. Sustainability, 10(11), 1-19. CrossRef

39. McKay, T., McEwan, L., & Baker, M. (2019). The rise of trail running in South Africa: Possibilities for small-scale sports tourism. Geo Journal of Tourism and Geosites, 26(3), 930-942. CrossRef

40. National Association of Sports Commissions (2018). Retrieved from https://www.sportscommissions.org/.

41. OECD (2018). Urban population by city size. Retrieved from https://data.oecd.org/popregion/urban-population-by-city-size.htm.

42. Ritchie, B. W., & Adair, D. (2004). Sport tourism: An introduction and overview. In: Sport Tourism:Interrelationships (pp. 1-29). Clevedon: Channel View Publications. CrossRef

43. Smith, A. (2009). Theorising the relationship between major sport events and social sustainability. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 14(2-3), 109-120. CrossRef

44. SportsETA (2019). Sports tourism: State of the industry report (2019). Retrieved from https://www.sportseta.org/portals/sportscommissions/Documents/Reports/TourismEconomics%20-%20Sports%20ETA%20SOTI%20-%20FINAL_82620.pdf.

45. Sports ETA (2021a). Sport tourism 101: State of the Sport industry (2015). Retrieved from https://www.sportseta.org/research/reports.

46. Sports ETA (2021b). About the sports events and tourism association. Sports ETA - Sports Events and Tourism Association. Retrieved from https://www.sportseta.org/about.

47. Sports ETA (2021c). Member directory. Sports ETA - Sports Events and Tourism Association. Retrieved from https://www.sportseta.org/research/member-directory.

48. Taks, M., Chalip, L., & Green, B. C. (2015). Impacts and strategic outcomes from non-mega sport events for local communities. European Sport Management Quarterly, 15(1), 1-6. CrossRef

49. UNWTO (2019). International Tourism Highlights - 2019 Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.eunwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152 V.

50. U. S. Census Bureau (2017). Population estimates July 1, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/map/spokanecitywashington,spokanecountywashington/PST045217#viewtop.

51. U. S. Census Bureau (2020). Statistical groupings of States and Counties. Retrieved from https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch6GARM.pdf.

52. U. S. Census Bureau (2021). Quick facts: Alachua County. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/alachuacountyflorida/PST045219.

53. Wan, S. K., & Song, H. (2019). Economic impact assessment of mega-events in the United Kingdom and Brazil. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 43(7), 1044-1067. CrossRef

54. Wilson, R. (2006). The economic impact of local sport events: significant, limited, or otherwise? A case study of four swimming events. Managing Leisure, 11(1), 57-70. CrossRef

55. Yardley, J. K., MacDonald, J. H., & Clarke, B. D. (1990). The economic impact of a small, short term recreation event on a local economy. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 8(4), 71-82.

56. Yusof, A. (2010). Exploring small-scale sport event tourism in Malaysia. Research Journal of Internatıonal Studıes, 9, 47-58.