Whether it’s baseball, hockey or basketball, Erie, Pennsylvania appears to be winning when it comes to supporting a thriving professional sports scene. Over the last decade, Pennsylvania’s fourth-largest city has established a supportive fan base for the SeaWolves, Otters and BayHawks franchises.
“For a community our size, that’s very unique,” says Erie Events Executive Director Casey Wells, whose group leases the facilities used by the teams. “You’d be hard pressed to find any that have an NBA-affiliate team, a hockey team (and) a AA baseball team.”
According to Erie Events, the newly renovated Erie Insurance Arena – home to both the Otters and BayHawks — reported an estimated $42.5 million in direct spending from events, including hockey and basketball games, held in 2014. Jerry Uht Park — home of the SeaWolves baseball team — reported direct spending of $24 million, including the 71 home games played that season.
The teams provide full-time and part-time job opportunities and help contribute to amusement taxes. Indirectly, the teams’ presence benefits various vendors in addition to many small businesses — hotels, restaurants and bars. Bertrand Artigues, owner of Cloud 9 Wine Bar, describes game days as busy for his establishment. “Anything that is going to bring people downtown is good for us.”
According to a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, the North American sports industry revenue will grow at a compounded annual rate of 4.8 percent to $67.7 billion by 2017. In the accelerating sports market, Erie and Erie County are fortunate to be getting a piece of the action.
“There’s always talk about what size market we are, and we’re somewhere, I think, between a secondary and tertiary market depending upon who’s defining it,” says Wells, of the local market. “Clearly, we have a lot of cultural, sports and entertainment opportunities available to people in our region.”
Read more in the March 2016 edition of the Business Magazine.