Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals fans will be on edge this week as their teams compete for a championship. But in one way, both cities will come out winners.
(Photo Credit: Dave Herholz/Flickr)
For the teams, the economic advantages of being in the World Series is obvious. It allows the Red Sox and Cardinals to sell out their stadiums with steep ticket prices. Also, though both teams already have strong brands, being on national television in the game’s biggest event certainly won’t hurt.
But the cities, Boston and St. Louis, will also receive a little economic stimulus from hosting the World Series. Boston is projecting an extra $9 million per game coming to the city and St. Louis expects $8 million a game.
With visitors from the around the country and world hoping to see a game in person, hotels, bars, and stores throughout the cities are expected to see increased patronage.
“What’s happening with games like the World Series is you have a lot of people from Major League Baseball coming in and entertaining their clients, VIPs, and the result is you have a major influx of heavy hitters that spend substantial amounts of money,” Brian Hall, chief marketing officer for the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, tells The News-Democrat. “It’s great for the economy.”
Having your team in the world series is good for more than just the local economy; it can also have an impact on the psychology of the city.
“There’s a definite psychological effect on the city,” Brett Boyle, associate professor of marketing and coordinator for the Sports Business program at St. Louis University, tells The News-Democrat. “When the city is highlighted on a national level, given the brand of the Cardinals is so synonymous with the city of St. Louis, it has a definite impact on people’s moods.”
The fanbases for both teams will be hoping their moods will be a positive one, not just during the series, but more importantly the day after.
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