A Bowl of Business - Daily Transcript Supplement
By Joanne DiBona
It should come as no surprise that the upcoming Super Bowl XXXVII will pack a tremendous economic punch for San Diego’s economy—to the tune of more than $300 million dollars. This is in addition to the tremendous international publicity the event will generate for San Diego, when an estimated one billion television viewers in 188 countries around the world will watch scenes of our sun-drenched, picture-perfect scenery—in the dead of winter!
While the Super Bowl may be the ‘trophy’ sporting event, the San Diego economy also benefits from a myriad of other special sporting events held year-round throughout the region. Last year, over 27 million visitors spent a whopping $5.6 billion in the San Diego region, with 85 percent of those visitors being leisure travelers. Of those, 5 percent declared sporting events the primary goal of their trip.
Whether you prefer running, riding, swatting, pitching, or cycling, San Diego has the field, court, bay or course ready to accommodate a wide variety of sporting action. It’s no secret that the San Diego region is a hotbed for all sorts of sports, and these events generate economic ‘points’ that reach far beyond the direct competition itself.
San Diego’s annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl game, for instance, has consistently generated visitor numbers and revenue for the region. Not only do Bowl visitors utilize plenty of hotel room nights during a traditionally slow season for San Diego tourism, but the game itself, nationally televised from sunny San Diego to places up to their jerseys in snow, stimulates potential visitor interest.
The, now in its 25th year, the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl is a winning event for San Diego, no matter who is skirmishing on the field. With an average attendance of approximately 63,000 fans over the past four years, the game has had an average economic impact of $23 million, said Mark Neville, assistant executive director for the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.
But passing the pigskin is not the only way to ‘score’ in San Diego; plenty of other sports kick big bucks into the local economy. For instance, the last Surf Cup soccer youth tournament drew 332 teams from around the world to the San Diego Polo Club in Del Mar. This sporting event generated $3.5 million in direct spending. Approximately 92,000 people attended the event, with teams booking hotel rooms at an average rate of $110 per night. The total economic impact of the tournament exceeded $10.5 million—an outstanding economic ‘goal’ for the region, to be sure!
Plenty of folks bolt to San Diego for the annual Suzuki Rock ‘n Roll Marathon, with over 20,000 runners participating. Ninety percent come from outside San Diego county, staying an average of 3.2 days and spending on average $213 per day, according to a study prepared by the USD School of Business. All told, this weekend event pours more than $82 million into the local economy, with that figure swelling each year.
The San Diego Thunderboat Regatta has been making a splash in Mission Bay since 1964. This championship race in 23 different classes makes it the biggest powerboat race in the world. This event provides an annual boost to the local economy of more than $12 million.
San Diego County has developed an international reputation as the “Sweet Spot for Golf.” Home to 92 golf courses, a legion of golf equipment manufacturers and the best year-round climate in the nation, it’s no wonder San Diego is becoming the golf capital of the world. Hard goods (clubs, balls, grips etc.) as well as soft goods (clothing and accessories) are manufactured locally by companies such as Aldila, Callaway, Lynx, TaylorMade, Titleist and Zevo.
Why have golf manufacturers flocked to San Diego like Canada geese to a golf course? One theory is the hole-in-one success of Callaway Golf, founded by the late Ely Callaway, a longtime North County resident. Mr. Callaway’s entrepreneurial streak began fifty years ago in textiles, grew into a successful winery, and presently his legacy encompasses the world’s largest manufacturer of premium golf clubs and maker of golf balls and putters. By 1997, Callaway annual sales hit $1 billion and “Mr. C” became an icon by making golf more enjoyable for the average golfer. In twelve short years, Callaway had become the number one producer of drivers, fairway woods, irons and putters combined.
Perhaps this intrepid spirit paved the way for other companies to set up shop in San Diego. Titleist opened its Golf Club Development Center in Carlsbad in 1993, with the lofty mission of “serving the needs of the serious and recreational golfer with value-added products and services that have a competitive advantage worldwide.” Aldila, Inc., headquartered in Poway, designs, manufactures and markets high performance graphite golf shafts for use worldwide and boasts $34.9 million in total assets. Many other golf companies are breathing economic life into rural communities throughout San Diego.
San Diego is home to two exciting PGA tour events: the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines (February 10 – 16) and the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa (February 24 – March 2). Both of these prestigious events have a significant impact on the local economy as well as local charities.
The Buick Invitational, typically generates an annual $30 million economic impact on the San Diego region, said Tom Wilson, Executive Director for the Century Club.
“Our goal here at The Century Club is to perpetuate PGA tour events in San Diego and through these events create positive economic impacts for the region. Over the years, these championships have raised over $6.5 million for local charities as well as showcased the region to golfers worldwide,” Wilson added.
This year, the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad will feature defending champion Kevin Sutherland, a $5.5 million purse and international televised coverage on ESPN and ABC networks. As true with other winter sporting events televised from San Diego, the scenes of sun-drenched courses rolling down to the blue sea will precipitate a slew of calls to our region’s visitor centers and online visits to our websites from golfers and vacationers from around the nation eager to enjoy such an experience.
With its excellent visitor amenities, perfect year-round climate, and an infrastructure to support the hosting of all types of special sporting events, San Diego is well positioned to attract the lucrative sports market to the region—spelling ‘victory’ for the local economy.
