It's a Business

We were recently interviewed for an upcoming article in the Wall Street Journal about the rising costs of youth travel sports. As our son Brock has just turned 10 and will soon enter into this arena, it was a timely discussion. The 60-minute interview ended up covering a multitude of topics beyond the initial premise. We have outlined three of the main themes below…..

First, destinations (be they CVBs, DMOs, sports commissions, cities, or counties) have taken the lead on the facility development process. Tourism leaders are no longer waiting for parks and recreation, schools, or private developers to build what they need. The smart folks are driving the discussion on tourism ready economic impact driving venue creation. And in many cases, finding ways to fund them.

Second, for all the years the sports tourism industry begged for a seat at the economic development table, we now find ourselves sitting front and center. Sports tourism isn’t a secret anymore. Even destinations that don’t think they are in the sports tourism game, they are. If anything good came from the pandemic, that dark time proved out what we have been saying for years. The sports tourism market is immune from negative market trends. COVID proved it, so now we find ourselves in the middle of some really important conversations in the destinations we serve. Conversations that the tourism community may not have been part of previously.

Third, the business community is encroaching on our industry. Specifically, private equity investment entities have infiltrated our world and have made significant investments into for-profit companies throughout our space. We are not sure if this is a good thing, a great thing, or a not-so-awesome trend. The end result is that there is a LOT more money out there and the stakes are higher now than ever before.

In the end, what was a cottage type industry when I started some 30 years ago, is now a big business. And we have to treat it as such. We need to invest in the right assets. Hire an appropriate staff. The days of a tourism bureau giving 10% of the budget to a sector that drives 50% of their annual room nights are over. Time to true things up and treat the sports tourism sector as the business investment it requires.

Compete at the appropriate level or face mediocrity.