City of Goodyear recently issued the following announcement.
The city of Goodyear, a vibrant business hub and residential community located west of Phoenix, lauded the Cactus League's announcement that spring training baseball continues to have an outsized impact on the local economy.
“We have studied the economic impact of major sporting events in Arizona like the Super Bowl and the Final Four, and while they create massive economic impact, they occur here intermittently,” said Dr. Anthony Evans of the L. William Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University and leader of this latest study. “The Cactus League brings in impact of this magnitude every year. It is phenomenal – and it happens every spring in this state.”
Information about the study was released at a news conference Monday afternoon. Although these new figures are calculated differently compared to previous years, it remains clear the annual spring training season contributes approximately $373 million to Arizona's gross domestic product.
Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord said, “The news underscores one of the many reasons we are so proud of Goodyear Ballpark and our phenomenal partnerships with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. Not only is spring training one of the highlights of our year, but the Ballpark has become a significant draw, in and of itself.”
In addition to a packed slate of spring training games, Goodyear Ballpark hosts a full-year schedule of special events. Goodyear Ballpark General Manager Bruce Kessman said, “In July alone – and in spite of the heat – we were the venue for the USA Baseball West National Team Championship, as well as more than 84 Arizona League games. That's in addition to the annual city signature events including the Star Spangled 4th. On top of all that, we were also proud to make space available for the Treasures 4 Teachers Pop-Up Shop providing a much needed West Valley location to better serve teachers in our community.”
Spring training begins again when pitchers and catchers report to work in mid-February. In the meantime, those looking for a family-fun event any time of year should visit www.goodyearbp.com.
Original source can be found here.