CLEVELAND, Ohio — The NBA All-Star Game and associated events and activities generated a total economic impact of nearly $250 million for Northeast Ohio, exceeding financial expectations, according to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
Total economic impact of $248.9 million includes $141.4 million in direct expenses. That, the commission says, is the result of the injection of new revenue into the community from non-local visitors and businesses. The remaining dollars account for an indirect effect, additional expenses due to the initial injection of money, and other factors attributed to hosting NBA All-Star 2022.
Direct spending – which non-residents shoot financially into the local economy – can come in several ways: drinking drinks at a bar, eating out, staying in a hotel. Induced effect is when a person’s household income changes as a result of a major event, such as a waitress having a much busier Sunday night than usual. According to the committee, that would fall within the total economic impact.
The game was played on February 20, closing the multi-day festivities in Greater Cleveland. About 121,600 people from 45 states and 24 countries attended NBA All-Star 2022.
The dollar amounts are derived from a study that focuses on the full impact of hosting NBA All-Star 2022, the sports committee said. That study, conducted by Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center, collected data from non-local attendees, the NBA and business partners. The Temple Center provides marketing and management services to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of sports.
“The NBA and their business partners truly exceeded our expectations when it came to direct spending in our community during NBA All-Star 2022,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland, in a press release.
The committee had predicted the event would draw “north of $100 million” in direct spending.
Adding to the hype was the fact that this year’s game marked the NBA’s 75th anniversary season. During halftime at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, players from all eras of the game were honored. That historic celebration “certainly helped provide a level of excitement and helped surpass our original estimated number of economic impact,” Gilbert said.
“In addition, the study showed that Cleveland hosted an outstanding event that generated significant media coverage — showcasing the city as an international destination,” Thilo Kunkel, director of Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center, said in a release.
The event also generated more than $50 million in earned media value and received $11.9 billion in total media coverage, including more than 3,400 newscasts referring to Cleveland in addition to its associated All-Star events between January 1 and February 28 worldwide.
Media value earned is the equivalent amount of what a city would have paid for the exposure it would receive for free instead. Online, newspapers, broadcast and other media converged on Cleveland with 24-hour coverage that resulted in a lot of exposure for Cleveland, from published stories to shared social content and more. Total media reach is the number of people likely to have seen the multiple pieces of content.
The NBA All-Star Game was broadcast in 215 countries and territories and a record 60 languages. All-Star Sunday recorded the top 223 million views on Instagram in one day – the highest single day total for an account on the platform in more than two years.
While the game was just that year ago – one game – it has evolved into several days with other games and competitions. Tertiary impact came in various ways in and out of court in multiple locations.
The inaugural NBA HBCU Classic was held, featuring the Howard and Morgan State basketball teams at the Wolstein Center. During the All-Star Game, $450,000 was raised for Team LeBron’s beneficiary, the Kent State University Foundation’s “I Promise Scholars Support Fund,” while $300,000 was raised for Team Durant’s beneficiary, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
The impact also expanded in the Cuyahoga County community, with the league and players’ association contributing more than $3 million and offering programs focused on youth, health and economic opportunity. Through a competition initiative, a Live, Learn or Play center was inaugurated at the Cudell Recreation Center.
The NBA also included more than 130 different-owned businesses as part of the NBA All-Star Rewards program, which highlighted local small businesses that fans could visit while in town.
“NBA All-Star 2022 was another reminder that Cleveland is a destination city full of diversity, vibrant culture, rich history and a pure and passionate love of sports,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group, in a press release. “Not only did this week bring significant economic activity to this city and surrounding neighborhoods, but it also left us memories and a legacy that we as a community will cherish forever.”
i’m on cleveland.com‘s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports related topics. If you want to see my stories, here is a directory on cleveland.com† Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk about food and drink, usually Thursday mornings at 8:20 AM. Twitter: @mbona30†
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