Las Vegas has many reputations. It’s known as the entertainment capital of the world, a gambling mecca and in recent years, a sports hub that’s seen several professional teams come to town and hosted events such as the Super Bowl and Formula 1.

However, Vegas veterans will tell you that before anything else, Jerry Tarkanian’s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels teams of the 1980s and 1990s ignited a passion for basketball in the desert. The Rebs were the hottest ticket in town for many years, as they went to multiple Final Fours and won a national championship in 1990, crushing Duke by 30 points in the title game.

The Rebels still draw decent crowds these days but without an NBA team in the city, there was a basketball void that needed to be filled. Enter the Las Vegas Aces.

“I think Vegas is a basketball town and has been for a long time,” said Steve Hill, chief executive officer and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority. “The Aces crowds today are probably the families of those people who went to those UNLV games in the ’90s. They just love basketball.”

When the WNBA franchise moved to Las Vegas from Dallas after the 2017 season, it marked the first professional basketball in the city’s history. And since 2017, the team has made quite a bit of history.

The Aces won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022–2023, have revolutionized what a WNBA team facility should look like and have packed Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay with loud crowds consistently.

Aces Set the Standard

SportsTravel got the chance to be a part of a Las Vegas experience centered around the Aces and the impact the team has on the community. The event included a tour of the Aces’ headquarters located next to the NFL Raiders’ home in Henderson, Nevada, and a VIP experience for the Aces’ 2025 home opener against the Washington Mystics on May 23.

“We are a city that supports excellence and we feel our presence has been able to bring visibility to women’s sports, while also helping drive economic activity within our community,” said Las Vegas Aces President Nikki Fargas. “Las Vegas isn’t just where we play, this is our home. And how this community has shown up game after game, parade after parade, means everything to us and it fuels our players.”

With the first pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, the Aces selected A’ja Wilson from South Carolina. Wilson has been the best player in the league since that moment, amassing three MVP awards and leading the team to an overall win percentage of nearly 70 percent since it moved to Las Vegas.

After winning Las Vegas’ first professional sports championship in 2022, the Aces moved into their new $40 million facility before the 2023 season — the first complex built solely for the use of a WNBA team.

The 60,000-square-foot venue houses the Aces’ practice facility — complete with two courts that can be separated — offices, training room, weight room, hydrotherapy space, physical therapy area, locker rooms, a lecture hall, player and alumni lounges and an on-site daycare center.

The facility set the standard for a WNBA home. Since its opening in April 2023, several other teams have copied the blueprint.

“Obviously we want this across the board in the WNBA,” Fargas said of the facilities. “We want these players to have a place that they can call home. I’m proud of the work that we’ve been able to do with our team, with our business ops team in maximizing that space, but also knowing that we don’t ever displace our players. We’ll have tours come through and we’ll host community events there. We hold camps and clinics there. So not only is that facility for the players, it’s also for our community.”

And the community shows up for the Aces. The opening night game had a sellout crowd of 10,509, which stayed with the team the entire way, even though the first three quarters were a bit rough. The Aces trailed by nine points with four minutes left, but boosted by the large crowd, they rallied with a 16–4 run to close to game and beat the Washington Mystics, including a Jewell Loyd 3-pointer in the final seconds that sent Michelob Ultra Arena into a frenzy.

“It’s great to see what we’ve been able to build in such a short period of time, having back-to-back season ticket member sellouts — that’s so exciting,” Fargas said. “But also to hear how loud the arena gets. I’ve had so many people talk about not just the game itself, but all of the activations that we have around the game and how interactive it is with our fans. People really enjoy coming to the games to see not just the action on the basketball court, but what other cool things we’re doing to make that game day experience for the fans special.”

LVCVA Continues to Raise the Bar

You’d be hard pressed to find a CVB anywhere that supports its local teams as diligently as LVCVA does with the Aces, Golden Knights and Raiders.

Before the 2024 season, LVCVA found a creative way to market its destination in a partnership with each individual Aces player on the roster. The premise is simple — LVCVA pays each Aces player $100,000 per season to essentially be social media influencers for the city. Players attend concerts, shows, nightclubs, etc., sharing their experiences with their millions of followers.

The idea, implemented a year ago, gave LVCVA more exposure and eyeballs on the city’s top tourist attractions, while the players benefitted from the monetary sum.

“We did it because we thought it was a smart and efficient marketing opportunity for us,” Hill said. “All of the players have a following. A’ja has a following that most athletes would envy. But everybody on the team was a star in college, was a star in high school and has a hometown fan base. We get them out in the community to experience everything that Las Vegas has to offer and then talk about it.

“We use influencers on a very regular basis and they’re basically influencers, and it’s worked out really well for us. I think it’s worked out really well for them, too. We’re thrilled with the partnership and I think it’s worked well for Las Vegas.”

The win-win situation for LVCVA and Aces players drew attention from the WNBA, as the league announced an investigation as to whether the sponsorship dollars circumvented the salary cap. That investigation is a year old now, with no new updates and no conclusion.

Hill and others were questioned by WNBA investigators in 2024 and LVCVA has gone forward with year two of the sponsorship in 2025.

“We’ve not heard anything,” Hill said. “We’ve made a two-year commitment and we think it’s a great deal for us and a great opportunity for the players. So yeah, we’re just moving forward.”

On the court and in the community, the Aces’ relationship with the city has never been stronger. When the team arrived in 2018, the crowds weren’t as large. However, led by Wilson, Caitlin Clark and others, the women’s basketball explosion has led to big crowds across the WNBA. That also means more economic impact for CVBs.

“It’s just generally beneficial to the community from a tourism and economic standpoint,” Hill said of the Aces. “But the energy around the Aces and their integration into the community is important to locals here. It’s now a part of our culture, part of the sports scene and a part of our brand.”

F1 the Newest Addition to Vegas’ Infrastructure

In the past decade, Las Vegas has added two of the top arenas and stadiums in the world (more on those below) but the city has truly gone international with the annual Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix each November.

As the Las Vegas Grand Prix heads into its third year, the completion of the Grand Prix Plaza is bringing the world’s premier race circuit to life year-round in Vegas.

The F1 Experience is something that everybody will enjoy, whether they’re race fans or not. The F1 Drive provides a high-level go-kart activation for visitors, who then can go upstairs and get an immersive F1 experience, including learning the history of the sport, how the tires and pit crews work, the media/control center, creating your own team and car, and more. The F1 simulators provide a taste of what the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit feels like to drive.

The Grand Prix Plaza is a signal of commitment between F1 and LVCVA and although their contract is up after 2025, all indicators point to their partnership going far into the future.

“We’re thrilled with Grand Prix Plaza and it’s a really fun offering for visitors,” Hill said. “Going karting is a fun thing to do, period. And to wrap it around Formula 1 elevates it. But it’s also something that I think helps fan development, and in the U.S. — and particularly around Las Vegas — we want to do that. The fan experience is a real opportunity to make that happen.”

One year before the Aces arrived in Las Vegas, the city welcomed its first professional sports team with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. To lure an NHL expansion team to the desert, the city built T-Mobile Arena, one of the nicest arenas you’ll find anywhere in the country.

In addition to the 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights, the arena hosts basketball games, boxing, UFC, concerts and more. The arena contributes an estimated $125 million per year in economic impact to the city.

It has all the top hospitality spots, including 46 suites and two “party suites” that can each host 120 people. The Hyde Lounge in the upper portion of the arena offers standing room only areas in a nightclub setting. The Bud Light Lounge and Ghost Lounge located in the two center sections of the arena bowl provide premium hospitality and the best views in the venue.

Speaking of building venues to lure professional sports teams, the city did it again in 2020 when it opened Allegiant Stadium. The 65,000-seat venue helped relocate the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas, but it also has hosted the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, college football, massive concerts and WrestleMania in 2025 (and potentially 2026). It will also be the site for the 2027 College Football Playoff Championship and the 2028 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“The building of Allegiant Stadium was transformative for the state,” Hill said. “We wouldn’t have gotten Formula 1 if we hadn’t built Allegiant Stadium, because we didn’t have a venue where we could host the biggest events in the world. And now, with that stadium, we host events every few weeks and the world sees that we have this big capacity to do it over and over again.”

The Allegiant Stadium tour included a peek inside Raiders owner Mark Davis’ suite, a walk through the Raiders’ locker room — complete with a Charles Woodson hologram — and a chance to walk on the field for pictures. Standing at the 50-yard line, it’s easy to see why the venue is a favorite among sports fans, with its amazing natural light, giant Olympic-style torch in the end zone and views of the Vegas skyline looking out the northeast side of the stadium.

A trip to Las Vegas wouldn’t be complete without some top-shelf food and entertainment. LVCVA treated our group to some of the best dining in the city, including Mother Wolf, Gordon Ramsay Burger, Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons, Primrose at Park MGM and The Kitchen at Commons Club at the Virgin Hotel.

Virgin has emerged as a big-time player in the Las Vegas hospitality scene when it comes to sports, as the resort hosts NFL teams and is the headquarters for the NBA Summer League each July. Virgin also sponsors the Las Vegas Bowl, Formula 1 and the National Finals Rodeo.

For entertainment, some of the VIP experiences include Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple, a spin on the High Roller observation wheel, a trip to Atomic Golf, ziplining and live music at Caspians, the speakeasy inside Caesar’s Palace.

The old marketing slogan was, “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” But what’s happening in modern day Vegas is an influx of new venues, teams and training facilities in the sports world that have added a new element to a city that continues to entertain at all levels.

When Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy took the stage April 24 to announce the team’s first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the crowd of over 200,000 people roared. When he announced the team had drafted a first-round wide receiver for the first time since 2002, the ground shook.

The emotion from the Packers fanbase was about more than the addition of Texas’ Matthew Golden to the franchise. It was also a celebration that the city of just over 100,000 people hosted Draft week for a global audience, proving it can host a massive event with the same success as larger cities.

It was also a win for the state of Wisconsin beyond the residents of Green Bay. All week, anybody asking about the impact of the state hosting the NFL Draft was met with smiles whether it was somebody from Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison or Sheboygan.

“We want to be fly to country, not fly over country,” said Craig Trost, communications director for Travel Wisconsin. “We anticipate a $94 million economic impact for the state, with $20 million of that directly in the Green Bay area. So this is a major moment for our state and we’re just excited to shine on a big stage.”

The entire NFL Draft process was a team effort from those around the state, particularly Discover Green Bay and Visit Milwaukee. A four-day trip was centered around the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field — but there was plenty more to see and do.

“What our marketing team did such a great job with is capitalizing on this opportunity and utilizing our partners to really market ourselves as a great place to hang out, to visit, to experience all the attractions and restaurants while they’re in Milwaukee,” said Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee, a division of Visit Milwaukee. “Hopefully their experience here when they’re outside of the Draft, at our hotels and experiencing everything our city has to offer, will make them want to come back for an even longer trip.”

Green Bay Glows on Global Stage

Green Bay is by far the smallest market in the NFL, with about 105,000 residents in the city, and a total of 335,000 in its metro area. It regularly hosts more than 80,000 fans for Packers home games, but that was about a third of the crowd which showed up on April 24 for the first round.

Naturally, there were concerns about the area hosting the most people its ever had for an event. Parking, of course, was a bit of an issue, with people renting out their driveways, businesses and church parking lots for varying amounts that hovered above $100. But once parked, it was a seamless experience.

There were plenty of miles walked (close to a dozen to be exact) from the time SportsTravel left the bus in the early afternoon to the time it departed the Draft at nearly midnight. As expected, there were parties along the streets that led to Lambeau. Beers were flowing, with authentic Wisconsin cheese curds and brats everywhere.

Trost is hoping the state’s hospitality will have a future impact on those in attendance — there were an estimated 600,000 people over the three days — and those watching on TV around the world.

“It really is a dream come true for us here in Wisconsin to see an event this large come to our state and we’re able to introduce ourselves to a whole new host of visitors,” Trost said. “So we really think that regardless of what team you’re a fan of you’ll walk away a fan of the state of Wisconsin.”

NFL fans were able to go inside Lambeau Field in the hours leading to the beginning of the Draft, as the stadium hosted the Red Carpet for top prospects. About 30 minutes before the beginning of Round 1, it was announced the Draft area had reached capacity, but those left out were able to watch from inside Lambeau on the big screens. The Packers have one of the largest team shops in all of sports, which was packed all day with a line out the door. The Packers Hall of Fame inside Lambeau is also a must see for any football fan (except maybe a Bears fan).

“The storied history of the Green Bay Packers, dating back to Curly Lambeau and then Vince Lombardi and Super Bowl I — now to see the Draft at Lambeau is like the NFL has come full circle, which is really special,” Trost said. “The fans are what really makes this whole thing work here in Wisconsin.”

Milwaukee Continues to Host Major Events

When it was announced nearly two years ago that the NFL Draft would head to Green Bay, it was cause for celebration for many other cities in the state. With more than a half million people, Milwaukee is the biggest city in the state and partnering with Travel Wisconsin and Discover Green Bay was another addition to the city’s list of sports hospitality.

“We’re just excited that we do get some of that economic impact trickle down being the closest, largest city to Green Bay,” Werner said. “But being able to go up there and witness it firsthand was mind blowing — how they were able to create this whole experience in this smaller city, the smallest market in the NFL, and bring in over 200,000 people just within one night.”

Milwaukee has hosted U.S. Olympic Trials, as well as events for USA Gymnastics, USA Triathlon, USA Wrestling and recently saw the return of IndyCar action to the Milwaukee Miracle Mile. It will also host the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills Golf Course from May 28 through June 1. Then there are the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers, the city’s professional sports teams that have a strong following.

“Our hope is that there’s a lot of people who came for the Draft and loved it and just want to spend a little bit more time in this big, beautiful state of ours,” Trost said. “Maybe they came for the Draft and they didn’t have an opportunity to see many of our 15,000 freshwater lakes or go take a hike in one of our amazing forests or play some of the most elite golf in the nation. We want them to come back.”

Wisconsin has one of the best food scenes in the country. There were plenty of cheese curds and Spotted Cow at nearly every restaurant frequented. Do not go to Milwaukee if you’re on a diet.

Local Hospitality Shines Through

The Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is a renovated property that added a new hotel to the gaming areas in the past few years. For sports fans and those who like to bet on sports, the Potawatomi sportsbook is one of the nicest in the country outside of Las Vegas.

It has 2,100 square feet of LED boards that can be converted to up to 42 screens. The 90 betting kiosks offer the only place in the city where sports wagering is allowed. The casino has thousands of slot machines and table games as well, which were a favorite of Draft visitors.

It wasn’t just a football week, as our group also got to take some swings at X-Golf at American Family Field, home of the Brewers. Located on the Club Level, X-Golf features seven state-of-the-art, indoor golf simulator bays over two floors — with three bays that offer views of the field.

Another development in Milwaukee is the Baird Center, which recently underwent a $456 million expansion and modernization, doubling its size to 1.3 million total square feet. The venue opened on May 16, 2024, and now offers 52 meeting rooms, 300,000 contiguous square feet of exhibition space and the rooftop Baird Ballroom and Sky View Terrace.

The Baird Center will bring not only large conventions and events, including the TEAMS Conference & Expo in 2027,  but it also utilizes its space to host up to 30 sports tournaments each year including volleyball, basketball and cheer. Between the existing Hyatt and soon-to-be-completed Hilton, there will be nearly 1,000 hotel rooms connected to the Baird Center by skywalk.

On the final night of the trip, the schedule aligned as the Bucks were hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Although the weather didn’t allow for the Deer District to be fully activated, the bar scene around Fiserv Forum includes several fun spots to pregame before tipoff.

There are a handful of bars and restaurants, including the Mecca Sports Bar and Grill (the cheese curd burger is recommended) and the New Fashioned, with dozens of local drinks on tap and bowling alleys with a unique twist on the sport.

The city is proud of its 2021 NBA champion Bucks and on this night the capacity crowd was treated to a comeback victory by the home team. After the game, fans can head over to Broken Bat Brewing Company for a celebratory nightcap, accompanied by an expansive bobblehead collection and live whiffleball.

On the final day of the trip, before heading back to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, we stopped at one of the best brunches in the country at the Blue Egg. It was a fitting end to an exciting, calorie-filled trip to one of America’s most hospitable cities.

There’s something for everybody in Rock Hill, South Carolina, which sits about 20 miles south of Charlotte. At the same time it was hosting 3,500 riders at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships at the local BMX Supercross Track, there was a youth basketball tournament across town at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center with 250 teams.

Few markets of its size host the quantity or diversity of sporting events this city will see over the next few months. In addition to becoming a hub for youth sports, the city has found its place with niche events ranging from the American Cornhole League to the Innova disc golf company. Winthrop University provides one of the best disc golf courses in the world, which regularly hosts the collegiate national championship, and it has one of the most successful esports teams in the country.

“We do basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer, dance, cornhole, esports, disc golf — a little bit of everything,” said John Taylor, director of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism. “If it’ll bring money to Rock Hill, we’ll try it. Our weekends are always busy and now we’re real big on trying to push the Monday through Thursday sales.”

Rock Hill, part of the Olde English District, has welcomed many different ancillary events in recent years as part of ESPN Ocho, which brings some of the most unique events to air on ESPN, including slippery stairs, air guitar, pillow fighting and a lot more.

Ready to Rock

A recent visit in May was highlighted by the UCI BMX Racing World Championships, which do not come to the United States very often. The only two times the U.S. has hosted the event since 2001 were in Rock Hill in 2017, and then again in 2024.

“Rock Hill provides us with a fantastic facility and the city of Rock Hill does absolutely everything to make sure that the UCI is welcome,” said Norm McCann, UCI BMX racing consultant. “This facility is great for the riders, no matter the weather conditions, as they were even able to compete in the rain this week.”

The Rock Hill BMX Supercross Track is special for several reasons. Among them are the Soiltac surface the track implements, making world-class competition possible even in a driving rainstorm. The track is also one of the few in the U.S. that does not require any type of membership, which has led to many BMX riders in the city becoming good enough to qualify for the world championships, including Zach Yonce and his 14-year-old son Gage.

“We’re here four days a week, every week,” Yonce said of he and both his sons. “It’s amazing to have something like this here and to see how much my kids have excelled in the two and a half years that they’ve been competing in BMX racing. To get to this level, you’ve got to give credit to this track and being able to come here and put in hard work year-round.”

Zach was eliminated from competition before the quarterfinals of his 45 to 49-year-old Cruiser division. Gage finished 53rd overall in his age group after the final rounds were cancelled due to lightning while 12-year-old Gavin just missed out on qualifying for the event.

“People don’t understand how big this event is,” said Zach Yonce, who with his wife, Christine, own Yonce Motor and Tire Company, a third generation family business. “People from all over the world come here and spend money. … I’ve had people who drove here from Canada whose cars were messed up on the way come into my shop so we can get them fixed up and on their way. This event trickles down to every business in the city.”

Taylor says in 2017, the UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Rock Hill generated about $29 million in estimated economic impact for the region and he expects the 2024 version to rise to around $35 million.

“This venue was built to host national and international events and we’re just so proud of our community for embracing an event like the UCI,” Taylor said. “It just makes us excited and it generates a lot of economic impact in our community.”

Providing Southern Hospitality

It’s quite a feat for a city of approximately 75,000 residents to host a UCI World Championship once. To do it twice in a seven-year period when the event has previously been in cities such as Paris and Sao Paolo is astonishing. So how does Rock Hill do it?

“It’s good old Southern hospitality,” Taylor said. “We wrap our arms around this event and we want people to feel welcome. And then we’ve got one of the world-renowned tracks. Our maintenance people do a great job and the UCI knows that. So they’re comfortable with coming back here time after time.”

McCann says in addition to the facility, Rock Hill offers the comforts of feeling at home.

“We bring a big entourage and we stay in hotels across the city and we utilize restaurants and all sorts of amenities that are available, and everybody that I’ve met has been just so happy that we’re here,” McCann said. “But they’re also willing to do anything that they can to make sure that everybody who’s involved with this event has a fantastic time in Rock Hill.”

The community turns out in a big way, with large crowds each day of competition. In 2017, there were 55,000 unique spectators through the gates and Taylor says the attendance was tracking beyond that number halfway through this year’s event.

“We really do sell that Southern hospitality; because if this event goes to a bigger city, the event could kind of get swallowed up,” Taylor said. “So we sell that one-on-one partnership with UCI and with our partners that are helping to put on this event. And I think that makes the UCI and the BMX community feel like, ‘Hey, they love us being here and they embrace us.’”

The UCI BMX Racing World Championships are a spectacle to watch — not just for the on-track action. There are 3,500 competitors between the ages of 8 and 72, with more than 800 riders competing in 400 races each day.

“With any venue, it’s not just the bricks and mortar that make the difference — it’s the people,” McCann said. “And when we came to do our site visit, the city really was behind it and wanted to ensure that they could provide us with the confidence that, as a city or a small town, Rock Hill was able to actually deliver. And I think it would be fair to say that in 2017, they certainly delivered. And that’s another reason why we’re back here now in 2024.”

The Rock Hill team hosted a contingent from Copenhagen throughout the week, as Denmark will host worlds in 2025. After stops in Brisbane in 2026 and France in 2027, the event will be in the U.S. in 2028 in Houston, which was scheduled to host in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the event. As for Rock Hill, might it be back in the rotation sooner than later?

“I wouldn’t like to let anything out of the bag, but let’s just say maybe we might have a drink or two over it,” McCann said.

Punching Above its Weight

The UCI event was Taylor’s swan song as he plans to retire next month after 44 years. He estimates the city does about $100 million per year in sports tourism. It all started with Cherry Park, built in 1985, which includes five baseball/softball fields and four rectangular fields for lacrosse and soccer.

“It’s the vision that the city council and city managers had … to make sports tourism a focal point for our city because of our location and proximity to Charlotte,” said Brian Jones, Rock Hill Sports and Event Center supervisor. “That vision has carried on and obviously been very successful throughout the years. The success of Cherry Park birthed the Rock Hill Tennis Center and Manchester Meadows and that success has led to all these other complexes.”

The Rock Hill Tennis Center is a public facility that has 11 courts and hosts high school, college and pro tournaments. Manchester Meadows is a large complex with six grass soccer fields and two artificial turf fields. In addition to hosting soccer tournaments, it’s where ESPN presents its “Ocho” programming.

The city even has a velodrome. However, even with all these facilities at Rock Hill’s disposal, the city was missing an indoor arena, which changed in 2019 when the $35 million Rock Hill Sports and Event Center opened.

The RHSEC has a main court area that can be used for eight basketball courts or 16 volleyball courts. It also features a 1,300-seat Championship Court that has hosted a plethora of events. The facility in May 2020 hosted an American Cornhole League event, one of the first sports events to take place after the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

“It really was the last piece,” Jones said. “We had the outdoor sports covered and this now allows us 77,000 square feet of space to get creative with. It allows us as a sales team and parks department to host everything from sporting events to high school graduations to antique shows.”

Jones says the amount of facilities Rock Hill can offer is a selling point.

“We own, operate and service the facilities here, so it’s really a one-stop shop,” Jones said. “And when an event organizer meets the supervisor of a facility, that’s the person whose hand they’re going to shake when they arrive and that’s their contact while the event is going on. In most cities, the sales department might be the CVB or DMO, and then they have to contact the Parks and Rec department about using facilities. Rock Hill is unique in that it’s the sales team, the DMO and the owners and operators of the facilities.” 

Uniquely Rock Hill

While other cities have the same types of venues as Rock Hill, certain elements are exclusive to the city.

Innova, one of the largest manufacturers of disc golf plates, calls Rock Hill home and collaborates with Winthrop to host many large disc golf events, including the U.S. Disc Golf Championship and College Disc Golf National Championship. The American Cornhole League has its national headquarters in same building as the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. Anytime there’s a major cornhole competition airing on television, chances are it’s happening in Rock Hill.

And Winthrop — known for its men’s basketball team — has a powerhouse esports program that has amassed an impressive collection of trophies since its inception in 2019. Winthrop’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and League of Legends teams won national championships at the 2024 Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup and the National Esports Collegiate Conference competitions in Arlington, Texas. Winthrop also received the CECC School of the Year Award.

Winthrop Coach Josh Sides recently moved his team into a new 6,500-square-foot space down the hallway from the ACL headquarters and is hoping Winthrop’s success will bring large esports events to Rock Hill.

“Winthrop being a top school in collegiate esports is helping to drive those conversations on our end and hopefully for those who work for the city of Rock Hill as well,” Sides said. “I think we’re moving toward esports tournaments being hosted in Rock Hill. We already host the BMX World Championship, disc golf, cornhole, the Ocho. These are community led events and I feel like esports can be another feather in the cap for Rock Hill.”

After three games in three days and experiencing the various decibel levels at each, you get to wonder: Do Seattle sports fans go through the week whispering quietly because of all the yelling they do to support their teams?

In an area that hosted multiple major events throughout this year and with more to come in the months and years ahead, a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest through Visit Seattle showcased the variety of sports the region offers at every level.

Women’s Sports Epicenter

There may be no city in the United States that supports women’s sports in the depth and breadth that Seattle does. There are women in charge of the athletic departments at the University of Washington and Seattle University; women head coaches for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NWSL’s OL Reign; and women in top leadership positions with the Storm, Seattle Sounders and Seattle Mariners with Catie Griggs named president of business operations last year, the only woman in Major League Baseball with that title.

“Seattle is unique in so many ways and that’s one of them,” said Frances Traisman, senior vice president of sales for the Seattle Mariners, who has been with the team for nearly three decades. “There is a powerhouse of female executives that have been here for quite some time. Catie’s the newest addition to that. … We need to have a variety of voices making decisions in the sports world. You can look around and see a variety of people attending sports, we should have the same representation making decisions.”

More than just in the front offices of teams, Seattle fans support women’s sports in person. The Storm have been one of the perennial leaders in WNBA attendance and ranked third this year even while not making the playoffs. The OL Reign of the NWSL will celebrate the career of the retiring Megan Rapinoe on October 6 and announced this week it has broken its single-match attendance record (21,491) and expanded capacity to the upper bowl at Lumen Field for the game.

“I think Seattle has always been a leader in terms of equity and access and opportunity,” said Michelle Haines, the Reign’s vice president of marketing and ticketing. “All the spaces that I’ve been in, I’ve felt really supported and really always had an equal seat at the table, if you will. … When I work with other teams, whether it’s the Seahawks or Sounders or Mariners, we are peers in the industry.”

Seattle also leads on women’s sports fandom. The nation’s second-ever sports bar dedicated to women’s sports, Rough & Tumble was founded by Jen Barnes in December 2022 (the first bar was opened in Portland and a third women’s sports bar is scheduled to open soon in Minneapolis). The bar has become a community hub for the area’s women’s sports teams.

“I think I had more hopes than expectations,” said Barnes, who also serves as chief executive officer. “I was doing something really nobody else had ever done. It’s a little bit challenging, there was no playbook. There was nothing to model after. … I hoped it would be successful. I was pretty sure it would be because it was well received. My expectations when I came down to it after looking at a lot of data was that it would be very, very successful and that has proven to be true.”

During this summer’s Women’s World Cup, the bar’s capacity of 255 was repeatedly reached as lines wrapped around the block; fans were rotated in during games to try and make sure as many as possible could get inside.

“I think it’s challenging to be so confident about something that hasn’t existed,” Barnes said. “Anybody who enjoys women’s sports knows they have a very hard time watching them on a big screen outside of your home. The women’s sports sector is skyrocketing, to me it was sort of obvious that this was the next big thing. But I will tell you along the way that it’s been incredibly gratifying.”

Something else that is gratifying — the buttermilk pancakes with fresh fruit and bacon for weekend brunch while watching the U.S. Open women’s doubles championship, which was the spotlight match on one of the big screens.

“I’m in awe of her and every time I come in here, I feel so honored to be a part of this community — but when I see our fans and I see her patrons really engaged in the space, you can see they were always there,” Haines said. “They just didn’t have the space to gather and I think we take for granted that any bar can do that. … We’re not asking for more, we’re asking for the same. Whether it’s Nebraska volleyball, whether it’s the World Cup, NCAA Tournament, people are there. Just open the door and we will knock your socks off.”

A Full Sports Weekend

There are men’s sports in Seattle, of course.

Saturdays in the fall means college football — a unique fan experience for those who go to University of Washington games. Sure, you can take mass transit, or you can tailgate in a nearby parking lot. But if you really want to do something different … you sailgate.

Husky Stadium is not an ordinary football venue. With its steep banks of seating along the sidelines, then the student section at one end and the other end is open to views of Lake Washington … and the dozens of boats where fans congregate before the game.

One of the most popular ways to get to Husky Stadium is with the Dawg Boat that starts in Salmon Bay at Chinook’s, a popular eatery. The Dawg Boat takes fans from Fishermen’s Terminal, through Lake Union into Montlake Cut and onto Lake Washington. Want to dock at the game once you arrive? That’s possible. Want to anchor out in the Lake and have a boat come and bring you to land before and after the game, which on this weekend was an easy Huskies victory over Tulsa? That’s also possible.

Sailgating is one way that Seattle sports fans get to games a little bit differently than other destinations with stadiums miles away from downtown with massive parking lots surrounding the venue. Both Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park are extraordinarily walkable from The Westin Seattle downhotel hotel and created ahead of this past summer’s MLB All-Star Game, the Green Path starts in Seattle’s downtown core, through historic Pioneer Square, before ending at the two homes of the Seahawks and Mariners, which are located next door to each other in the area where the old Kingdome stood.

On this particular Sunday, Lumen Field was bathed in sunshine as the Seahawks opened the season at home against the Los Angeles Rams. The 12s, as Seahawks fans are known, roared repeatedly in the first half and made a first-time attendee’s ears ring, reinforcing its reputation for being the league’s loudest. Even as the second half unfolded and the Rams asserted control, it was not until well into the fourth quarter that fans started to accept defeat.

The next night returns visitors the sports district where the Mariners lose in extra innings to the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle is in the middle of a fierce wild-card race in the American League, one year after snapping a 21-year playoff drought and led by budding star Julio Rodríguez.

The Mariners are also one of the most fan-forward facing organizations in MLB. In 2019, the team offered a “fully flexible” membership option that allowed fans to pick how many tickets they want to buy, plus the seat locations and for how many games they want. The club also last year named Malcolm Rogel as vice president of fan experience to utilize fan feedback to influence future initiatives.

“Sports fans in Seattle are amazingly loyal fans,” Traisman said. “However, we did go through a period of time where we weren’t winning a lot. Having some more success on the field has brought some new fans and that has been the most fun, to find ways to engage with them and have them come back.”

The NHL’s Kraken also play at Climate Pledge Arena, which underwent a $1.15 billion redevelopment completed in the summer of 2021. Coming off a run to the Western Conference semifinals last year in its second season of existence, the arena is known as one of the greenest sports facilities in the country (if not the world).

Previously the home of the Seattle Supersonics — the arena does have a locker room ready for what’s believed to be an eventual return of the NBA — there is little else recognizable for those who remember the venue as the old Key Arena. The roof is still there as a federal landmark but once inside, it’s the most modern of fan experiences.

With water bottle filling stations throughout the arena and single-use plastics eliminated, there is also all electric mechanical systems, combustion engines, heating, dehumidification and cooking areas. Solar Panels on the Alaska Airlines Atrium and garage are utilized and the arena offsets any carbon emissions by purchasing credible carbon offsets. For the Kraken, the ‘rain to rink’ system harvests water off the roof into a 15,000-gallon cistern, which then is used for the ice.

The teamwork of Seattle’s teams extends off the field as well. Each of the teams and the Seattle Sports Commission have joined with the Seattle Alliance to donate $500,000 over the next four years to the King County Play Equity Coalition. KCPEC, a collective of over 100 nonprofits and professional sports teams, grew out of the State of Play-King County, a 2019 University of Washington and Aspen Institute-led study around youth access to sport and play in King County.

The alliance includes Seattle Sports Commission, Seattle Kraken & One Roof Foundation, Seattle Sounders FC & RAVE Foundation, Seattle Mariners & Mariners Care, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Storm, OL Reign, Seattle Seawolves and Seattle Cascades & Tempest.

“The Seattle Sports Commission is proud to be a partner with Seattle’s pro sports teams in supporting KCPEC’s mission to increase equitable access to sports for our youth,” said Beth Knox, president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Sports Commission. “The Sports Commission and its SSC Foundation share in the passion for making a positive impact in the region through collaboration by Seattle Alliance members and the power of sport.”

But there’s more than college and pro sports in the region. Those with a free day before a game — but who want to get some exercise in at the same time — can hop on the Washington State Ferry across Elliott Bay to Bainbridge Island. Fun fact: pickleball was invented in 1965 on the island (the court the sport was invented is on private property).

Founders Courts, on the day of this group’s visit, was filled with people with some waiting a turn. Bainbridge Island Pickleball Association coaches are available for lessons for both beginners or those who have played racquet sports but not pickleball itself. A short drive away is Ba Sa, which showcases traditional Vietnamese cuisine and can solve any hunger pangs after time on court.

Plenty Away from the Games

T-Mobile Park is known for its choice of stadium food — the lines are long every game for Moto Pizza but the wait is worth it for pizza that is sold out weeks in advance at its West Seattle store. Located inside the Amazon Spheres near the monorail that fans can take to Kraken and Storm games, Willmottʼs Ghost has sensational pepperoni pizza you can cut with scissors. Steps away from Climate Pledge Arena, Tyger Tyger offers Sichuan-inspired cuisine.

A quick walk from both Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park, Darkalino’s (we recommend the pasta ragu and focaccia bread) is in Lalario’s Hometeam, which features game-worn sneakers donated from private collectors. Steelheads Alley, part of The Boxyard located across from T-Mobile Park, is home to fans before and after Mariners and Seahawks games with local brews from Métier Brewing Company, a black-owned brewery, in a space filled with memorabilia celebrating the 1946 Seattle Steelheads, the city’s Negro League team. Also at The Boxyard is Hatback Bar & Grille, named after the way Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. wore his hat.

It’s places like these that were able to capitalize on the sports-related travel this summer for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, with plans underway for when the Kraken host the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park for the NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2024. And that’s before you add in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Lumen Field will be a part of.

“There’s a very strong movement and support for women’s sports but then we also have really great men’s sports,” Barnes said. “The sports community as a whole is very supportive of each other and places like the Seattle Sports Commission and Visit Seattle are here to help support that. You’re seeing that happen with all the big things coming through this year and next year and men’s World Cup coming in 2026.”

Leaving Montreal’s airport and heading north, what strikes you first is how progressively greener the scenery gets heading out of the city. On a busy Friday afternoon, it takes about two hours to reach the destination. Along the way, every building is a soft pastel with colored roofs straight out of a scrapbook of what you’d expect in a ski village of the Alps, with other lodging carved into the mountains in levels like staircases.

The center square at the top of the first incline of the village is off limit to cars, encouraging walking on the main boulevard, which is filled with restaurants, children’s clothing stores and fitness and outdoor gear shops. Restaurants, packed on this Friday night, offer pasta, seafood and an original take on the most Canadian of dishes — poutine. People who have finished dinner early wait for entry into the chocolatiers and ice cream shops for dessert.

This is Tremblant, a little village tucked into the Quebec mountains. For a first-time visitor, it enchants with a variety of outdoor activities geared toward a family weekend. On this weekend visit, it is home to not one but two Ironman triathlons, both a 70.3 and a full race. The weekend of competition, in this setting, also serves as a reminder of what could be forgotten and what could be endangered without a further focus on environmental sustainability.

Reprieve from ‘a tough summer’

Hop into the enclosed gondola and ride to the top of the mountain over Tremblant as the village drifts gently out of view. Rising into the mist, the landing spot for the gondolas reveals a social hall, food options and a tourist stop. There are also multiple hiking options depending on your level of fitness and interest.

Conditions the day before the races are perfect for the organizers and participants: Cool and rainy, a respite from a summer of heat, fire and distress throughout Canada.

Canadian wildfires this summer have charred more than 30 million acres. Burning twice as much land as any previous season (equivalent to the size of the state of Alabama), Canada’s national wildfire preparedness scale, which measures the need for firefighting resources, has been at Level 5 out of 5 since May 11.

“It’s been a tough summer,” said Pierre-Alexandre Legault, manager of membership, public relations and communications for the Tremblant Resort Association. “We feel like we’re always on the tips of our toes with the weather. (Today) we’re happy that we have this beautiful lake, great weather, no wind. It’s been tough but we feel like it’s not only Tremblant, it’s been everywhere in Canada and the States recently.”

The size of its destruction is approaching the entire area burned during the five seasons from 2018 to 2022 in the United States (38.2 million acres). The visit to Tremblant allows a spectator to watch two Ironmans because the 70.3, scheduled for June, was postponed due to poor air quality; on the same day Tremblant holds its events in clear conditions, a separate Ironman event in British Columbia is cancelled because of the fires.

“Our nature is very important for us,” said Julie Marchildon, marketing manager for Tourisme Mont-Tremblant. “We don’t have big issues right now, but we have to educate (visitors) and make sure they will respect our nature.”

Saturday night, the village is much quieter. And with good reason; the first race starts right at sunrise the next morning. The restaurants are fuller in the early evening; A Mano Trattoria was filled with pasta plates and pizzas on tables, some patrons drinking a glass of wine but most hydrating with water.

Tremblant burst onto the scene in 2012 as a popular triathlon destination thanks to the success of both the Ironman 70.3 and full Ironman. The region hosted the first Ironman 70.3 World Championship to be hosted outside the United States in 2014, ushering in the event’s global rotation.

“It’s like a city that arrives within a city,” Legault said. “It’s very good for the hotels, the restaurants, the shopping and commercial area. Then there’s people going to the municipalities and small towns around.”

The environment is one of anticipation (with a reasonable amount of nerves). Tomorrow’s dual races mark a landmark day for more than one reason — Ironman and Evenements Sportifs Mont-Tremblant have mutually agreed to discontinue the full race although the 70.3 will continue.

The rain mostly moved out of the region and instead the forecast for race day is sun with temperatures hovering in the high 70s during the middle of the day. And most importantly, clear air.

“We are very eco-responsible and Ironman is a very good event for that,” Legalt said. “Having people in these beautiful surroundings, pristine lake, the mountains we have, it helps showcase that we have to take care of these.”

International benefits of sports tourism

The Ironman has brought more than race weekend benefits for Tremblant. One athlete on Saturday at La Diable Microbrasserie, over a poutine lunch, mentioned how his family rented a house on the lake for two weeks to stay for vacation.

“Most of the athletes take more than just one day for the competition,” Marchildon said. “They come before, they stay after, they take time with their family because we know family is involved in the project. They just want to say thanks to their families and enjoy activities and take vacation at the same time.”

Plus there is the year-round visitation for the region thanks to additional facilities and the natural beauty of the area.

“(Ironman) did put Mont-Tremblant on the world map as an international event,” Legault added. “We were very well known as a tourist destination, a family destination, a summer destination. But now athletes come here to train and they bring their families. Even if they don’t race here, they train here.”

“We see more people do sports and are more active than before,” Marchildon added. “I’m sure the culture will stay here because it’s in our community, people are involved in the event.”

And now … the event. The full Ironman starts first with the professional female competition, followed by the other competitors. The race starts at Lac Tremblant, competitors racing into the water as the sunrise begins to paint the sky shades of pink with hundreds of fans gathered on the sandy shores. Competitors for both races — full and 70.3 — exit the lake at a different spot closer to the village, stripping off watersuits while scattering up the red carpet toward the transition area at the base of the village.

Along with all the encouragement of fans and family, the next noise is the click and clack of cycling shoes running out of the transition area before athletes hop on bikes and head out of the village. The road out includes multiple tree-lined uphill climbs from the village before heading onto the Canadian Interstate Highway nearby a McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s.

The bike route goes on seemingly forever, with several water breaks thanks to supporters shouting encouragement at each spot. There are hockey nets to throw empty bottles into instead of littering the highway. The turnaround to go back is quick and short, a 90-degree turn with cones heading back into town — which still takes a while, given the Ironman races are meant to test every fiber of resolve in a person’s body.

Back into the village after the ride, the run begins. Those heading back out of the heart of the village take a trek that goes two laps for those in the full Ironman. Ahead of the finish, the village running path cuts right into the center of town with a right turn onto the bricks and a straight downhill path through the finish line with fans cheering on both sides with cowbells and voices.

“Three weeks before the event, I was very nervous,” said Race Director Pauline Alix, who started as a volunteer at the first Ironman Mont-Tremblant in 2012 and was in charge of the event for the first time this year. “But on Monday when every member of the team arrives, I’m not nervous anymore because I know they’re going to do what they do best to make this event possible. … This has been a special one. We don’t see (two races) often and for my first year, it’s been challenging but also a big learning experience.”

As the hours go on, people continue to come into the village, from the first finishers in the mid-afternoon to those who come in under the cover of night. After crossing the line to complete the race, all finishers are quickly handed a large bottle of water, a medal signifying their accomplishment and a few short steps away is a spot to immediately refuel with pasta (and poutine, because of course). Those who have finished their personal trek are still around into the evening, making sure their bikes are out of the transition areas, then slowly making their way back up the hill and grabbing something additional to eat.

This visit ends on Monday morning as you leave across the little bridge, the village in your rear-view mirror to bring a smile from the experience of having set foot in Tremblant. One memory from your Friday night arrival lingers; it’s from taking the sky lift up to see the experience of Tonga Lumina, a light show set up throughout the forest with mottos about the wildlife and life itself. One of them, midway through the trek, resonates particularly having been able to enjoy the hospitality of the village, the surrounding environment and the emphasis on sustainable sport in an overheated summer: “Observe, Love, Protect.”

The NBA season may have ended June 12 in Denver when the Nuggets captured their first championship. But the NBA never truly sleeps.

The league took over Las Vegas starting July 7 with Summer League games tipping off at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. Simultaneously, the inaugural NBA Con — a massive fan fest featuring all types of activations — kicked off at Mandalay Bay. Even the new Sphere in Las Vegas got in on the action, turning into a giant basketball.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, the NBA Summer League has really grown,” said Tim Keener, president of Las Vegas Events, which is partnering with the NBA for the Summer League. “This first weekend you’re going to see the arena filled like this and the fans love to come out and see the rookies. They’re itching for basketball and I think Las Vegas is the perfect place for the Summer League. It’s really turned into not only an event for fans, but also a convention as well. Everybody from the NBA world comes here for meetings, and we’re happy and honored to host them.”

The Summer League schedule will feature 76 games, including the semifinals on July 16 and the finals on July 17. However, the first day of action featured large crowds in both adjoining venues on the campus of UNLV.

The defending champion Nuggets debuted their new draft class in the afternoon, followed by No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers as the lead up to the true main event as No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama — the French phenom who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs — made his NBA debut, as Wemby Mania sold out the 17,000-seat Thomas & Mack Center.

The 10-day Summer League schedule, along with NBA Con, made Las Vegas the epicenter of the basketball universe. Commissioner Adam Silver added to its reputation when he formally announced the NBA will hold its inaugural in-season tournament, with Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena to host the semifinals and finals from December 7–9.

“This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years,” Silver said at the unveiling. “It’s not a new concept in sports. For those that follow particularly international soccer, it’s a long tradition of having in-season tournaments. So we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it’s a perfect fit for our game.”

NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT EXPLAINED ?

Starting Nov. 3, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing into the knockout rounds! The tournament semis and championship game will be held in Las Vegas, Dec. 7 and 9! pic.twitter.com/NZdURUa3XR— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2023

The NBA and Las Vegas love affair continues to ramp up, as rumors the city will be the next to receive an expansion team intensify.

“I certainly think the NBA can find a home here down the road,” Keener said. “There are a couple of new venues coming online that could possibly host an NBA team. And look at what the Golden Knights did — we’re so proud of what they did here in just six years. The Raiders are also making things happen and I think an NBA team would find a great home in this city.”

NBA Con Makes Inaugural Splash

While all the action on the court was happening down the road, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center was the site for the inaugural NBA Con.

There were dozens of activations, offering NBA fans anything they could ask for. Two half-sized basketball courts offered a place for kids and adults to get up some shots while a full court, complete with bleacher seating, was assembled to host shooting and dribbling contests.

The NBA Convos side section offered a place for big names in basketball to host panels and discuss the game, including one conversation that paired Wembanyama with the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There were rotating NBA players signing autographs, which had a line of hundreds waiting for their chance for a selfie with players, including recent NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Denver Nuggets.

There was plenty of digital fun, as fans could play the newest NBA 2K video game on Playstation 5 consoles, as well as purchase old-school models of NBA Jam and create their own personalized character at an augmented reality activation.

NBA Con had plenty of memorabilia, including game-worn NBA Finals jerseys for sale and five different NBA championship rings on display. There was even a pickleball court that was always in use, as well as a temporary tattoo parlor for fans.

As Las Vegas continues to thrive as an NBA city, Keener wants to continue to see growth and tourism money flowing into the area.

“There’s a good amount of economic impact that this brings to Las Vegas,” he said. “What really changed things was four years back when they added a tournament concept, so now we have a champion at the end. That’s kept more interest as you head toward the end of the 10 days. And when you add NBA Con, it’s another way for fans to enjoy the game.”

Glendale, Arizona, sits 10 miles northwest of Phoenix, but the city is creating its own brand as an entertainment oasis that has boomed in recent years into one of the top sports tourist destinations in America.

The Fiesta Bowl hosted an epic College Football Semifinal on December 31, as State Farm Stadium in Glendale welcomed fans from TCU and Michigan for what would turn out to be a 51–45 upset win for the Horned Frogs. But that large event was merely an appetizer for the area as attention turns to hosting Super Bowl LVII on February 12.

“The city of Glendale uses every opportunity to improve our ability to manage large-scale events such as the Fiesta Bowl and Super Bowl,” said Rick St. John, Glendale deputy city manager. “With every mega event held in Glendale, our team is tasked with scanning for opportunities to improve so that we are even more prepared for the next event. The Fiesta Bowl was no different. In a similar fashion, this February we will not only focus on managing a great Super Bowl experience, but we will also be looking for ways to improve for the next large-scale event. We are committed to continual improvements.”

It would be a boon for any city to host the Fiesta Bowl or Super Bowl in a given year. But to have both within six weeks shows that Glendale has become an epicenter for major sporting events and committees are taking notice.

“We love all the action that takes place in Glendale,” said Danielle Dutsch, Glendale Convention & Visitors Bureau administrator. “Our small but mighty team is well adept at providing destination and tourism experiences for a College Football Playoff like the Fiesta Bowl and turn right back around with a wide pivot for a mega event like the Super Bowl. We’ve got everything here within walking distance for fans and visitors to enjoy. From restaurants to nightlife to epic concerts as well as Desert Diamond Casino.”

The Glendale Entertainment District features the Westgate Entertainment District, State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena. State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, has hosted the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2015. It has hosted 16 Fiesta Bowls, international soccer, the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2017 and will do so again in 2024.

The city has also doubled its hotel inventory in the area with 12 this year compared with six in 2008 — with an additional four more scheduled to open by 2024. The Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa is one of the crown jewel hotels in the Westgate area. It was the choice for TCU and Michigan fans throughout game week and into New Year’s Eve.

The economic impact the Glendale area has contributed to Arizona tourism has been on a rapid ascent for the past decade. According to a city of Glendale spokesperson, the economic impact from Westgate, the Tanger Outlets connected to Westgate and State Farm Stadium since the 2014 fiscal year has tripled to $34 million. And the impact of hosting the Super Bowl this year reaches beyond football; the state of Arizona saw an estimated $719 million economic impact in 2015 and the Super Bowl Host Committee anticipates Super Bowl LVII to fuel the economy again in 2023.

As Glendale creates a larger footprint in the sports world, it continues to add more to the fan experience. Opening late 2023, VAI Resort will be the largest resort in Arizona. The $1 billion property will feature a $40 million concert venue that seats 8,000 people, a six-acre swimming area, a man-made party island, 1,200 rooms and 12 restaurants.

“VAI sets a bold new standard that sets Glendale apart with a first-of-its-kind, 60-acre oasis of entertainment and luxurious, tailor-made fun that brings the beach to the heart of Arizona,” Dutsch said. “Glendale will be a multi-attraction, experiential destination that takes visitors on a customizable excursion all within Glendale’s Sports & Entertainment District.”

Also coming soon is the Mattel-branded theme park Mattel Adventure Park, the first of its kind in the world.

Westgate Entertainment District has it all

State Farm Stadium isn’t the only sports venue in the Westgate Entertainment District. Desert Diamond Arena sits across the parking lot, north of the massive football structure.

Desert Diamond Arena will celebrate its 20th anniversary in December 2023, but the venue hardly looks that old. The 18,000-seat arena hosted the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes until the team left before the start of the 2022–2023 season. But that hasn’t slowed down Desert Diamond Arena General Manger Dale Adams and his staff.

“Unfortunately, the Coyotes left, but that has opened up more dates for us to be able to host other events,” Adams said. “We loved having the Coyotes here and we miss having them here, but now we’re open to any type of sporting event that makes financial sense and will bring people into this area.”

The arena has hosted many other sporting events including college basketball, the Harlem Globetrotters, boxing, MMA and Professional Bull Riding. It recently was the site of Jake Paul’s boxing match with UFC legend Anderson Silva and has an ESPN Top Rank boxing championship match scheduled for February 3. Adams, who has been general manager since 2016, says the venue hosts around 70 events per year.

“We have a good relationship with Westgate and this whole area has been booming,” Adams said. “This is not an arena out in the middle of nowhere — it’s probably the most vibrant area around an arena in the entire world.”

The Westgate area has nearly 40 food and drink options and continues to grow. In the next year, more big-name attractions will be added including Tiger Wood’s Popstroke, Chicken and Pickle and Sugar Factory.

“A lot of committees for events are focused on downtown Phoenix, but everything is happening here and I think we’re going to get more events as we continue to grow,” said Adams, who added that the area will focus on bringing in more NCAA sporting events in the coming years and the venue is exploring a remodeling this summer.

“The building is still in great shape, so the remodel will focus mainly on fan-facing opportunities,” he said. “We had a very successful year in 2022 and are looking forward to an even bigger 2023. We want people to have a great time at Westgate before and after the event, but when they’re in our arena, we want to create a special experience.”

Baseball in the desert

A few miles west of State Farm Stadium and the Westgate District sits a baseball paradise.

There are 15 Major League Baseball teams that make their spring training home in the Phoenix region. Glendale has teams from two of the three biggest sports markets in the country: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox share Camelback Ranch, a 141-acre complex that features 118,000 square feet of major and minor league clubhouse space, 13 full baseball fields and three half-fields.

“Camelback Ranch has the largest fixed seating compacity in the Cactus League,” said Camelback Ranch President and General Manager Matt Slatus. “We have just over 10,000 fixed seats and then room for more than 3,000 out on the lawn.”

In addition to the main field, there are replicas of Guaranteed Rate Field and Dodger Stadium, so the teams’ players can gets reps on fields that are the exact dimensions as their home stadium.

“We have professional players here pretty much 365 days a year,” Slatus said. “The facility is used for extended spring training for players who didn’t make the pro team. The Dodgers and White Sox use this for rehabbing injured players. So, we might see a Clayton Kershaw here during the season for a week while he’s rehabbing.”

Both professional teams draw large crowds during the month of spring training games that start at the end of February. The Dodgers routinely have more than 10,000 fans at every spring training game, with the White Sox not far behind.

“This place is hopping for all 30 days of spring training, but that doesn’t take into account all the other things going on here the rest of the year,” Slatus said of the complex, which hosts a team in the Arizona Fall League as well. “The venue is diverse and can be used in many ways including weddings, bar mitzvahs, 5K runs, major and minor league baseball, beer and wine festivals and even an esports championship. We’ve also hosted high school and Division I college baseball here in the past.”

Camelback Ranch adds a lot of local flavor during spring training, whether through regional cuisine or local Three Amigos tequila company products.

“We want fans from out of town to experience what Glendale has to offer,” Slatus said. “The Cactus League as a whole is 65% out of town and 35% local business. It gives fans the chance to see Major League Baseball at a lower price than the regular season and it also helps the local hotels and restaurants as well. The ballpark and the hundreds of businesses at Westgate support each other.”

The business the Cactus League brings to Arizona is substantial. The last economic impact study, done in 2018, showed the Cactus League generated an estimated $644.2 million. The Camelback facility is also sustainable in the desert thanks to the neighboring five-acre lake of reclaimed water used to irrigate the baseball fields.

In addition to the beautiful views the stadiums offer, there are life-sized bobbleheads of Frank Thomas and Tommy Lasorda that offer great picture opportunities. The grapefruit, orange and lemon groves that dot Camelback Ranch create a unique environment that feels more like a community park than a sports venue.

Cars and Candy in Glendale

While most of the action in Glendale centers around the Westgate Entertainment District and Camelback Ranch, there are several gems around town that tourists can enjoy.

The Martin Auto Museum is a must-see and you don’t have to be a car aficionado to appreciate the collection of rare automobiles it features. Founded in 2008 by owner Mel Martin, the museum features more than 160 vehicles, including classic cars and hot rods, as well as one of the largest collections of auto memorabilia, antique gas pumps and signage in the world.

The cars range in age from an 1886 Benz Motowagon, the world’s first piston-powered automobile, to flashy sports cars form the 2010’s, including a replica of the Bumblebee Camaro that was featured in the Transformers movies. If you’re lucky enough to catch Martin himself at the museum, he just may give you a special story about one of his classic cars.

There are two rides in the museum that stand out above the rest when it comes to rarity and value.

The 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Convertible Boattail Speedster is a must see. Less than 500 Duesenbergs were handmade between 1928 and 1937; less than 400 are still accounted for today worldwide. There’s also a 1965 Shelby AC Cobra that has only six original miles on it and features the signature of legendary car designer Carroll Shelby on the dash. Both of these cars are valued at several million dollars.

Need a sugar boost while in town? The Cerreta Candy Company has been located in Glendale for 57 years and churns out some the best tasting chocolate and taffy in the country. The family business now has four generations overseeing the production of a variety of sweet treats.

A tour is offered each hour, which includes some history of the factory, as well as samples of the product that has made the Cerreta brand famous.

The company also offers special, custom-made chocolate confections, which include a 500-pound Santa and a 300-pound football that can be used for the Super Bowl. It’s the perfect place to order from with Valentine’s Day coming up, as there’s a wide range of gifting options.

Milwaukee is a city with a storied sports history. There’s a blend of professional and college sports that keep fans engaged year-round and you can bet they’ll be enjoying a cold beverage and cheering loudly for their teams.

The crown jewel of the Milwaukee sports scene is the Bucks, the 2021 NBA champions that feature two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks, whose other NBA title came in 1971, are a lot like the city they play in — both have been successful in the past but are thriving in the present.

In addition to the Bucks and their new arena, Milwaukee also has Major League Baseball’s Brewers as well as Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee University athletics. They all contribute to the vibrant scene the city has created, specifically in its downtown area.

“In Milwaukee, there’s something for every kind of sports event; it is a city of history, innovation and character,” said Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee. “Our new venues such as the Fiserv Forum, Deer District and the expanded Wisconsin Center District respect our city’s rich past while embracing the new. These new venues include historical tributes to our championship-filled past while making room for excellence in the future. The historical venues in Milwaukee provide a start-up space with their intimate atmosphere and intimate feeling while the newer venues allow for larger top-tier talent to perform in Milwaukee as a stop on their international tours.”

After exploring the city, it’s not surprising that Milwaukee was named one of National Geographic’s Best Places in the World for 2023.

The Bucks Stop Here

Fiserv Forum and the Deer District have transformed an area of downtown Milwaukee into several blocks of basketball and entertainment bliss.

Fiserv Forum, which opened in 2018, is a 730,000-square-foot palace that was the first new sports and entertainment arena built in Wisconsin since 2002. Unlike its predecessor, the Bradley Center, Fiserv Forum was not specifically designed to also host hockey games. This means that the arena can be much wider and it gives the feel of a larger open space than most NBA venues.

The capacity for Bucks games is more than 17,000 and for concerts the number swells to 18,000 with more than half of the seats — 10,000 — located in the lower bowl, meaning the majority of patrons have terrific sight lines. The venue hosts up to 200 events a year including the Bucks, Marquette men’s basketball, hockey, boxing, MMA and major concerts.

The Potawatomi Club Deck is located at the top of Fiserv Forum and offers tables and lounge areas for ticketed fans to relax during the game. The best view the arena offers may not be of the game, but instead the Milwaukee skyline at night. The Potawatomi Club features an outdoor terrace that shows off the city from up high.

In addition to its beauty and versatility, Fiserv Forum has been awarded with LEED Gold Certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

Deer District Hospitality

Before Fiserv Forum transformed the downtown scene, the surrounding area of the former Bradley Center didn’t offer much in the way of a gameday experience.

The 30 acres of surrounding land actually sat below the Park East Freeway. Then, in 2018, the Deer District was born.

The freeway was torn down and, in its wake, came dozens of shops and restaurants. Some of the restaurants include Punch Bowl Social, Drink Wisconsinbly Pub, Fat Tuesday, Gather, The Beer Garden and Mecca Sports Bar and Grill, transforming the space to a 365-day-per-year party scene.

The Deer District came alive when Marquette hosted Radford on November 7 in the Golden Eagles’ season opener. And when the Bucks are in town, things get even busier. During Bucks playoff games, fans flock to the Deer District whether they have a ticket to the game or not. The watch parties routinely draw more than 10,000 outside the arena.

“The Milwaukee Bucks, Fiserv Forum and Deer District were placed on an international stage during the 2021 NBA Finals, resulting in our Milwaukee Bucks being crowned NBA World Champions for the first time in 50 years,” Werner said. “Media showcased the city’s rich diversity and thriving downtown to billions of people who hadn’t considered Milwaukee as an electrifying sports town. The Milwaukee Bucks have continued activating Fiserv Forum and the Deer District with events all year long, including USA Gymnastics America’s Cup, PBR Tour, WWE and the NCAA Basketball Championships. These two venues are first-class and completely unique to Milwaukee. They have allowed Sports Milwaukee to reach a new audience and to expand on what is possible for Milwaukee.”

But like the rest of Milwaukee, the Deer District is always improving. The Trade Milwaukee Hotel, a nine-story luxury hotel, is currently being constructed across the street from Fiserv Forum and is expected to open in early 2023.

While The Trade is being installed on the north side of Fiserv, the south side of the Forum also has some big plans in store. Live Nation has gained approval to build a 4,000-seat concert venue in the vacant lot where the Bradley Center once stood. Construction is slated to kick off later this year and be done by late 2023, adding another reason for people to gravitate to the Deer District.

Brewing Something Special

While Fiserv Forum deservedly gets plenty of love in the downtown area, there’s another architectural masterpiece that sits a few miles west on I-94.

American Family Field — formerly known as Miller Park — opened in 2001 as the Milwaukee Brewers’ new home, taking the place of Milwaukee County Stadium.

The ballpark has a striking silhouette, thanks to North America’s only fan-shaped convertible roof, which can open and close in less than 10 minutes. Large panes of glass allow natural grass to grow, amplified with heat lamp structures wheeled out across the field during the offseason.

Despite being one of the smallest market teams in Major League Baseball, the Brewers have drawn more than 2.5 million fans per season on average since the 42,000-seat ballpark opened. The mascot, Bernie Brewer, has a club house beyond the left field seats that features a large, steep slide that Bernie uses after each home run and victory.

The stadium has hosted more than Brewers games over the years. It’s hosted international soccer matchups and on November 11, it saw the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Stanford Cardinal in a men’s basketball showdown, in addition to the Wisconsin women’s team battling Kansas State.

The court was built on the infield area, offering a unique venue for college basketball. The “Brew City Battle” drew a crowd of nearly 18,000 people.

“It was amazing to see the transformation of American Family Field and to give the Wisconsin Badgers men’s and women’s basketball teams a once in a lifetime experience,” Werner said. “Sports Milwaukee looks forward to partnering with the Milwaukee Brewers on many more unique events such as this.”

American Family Field hosts 200 non-baseball events each year. It also features the only fulltime golfing simulator in a sports stadium in the country — X Golf, which recently opened. It offers 98 percent accuracy to real golf and is certified by the PGA. Milwaukee also has seen the opening of Luxe Golf about 15 minutes west of the city, an entertaining option for golfers of all ages and skill levels.

For all the features inside American Family Field, there’s also something special outside. Helfaer Field, a youth baseball facility nestled right beside the ballpark, offers a place for Little Leaguers to play out their dreams. It was named in honor of the Evan and Marion Helfaer Foundation, which was founded in 1974. Evan Helfaer was an original investor in the Brewers.

Meet Me in Milwaukee

The expansion and construction in Wisconsin’s largest city doesn’t just include sports venues. The Wisconsin Center District is expanding the Wisconsin Center, a convention and exhibition hub located in downtown. The expansion project budgeted at $456 million will double the convention center space to a total of 445,000 square feet.

The venue will add 24 more meeting rooms for a total of 52, feature 400 indoor parking spots, a second ballroom to seat an additional 2,000 people and an outdoor wrap-around terrace on the upper level.

“Sports Milwaukee, along with VISIT Milwaukee, are grateful for the opportunity to embrace new larger and simultaneous events to our city with the Wisconsin Center District expansion,” Werner said. “In bringing the exposition hall to 300,000 contiguous square feet, sporting events that have excluded our venue spaces due to size requirements can now be welcomed into Milwaukee. We look forward to hosting competitions that have never been in our city, in addition to sports with non-traditional requirements.”

The Center is part of a greater complex of buildings that includes the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre. It’s a two-block walk to the Deer District and will offer an enclosed bridge to the nearby Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, located across North Vel R Phillips Avenue. The venue has an existing skywalk connecting it to the nearby Hilton Milwaukee City Center as well. The grand opening is scheduled for early 2024 and Northstar Meetings Group will host TEAMS ’27 at Wisconsin Center on October 18–21, 2027.

Something For Everyone

While Milwaukee is forging a path toward present and future success, it also has the charm of a city of yesteryear. The Midwest hospitality doesn’t go unnoticed while encountering everybody from rideshare drivers to restaurant owners to high-level city officials.

If you’re in town for a sporting event, conference or on vacation, there’s a diverse culture in Milwaukee.

The historic architecture throughout the city stands out with many buildings, including City Hall, still standing after more than a century of use. Art fans should check out the Saint Kate Arts Hotel for an expressive experience.

The Pabst Theater was built in 1895 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The Riverside Theater was built in 1928 and has seen performers ranging from Liberace to Kevin Hart to Neil Young. The Miller High Life Theatre was built in 1909 and renovated in the early 2000s. All three venues, which remain open for shows, offer incredible original architecture that transport you back a century.

There’s another noticeable theme in Milwaukee — beer. The city is home to 28 breweries, including the headquarters of Miller Brewing Company. A large part of the city’s history was founded on brewing beer, as Milwaukee was the home to Captain Frederick Pabst, who during the late 1800s ran the largest brewery in the world.

There are plenty of local brews to sample and you can still tour the Pabst Mansion and parts of the original Pabst headquarters that have been preserved.

The Bronzeville District was the primary Black economic and social hub of Milwaukee from the early 1900s to the 1960s. Today, the area features many Black-owned businesses, including the Black Holocaust Museum. Bronzeville is filled with culture — and good food. Be sure to check out the Pepper Pot for excellent Jamaican cuisine.

If motorcycles are your thing, the Harley-Davidson Museum is located in Milwaukee and displays bikes from every decade along with historic info about them. Seeing the evolution of the world’s most famous motorcycle in one place is a can’t-miss experience.

If you plan a Milwaukee trip during the summer months, you may be lucky enough to catch Summerfest, one of the largest concert events in the world. The Summerfest grounds are located along the coast of Lake Michigan, featuring 12 stages and an amphitheater that host more than 440,000 guests over the nine days of music and festivities.

Regardless of the reason you visit Milwaukee, there is something interesting on every corner. It’s the rare city that respects its past while also making moves for an improved future.

Sports play a vital economic role for destinations looking to attracting visitors. They also, in their finest moments, provide inspiring examples of humanity at its best.

Over the weekend of July 29–30 in Ames and Des Moines, Iowa, two events — one amateur, one professional — spoke to each of those aspects. They also served as a reminder of the importance that sports play to help cities craft an identity, to inspire people of all ages to stay active, and to encourage others to explore new parts of the world they’ve never experienced.

That was the case for me on what was my first visit to both destinations despite years of traveling for sports events. The events that eventually brought me to the Hawkeye State were the State Games of America, a massive amateur and youth event held across 30 venues mostly in Ames, and the Dew Tour, a world-class skateboarding competition at what is now the largest skatepark in the country in Des Moines.

And in the end, witnessing an incredible act of sportsmanship was the perfect capper on the best attributes that the sports-events industry have to offer.

‘Big in a Number of Ways’

I was familiar with the State Games movement from our long partnership with the National Congress of State Games, which has organized its annual symposium in conjunction with our TEAMS Conference since 2016. The State Games of America, held mostly in Ames with some events including swimming and figure skating held in downtown Des Moines, were initially planned for 2021 but were pushed back a year because of COVID-19.

This was my first experience seeing the event, in which the Iowa Games — one of the leaders in the State Games movement — took a lead role in organizing competition for visitors from 46 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and even Canada.

The State Games of America are held biannually and are open to those who medal at their individual state games. But all participants from local states can automatically qualify, making the Iowa contingent the largest in the competition. Still, the amount of out-of-state visitation could literally be marked on the map, where participants were able to pin their hometowns for all to see at the athlete registration area inside Jack Trice Stadium on the campus of Iowa State University.

Here’s a quick look at the State Games of America by the numbers: 17,000 athletes, coaches and family members participated; 2,000 athletes came from 142 teams in soccer alone, mostly at the youth level; 600 athletes competed in track, including the oldest in the competition — an 88-year-old from Iowa — and the youngest, a boy and girl at just 4 years old. While traditional sports like soccer and track were on the schedule, so were considerably nontraditional sports like light saber and professional yoga, which allowed the Games to offer something for everyone.

The event was a coup for Ames from a destination marketing perspective, said Kevin Bourke, the president and CEO of the recently rebranded Discover Ames, whom I caught up with before the Opening Ceremony.

“It’s big in a number of ways,” Bourke said of the event. “Obviously, we want to put heads in beds, we want to bring in visitors. The thing about the State Games of America compared to the Iowa Games, is it’s not bringing in just Iowans. It’s bringing in out-of-staters. It is just so exciting to see them come here. We’re all about economic development. We’re also about trying to get people to move here ultimately. Are they? Who knows? The majority of them no. But we want them to leave with a good impression.”

The Cauldron is Lit

To that end, organizers staged a memorable Opening Ceremony at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State with the feel of the Olympic Games, or at least as close to that experience as most competitors will ever get. It was a terrific event that featured a parade of states similar to the Olympic Games (as host state, Iowa got to march in last…), a cauldron lighting and fun and quirky facts of each state as they entered the arena. (Did you know the first traffic light in the United States was installed in Ohio? Now you know…)

The ceremony featured a keynote from Matt Stutzman, who won the World Para Archery Championships in February. Stutzman, whose hometown is Fairfield, Iowa, was born without arms and competes with his legs. His message of adapting to his circumstances and succeeding hit the perfect tone for the proceedings.

Similar to the Olympic Games, athletes, coaches and parents took an oath, pledging to compete fairly and encourage good sportsmanship. It seemed a quaint exercise but also a reminder that sometimes at the amateur and youth level, those involved need a refresher to play fair and be nice. It also seemed in line with the message of the State Games movement itself, which annually allows hundreds of thousands of everyday people the opportunity to compete in the sports they love with the best intentions.

“Kids are specializing younger and younger and the State Games movement has always been about grassroots level competition,” said Bourke, who spent over 20 years at the Iowa Games as chief operating officer before joining Discover Ames in 2019. “The first time my daughter ever competed in a golf tournament was an Iowa Games event. She was scared and she was nervous. For her to go do a Junior PGA event, she wouldn’t have done it. But the Iowa Games was less intimidating, it was more grassroots. Bringing in the State Games of America, it’s a higher level because we’re bringing in out-of-staters. But we’re raising awareness of what the Iowa Games stands for as well. Anybody can compete.”

Dew Tour Youth Movement

While anybody can compete in the State Games, professional skateboarding is another thing entirely. And on the other end of the sports spectrum over the same weekend was the Dew Tour at the sparkling new Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines.

The Dew Tour may have been a professional event, but it could count as a youth sports event as well. That’s because the event’s final night of competition saw victories in women’s street by 14-year-old Momiji Nishiya from Japan (who at 13 won Olympic gold last year in Tokyo) and in men’s park by 15-year-old Gavin Bottger, an American and the youngest competitor in the discipline.

That the event was even in Des Moines is an incredible story of how investment in sports infrastructure can mean investment in destination marketing. After a 10-year effort, the Lauridsen Skatepark along the banks of the Des Moines River in downtown opened just last year. Its first event was last year’s Dew Tour, which also served as an Olympic qualifier for athletes headed to Tokyo, where skateboarding saw its Olympics debit.

The tour returned again this year after years of being in Long Beach, California, which on the surface would seem the better cultural fit. But the skatepark in Des Moines has proved that skateboarding can be a cultural fit anywhere. And the crowds that lined the course for the free-admission event (the Dew Tour reported about 24,000 attendees) were a testament to that fact, especially during a busy summer season in Des Moines.

“I’m from a small town myself and to be able to have this in the Midwest is cool. I think it’s a good blueprint for other cities to look at and see how it’s shaped the community.”
—Skater Sean Malto

I caught up with Greg Edwards, longtime president and CEO of Catch Des Moines, on the final day of competition, which saw thousands of visitors line the grassy banks of the river and participate in a robust vendor marketplace. Edwards said the park and the Dew Tour have changed the conversation about the sport locally.

“It boosts a lot of community pride,” he said. “Even folks who are not into skateboarding, they talk about it. There’s a big buzz around the community, it’s on the news channels. It’s pretty cool.”

Sports events make up 40 percent of Catch Des Moines’ group business, Edwards said, and the skatepark is now adding to that effort.

“It’s very meaningful,” he said of the event. “The leadership of the community had the vision to build this to help the community, to help the kids in the community. And with what we do bringing in events, we saw the light come on right away, and said it’s an opportunity for us to attract some new events. Skateboarding is a niche market. Not everyone’s into it. But it’s been wonderful for us, wonderful for our community, wonderful for people around the world who have finally seen Des Moines and said, ‘Wow, we had no idea corn country was this cool.’”

Athletes Notice Investment

Skateboarders have noticed as well.

“It’s definitely a random place for the biggest skatepark to be,” said Sean Malto. “But it’s a beautiful skatepark right on the river and the city is great. I’m from a small town myself and to be able to have this in the Midwest is cool. I think it’s a good blueprint for other cities to look at and see how it’s shaped the community.”

Chris Colbourn, another professional skater, noted that it’s great to have the Olympics to shoot for in addition to events like the Dew Tour. But he was astute enough to recognize that the sport’s Olympics inclusion has another potential benefit for host cities.

“It’s just cool that the Olympics now accepts skateboarding,” he said. “It paves the way for towns like Des Moines to build giant skateparks. lt’s giving the cities more reason to fund giant skateparks like this one here.”

An Act of Sportsmanship

And skateboarding itself is a wonderful reminder of how great sports can be.

The Dew Tour athletes didn’t need to take an oath to commit to good sportsmanship, although I’m sure they would have if they were asked. It is in their DNA. These are professional athletes who give their equipment out to adoring fans without any effort, as I witnessed when Steven Breeding offered his helmet to a fan after the incredible adaptive park skateboard event. (Breeding does not have a right arm.)

Following the women’s street event, when the medalists came to accept their hardware, the 14-year-old Nishiya and third place finisher — Chloe Covell, from Australia, age 12 — began playing around with each other, mocking a martial arts competition to see who could touch whom first. It was the type of behavior that just as easily could have happened with the kids on the soccer field at the State Games in Ames, and served as a reminder that these professionals are not just kids at heart, they are just kids — albeit kids who are the best in the world at what they do.

And in the men’s park competition later that night, the final run was set to determine the champion, with Olympic gold medalist Keegan Palmer (age 19) executing what to a novice fan appeared to be enough to take first place. As he stood by a monitor to see if his score would be enough to beat an earlier spectacular run by Bottger, I had my camera lens focused on Palmer to get his reaction. I was so focused on taking a shot of his winning reaction that I was pleased when he raised a triumphant fist, flashed a smile and began celebrating when the score posted.

It wasn’t until a minute later that I realized Palmer hadn’t won. He finished third despite his amazing run. His reaction was genuine — genuine excitement that his friend Bottger had beat him with a better run and won the competition.

That’s sportsmanship at its very best. And it was a perfect way to cap a weekend in Iowa that reminded me of the power that sports can have not just on the cities and venues that host them, but on the people who participate and experience them as well.

Jason Gewirtz is vice president of the Northstar Meetings Group Sports Division and executive editor and publisher of SportsTravel.

As you exit the interstate and begin the drive up the hill on Stadium Way to Vin Scully Avenue, all that can be seen are rolling hills and neighborhoods. But then, just around the corner is one of the Meccas of baseball – Dodger Stadium.

The venue is nestled between two of the busiest interstates in California, but once inside the stadium, the traffic and noise of SoCal living takes a backseat to one of the best backdrops in baseball.

2022 was just the second time the Major League Baseball All-Star Game — and Home Run Derby ­— have taken place at Dodger Stadium, with the only previous occasion being in 1980.

This was a re-do from when COVID prevented Dodger Stadium from hosting the festivities in 2020. It was worth the wait.

July 18 saw Washington Nationals budding superstar Juan Soto outlast another young gun — Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners — for the Home Run Derby crown.

The next night, the American League won its ninth straight Mid-Summer Classic by a score of 3-2 behind Giancarlo Stanton’s 457-foot home run.

The announced crowd was 52,518, and while a majority wore Dodger blue and were disappointed with the outcome of the game, nobody could find fault with the sunset as the game neared its end.

Dodger Stadium has more than 37,000 reviews on Google and boasts a 4.7-star rating for good reason. There’s really no bad seat in the entire place, as the San Gabriel Mountains provide a picturesque backdrop. Oh, and the Dodger Dogs at the concession stand are worthy of the hype.

The venue is celebrating its 60th year of existence in 2022 and has seen its fair share of winning and hardware.

Since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the Dodgers have won 12 National League pennants and six World Series titles.

Since 1962 when Dodger Stadium opened, the franchise has produced five MVPs, 11 Cy Youngs, 39 Gold Gloves, 28 Silver Sluggers and 13 Rookies of the Year.

The hallways that lead to the Dodgers clubhouse on the stadium’s first level are lined with many of these dozens of trophies and the jerseys of previous Dodger greats.

The Dodgers have racked up the accolades on the field but have also been pioneers of equality as well. While still in Brooklyn, the Dodgers were the first MLB team to employ and start a Black player — all-time great Jackie Robinson.

The Dodgers were the first MLB team to allow a female sports journalist into a locker room (Anita Martini, 1974) and the first to employ a female lead trainer (Sue Falsone, 2012).

Another first — the Dodgers established a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic when they opened the doors to Campo Las Palmas in 1987.

So, it would only seem fitting that the MLB fan activations that were just a few miles down the road at the Los Angeles Convention Center all weekend featured displays honoring the Negro League Hall of Fame, Women in Baseball and the Latino Legacy display, which paid tribute to some of the greatest Latino players.

Dodger Stadium is one of the rare places that can hold six decades of history but is still just as unique of an experience 60 years later. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take another 42 years for the MLB All-Star festivities to return to Vin Scully Avenue.