Only two sports events in Massachusetts history are likely to bejudged to have had more impact on the local economy: the 100thrunning of Boston Marathon in 1996 and the Ryder Cup upcoming inSeptember at The Country Club in Brookline.
Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is coming to town, with theopening of the John Hancock FanFest at the Hynes Veterans MemorialConvention Center tomorrow morning. Companies are striving topromote the game and the events surrounding it, hoping to polishtheir images by association. Tourism officials see a promotionalbonanza with an impact long after the last baseball fan leaves town.And observers say the huge event will help the Red Sox demonstratewhy they need a new stadium.
'Anyone who thinks sports don't have a financial impact on a cityought to try to get a hotel or restaurant reservation in Boston thisweekend. It's going to be impossible,' said Soosie Lazenby,president of the Massachusetts Sports Partnership, which isorganizing 2,000 volunteers to staff the event, including collegeathletes and Little League players. 'Events like this are good forcities. They show that we can undertake the tremendous collaborativeeffort that is required and that we're capable of pulling it off.'Major League Baseball estimates that the game, and five days ofevents leading up to it, will generate $62 million in the localeconomy. The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau is moreconservative, pegging its estimate at $50 million to $54 million.The 100th Boston Marathon generated $173 million, and the Ryder Cupis expected to generate $150 million, according to Patrick B.Moscaritolo, president and chief executive of the bureau.Some experts caution that such estimates are inflated, in partbecause the disposable income likely would have been spent onsomething else in the local economy if the event had not occurred.But Moscaritolo says he has been conservative in estimating therevenues, and others say that in the summer tourism season a lot ofthat $50 million to $60 million would not have been spent in theBoston area at all.'Our biggest dividend is going to come two, three, four, fiveyears from now, when people remember the images they see of Boston ontelevision or their visit here for the game, and they decide to visitagain, or for the first time,' Moscaritolo said. 'About 205countries around the globe get the television feed from the All-StarGame and it's broadcast in 12 languages. No convention or visitorsbureau has a marketing budget to pay for that kind of exposure.'The All-Star Game is such a prime attraction for Major LeagueBaseball that, even in cities with much larger stadiums than FenwayPark, officials seek to maximize the opportunity for fans toparticipate by hosting the FanFest, a Home Run Derby, and eight otherevents on the days leading up to the game. And with only about34,000 seats for the game, fewer people will attend it than anyAll-Star Games since the last one at Fenway Park in 1961.The Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates 100,000 visitors willcome to Boston for the All-Star Game and related events, and thatsome 80,000 will attend FanFest.The Red Sox are among the companies leveraging their associationwith the game and five days of related events. Originally, thisyear's game was to have been played in Milwaukee. But it becameclear in 1997 that the Brewers' new stadium would not be ready, andthe Red Sox, the city, and the convention bureau were persuaded byMajor League Baseball to switch their approach from campaigning forthe 2001 game to the 1999 game.'Usually these games are awarded to teams with new stadiums sothey can show them off,' said a local businessman who worksextensively with sports franchises and leagues. 'This time, it iscoming to a team that says it needs a new stadium.'This whole event will demonstrate all of the magic and the bigimpact that baseball has, at the same time that it provides a greatexample of why Fenway Park is obsolete,' he said. For their part,the Red Sox were not saying much about the proposed new ballpark whenthey talk publicly about the All-Star Game. But they intend torelease their financial plan for the proposed stadium soon after thegame.'The Red Sox are just happy to be contributing in our role as aplayer in the local community,' said Richard L. Bresciani, vicepresident of public affairs for the Sox. 'This is the kind of impacta ball club has on a city, and it's part of our financial commitmentto the community.'Other firms are leveraging the game as part of their marketingplans. The official sponsors of the game include Stop & Shop,Century 21, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co., Fleet FinancialGroup, Gulf Oil, PepsiCo Inc., Anheuser-Busch, and The Boston Globe.'We think as a leading company in the community a good way to showour leadership is to tie in with premier events that come to town,'said Terry Vanderwater, vice president of public affairs for Stop &Shop, which has 196 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, RhodeIsland, and New York. 'It's going to be a long time before the All-Star Game is back on the East Coast, so we thought this was a primeopportunity. We think it will sell more products and drive customerloyalty.'Observers say Hancock is spending $800,000 to $1 million to helpfinance the John Hancock FanFest, which will cost Major LeagueBaseball in excess of $3 million to produce. Hancock will openFanFest unofficially tonight, with employees invited to visit theinteractive exhibits and partake of the full immersion in baseballthat the event is intended to produce.'Hancock has been great, and this is a very important part ofAll-Star week,' said Reg Bronskill, the executive producer ofFanFest. 'It is a way for Major League Baseball and its partners toexpand the All-Star experience to many, many people who could not buyor afford tickets.'The All-Star Game annually provides Major League Baseball with oneof its largest sales of licensed products at a single event. ProPlayer, in Hudson, N.H., has been selling shirts, jackets and otherproducts bearing the official All-Star logo for a year.Officials at Pro Player, the sports licensing division of Fruit ofthe Loom, say sales have totaled about $2 million to date, including$750,000 to $1 million in sales in June alone.Meanwhile, Reebok International Ltd. of Stoughton is providingplayers who are signed with the company and who will play in the gamewith a new shoe. .'Every year, we give our players who are selected to play in thegame a special shoe,' said Dave Fogelson, director of publicrelations for Reebok. 'This year, it is a lighter, leather-coloredshoe, sort of brown or tan, with the All-Star logo on the tongue andheel of the shoe.'
