Sports Business Journal has named Orlando as the number 1 city for sports, as the city has stayed strategic and aggressive about attracting sporting events of every size and type.
What’s Happening:
- Sports Business Journal has named Orlando as the #1 city for sports, with a significant number of venues, and with heavy investments for Sports in the future.
- Citing numerous examples of investment a long-term history of Sports in the City Beautiful, the Journal references 1994 as the beginning of Orlando’s evolution as a host to major sporting events, when the city beat out Miami and Tampa for the right to host five FIFA World Cup matches, which were played at the Citrus Bowl (currently called the Camping World Stadium).
- Also named, the 1997 opening of the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. The opening, according to the Journal, “Changed not only Orlando’s Sports DNA, but served as a model for mixed-use, multisport developments around the world.”
- The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) even moved their headquarters from Indianapolis to the site, and hosts more than 200 sporting events each year at the complex and other locations on Walt Disney World property. These include last year’s American Flag Football Youth World Championships and multiple annual soccer, baseball, softball, cheer, tennis, and golf tournaments.
- The ESPN Wide World of Sports and Walt Disney World were also widely recognized for their sports facilities in 2020, when the NBA and MLS created their own “bubbles” at the site to complete their seasons amid the global pandemic.
- In 2022, the Special Olympics USA games were held primarily at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, as well as the city’s YMCA Aquatic Center and the U.S. Tennis Association campus in nearby Lake Nona.
- The Journal also refers to annual events in the city, as well as the Orange County Convention Center, located right in the heart of the Tourist Corridor of the city. County commissioners voted to approve the allocation of Tourist Development Tax funding for an expansion of the Convention Center last October, an expansion that will come at the cost of over half a billion dollars.
- The venue hit an attendance record in 2023, with 1.58 million visitors and might host more sporting events than any other in the country – hosting the annual PGA Show, which gathers more than 31,000 golf industry professionals, companies, and brands from 89 countries. 500 Pop Warner Cheer and Dance teams show up each year for a four day event, and the 21 day AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships is easily the center’s biggest sporting event. 5,400 teams and 100,000 participants arrive on scene, and generate a reported $256 million economic impact for the city.
- You can check head over to the Sports Business Journal for the full breakdown of why Orlando is the number one city for sports. If you want to head to Orlando, or Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, or travel to a Disney Destination in general, we advise reaching out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel who can assist with all your Disney Travel needs.
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