Generational Divide in Sports FACILITY Funding
Support for Public Funding by Facility Type and Generation
Generation Info
Support for funding youth and amateur sports facilities is strong across generations, but the gap between youth and pro facility funding support widens with age. This shows: ⚖️ Priorities shift with age 🏟️ Framing around youth and local benefits drives support 🌱 Bridging generations builds lasting buy-in
Get Jen's Hot Take
More Data Deep Dives
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Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Listen to Jen's Take
Agree or strongly agree that cheating and corruption is prevalent in sporting events
More than half of Gen Z and Millennials believe corruption is widespread in sports. See how support of legal sports wagering deepens the generational divide.
Why this data matters: 👉 Perceived cheating/ corruption harms sports' overall health. 👉 Data reinforces the catalysts for shifts across sporting event tiers. 👉 Industry sustainability depends on younger generations' consumer behavior.
More Data Deep Dives
Generation Info
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Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Generation
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Generation
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate large-scale and high-profile sports tourism is driven primarily by younger, more mobile audiences, while older generations gravitate toward smaller, local events.
Gen Z
Millennials
Read More
Gen X
Every generation connects with sports differently, from the way they watch to the events they travel for.
Boomers
Generation Info
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
More Data Deep Dives
Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Region
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Region
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate that the Midwest and South have the most interest in college & professional sports, while the West leads in mega event participation.
Northeast
Read More
Midwest
The Midwest and South are rich with "drive markets," or population-dense urban areas located within easy driving distance of major sporting venues.
South
See it on a Map
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
West
More Data Deep Dives
Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Generation
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Generation
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate large-scale and high-profile sports tourism is driven primarily by younger, more mobile audiences, while older generations gravitate toward smaller, local events.
Gen Z
Millenials
Read More
Gen X
Every generation connects with sports differently, from the way they watch to the events they travel for.
Boomers
Generation Info
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
2025 National Benchmark Study
Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events
View the Interactive Report
Presented by
Welcome!
Listen here!
What follows is an insightful and action-oriented compilation of data, the first in what promises to be a series of relevant publications driving the sports tourism industry forward. We invite you to explore the findings and leverage this knowledge to shape the future of sporting events in our communities. This new knowledge will help all practitioners in the sporting event ecosystem—DMOs, sports commissions, governments, event rights holders, partners, suppliers, hoteliers, and supporting professionals—achieve maximum results and improve communities through sports.
A new era of leveraging sporting events is upon us, and this report serves as a guiding light!
Enjoy!
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our title sponsor, Miles Partnership. Our endeavor is also proudly supported by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Frisco. Expert researchers from Longwoods and Cimarron have undertaken the ambitious task of designing a custom survey that addresses the most pressing issues in sports tourism today. This study, fielded in October 2024 with a representative sample of 4,000 Americans, is the most meaningful inquiry into residents' perceptions of sporting events ever conducted. By incorporating essential elements such as sporting event tiers and desired outcomes, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of the resident perspective.
The Time is now
Welcome to the 2025 Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events National Benchmark Study presented by Miles Partnership. We are thrilled to present this groundbreaking report, the first of its kind in the United States, delving into the ever-evolving landscape of the sports tourism industry.
The importance of this study cannot be overstated. As the sports tourism sector navigates a critical point of inflection, influenced by myriad factors, understanding resident sentiment has never been more crucial.
Jennifer Stoll, PhDPresident & CEO Cimarron Global Solutions
A Special Thanks!
Amir EylonPresident & CEO Longwoods International
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
2025 National Benchmark Study - Sponsors
Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events
Proudly Presented By
Additionally Supported By
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
What You Need to Know at a Glance
In a hurry and need intel? No problem, on this page and the next are the 7 Key Insights from this report. Click on any one to go straight to that section to see the data and dive into the details.
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Key Insight 1:
01
Key Insights
02
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
Key Insight 2:
2025 National Benchmark Study
03
There is widespread belief in positive community benefits stemming from sporting events.
Key Insight 3:
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, community exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Key Insight 4:
04
Go To Key Insights 5-7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
What You Need to Know at a Glance
In a hurry and need intel? No problem, on this page and the next are the 7 Key Insights from this report. Click on any one to go straight to that section to see the data and dive into the details.
05
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Key Insight 5:
Key Insights
06
Support for public funding of youth and amateur facility development outpaces support for professional sport facility development.
Key Insight 6:
2025 National Benchmark Study
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Key Insight 7:
07
About This Study
Go To Key Insights 1-4
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
About This National Benchmark Study
What this study is
Achieving New Heights
Most comprehensive research in the industry
Elevated Research Methods
Understanding the playing field
Important Context
What types of events matter
Event Tiering Basics
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Achieving New Heights
What this study is:
- The first broad assessment of resident sentiment of its kind.
Empowering the Industry
- A tool for comparing various event types.
- This benchmark study will track and report future changes.
- A definitive benchmarking measurement.
- This study adhered to the highest research standards and efficacy, setting the standard of excellence in the industry.
- A snapshot of diverse outcome perception.
- A crucial advocacy resource.
- The sporting event industry is evolving, highlighting the need for ongoing adaptation and advocacy.
- A charge against complacency.
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
The Elevated Method
A Deep Dive
Our research team aimed to understand resident sentiment towards sporting events held in their communities. Rather than relying on practitioner assumptions about residents' thoughts on these events, we conducted a comprehensive survey to gather direct data. Our data collection methodology encompassed the following:
Audience Understanding
Peeling Back Layers
Critical Issue Coverage
Robust Panel
Surveying a panel of 4,000 Americans representative of U.S. demographics (age, sex, household income, household size, and geography) as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Each sporting event is unique, so our team analyzed resident sentiment towards different types of sporting events held in communities and perceived outcomes to provide specific insights rather than generalized statements.
We asked respondents about key industry issues, many of which have rarely – if ever – been researched in such depth.
The customized survey enables segmentation of data by essential demographic and psychographic variables, providing more profound insights.
PEELING BACK LAYERS
Robust Panel
CRITICAL ISSUE COVERAGE
AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDING
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Important Context
How resident sentiment supports your destination:
- Supports destination stewardship
- Improves sustainability
- Enhances economic development
- Informs Master Planning
- And much more!
Understanding the Playing Field
The dynamic landscape of sports tourism and the importance of resident sentiment spurred our teams to answer the question, “What do residents think about sporting events taking place in their communities?”
Resident Sentiment
A Decade ahead Like None other!
sports Tourism in the USA
This Study!
Sports Tourism
Expectations and perspectives of local communities are more important now than EVER!
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Event Tiering Basics
Mega Events
Major Events
Events vary greatly, and resident sentiment towards them can differ as well. To capture these nuances, Cimarron developed a proprietary Event Tiering System to aid industry understanding of the impact of different types of sporting events on communities nationwide.
Collegiate & Professional Events
Youth & Amateur Events
Learn More
Community Events
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Across the Board
Top-Line Findings
The results are organized in a top-line overview of the resident sentiment towards sporting events broken into 7 Key Insights.
02
01
06
03
05
07
04
Start
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Insight 1
Chart 1:
Key Insight 1
Sport Can Unify People and Communities
Insight 2
- 2%
- 2%
- 9%
- 48%
- 39%
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Respondents indicated strong agreement for two of the study’s most broad impact-based statements.
Insight 5
Insight 6
87%
A remarkable 87% of all respondents – irrespective of whether they participate in sport or have children who participate in sport – agree or strongly agree that sports can unify people and communities empirically strengthening a widely held, but limitedly validated belief.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 2:
Key Insight 1
Belief That Sports Positively Impacts Individuals
Insight 2
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Respondents indicated strong agreement for two of the study’s most broad impact-based statements.
Insight 5
Insight 6
Insight 7
"Sport has the power to change the world" - Nelson Mandela
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 1:
Statements Assessing Personal Benefits of Sports
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
I receive personal benefits from participating in sporting events
Insight 3
Insight 4
Sport Participation is an important part of my life
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
I receive personal benefits from participating in sport activities
Insight 6
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 2:
Belief Sports Positively Impacts Individuals by Generation
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
Insight 6
Age
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 3:
Sport Participation is an Important Part of My Child(ren)'s Life
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
-1%
Insight 3
- 2%
- 8%
- 46%
Insight 4
- 43%
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
Insight 6
Of those respondents who have children participating in sport, a whopping 90% consider sport participation an important part of their children’s lives. This finding underscores the value parents place on their child(ren)’s sport participation – whether real or perceived.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 1:
Key Insight 3
Statements Assessing Community Benefitsof Sporting Events
Insight 2
I believe sporting events positively impact my community.
Overall, I think sporting events are good for my community.
Overall, I think sporting events are good for my state.
In general, the positive benefits of sporting events outweigh the negative impacts.
My community benefits from the sporting events industry.
There is widespread belief in positive community benefits stemming from sporting events.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Three-fourths of respondents expressed favorable views on many positive aspects of sporting events, reflecting the perceived significant role they play in the public sphere from local to state levels.
Insight 5
Insight 6
Why is this good news for sports tourism professionals?
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
ECONOMICS
Insight 1
Chart 1: Economics
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Benefits the Local Economy
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 2: Community Exposure
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Creates Media Exposure for My Community
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community...
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 3: Sport, society, & Culture
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Creates Opportunities for Residents to Connect with One Another
Insight 2
Community Events
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
An important discovery was found in the data. Don't miss it - read more here!
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 4: Environmental
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers NEGATIVELY Impacts the Local Environment in My Community
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
Learn More
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 5
Chart 1:
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months
Insight 2
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Across all generations, three in ten respondents reported traveling more than 50 miles from their residence to attend College and Professional Sporting Events as spectators in the past 12 months...
Insight 6
Insight 7
Read More
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Insight 1
Key Insight 5
Chart 2:
Travel More Than 50 Miles to Attend Sporting Events by Generation
Insight 2
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Gen Z and Millennial respondents indicated they traveled more than 50 miles to attend sporting events of all types at higher rates than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts...
Insight 6
Insight 7
Read More
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Insight 1
Key Insight 6
Chart 1:
Support for Public Funding of Facilities by Type
Insight 2
I support public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development in my community.
I support public funding for professional sports facility development in my community.
Support for public funding of youth and amateur facility development outpaces support for professional sport facility development.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
It is no surprise that broad support exists for public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development. The U.S. is currently experiencing a boom in new facility development in this class of facility...
Insight 6
Insight 7
Read More
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Insight 1
Key Insight 7
Chart 1: Participation Trend Concerns
Statements Regarding Concerns in Sport Trends
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Sports are becoming too expensive for me and/or my child(ren) to participate
Insight 3
Insight 4
Youth specialization (participating in just one sport) is an issue in my community
Insight 5
Insight 6
Youth decline in sport participation (recreational and competitive) is a problem in my community
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 2: Participation Trend Concerns
Key Insight 7
Past and Current Participation in Recreational or Competitive Sports by Generation
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
The drop in sport participation among respondents is concerning as it has potential significant implications for the sporting event industry.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 3: Negative Perceptions of sporting events
Key Insight 7
Sporting Events Attract Too Many Visitors Making It Difficult for Residents to Enjoy Local Restaurants and Businesses
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Larger sporting events may lead residents to perceive more negative impacts. However, three-fourths still believe the positive benefits of hosting such events outweigh the negatives.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 4: Negative Perceptions of sporting events
Key Insight 7
Hosting Sporting Events Creates Too Much Congestion and Strain on My Community's Infrastructure
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Insight 7
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Action & Conclusion
Five strategies to get you started
From Insights to Action
We are here to help
Don't Go at it Alone
Why we are the perfect pair
Longwoods & Cimarron
Come say hello
Report Authors & Copyright
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
From Insights to Action
Implementing the data and insights from this report is crucial. The findings have been distilled into five actionable strategies that any organization can use to leverage the positive resident sentiment towards sporting events within communities to achieve meaningful – and measurable – results.
1. Position Sports Appropriately in Your Destination’s Gameplan
2. Leverage Sports' Strength as a Community Unifier
3. Demonstrate an Expanded Definition of Success Through Sports Tourism
4. Proactively Address Negative Impacts
5. Utilize Resident Sentiment as a Guiding Light
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Don't Go At it Alone
To fully benefit from sporting events, proactive and methodical steps are essential. Longwoods International and Cimarron Global Solutions can help your organization use this data to transform your community in the following ways:
- Customized for you. Conduct a custom research study evaluating resident sentiment towards sporting events specific to your destination.
- Educate and advocate. Deliver presentations highlighting comparative data to provide destination-specific insights to your key stakeholders.
- Maximize market performance. Market optimization eliminates guesswork, ensuring your sporting event recruitment and performance increase desired outcomes.
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Longwoods International
Cimarron Global Solutions
Longwoods International is a leading travel and tourism research consultancy with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and Toronto, Canada, and offices in Florida, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. It conducts Longwoods Travel USA®, the largest ongoing survey of American travelers, as well as image, advertising effectiveness, advertising return on investment, sentiment, and other custom research in 12 countries around the globe.
Cimarron Global Solutions is the sport and tourism industry leading research, strategy, and advisory company. Established in 2024 by Dr. Jennifer Stoll, Cimarron is committed to providing customized insights and forward-thinking strategies tailored to meet the distinctive challenges of the sport and tourism sectors. They are not just trendsetters; they are shaping the future of sport and tourism. Rooted in integrity, teamwork, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence, Cimarron empowers organizations to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Learn More
Learn More
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Report Authors
Blake Price, PhDLead Project Analyst Cimarron Global Solutions
Tammy KoerteDirector of ResearchLongwoods International
Jennifer Stoll, PhDPresident & CEO Cimarron Global Solutions
Jessica EvansReport Design Cimarron Global Solutions
Copyright & Disclaimer
© Copyright 2025 Cimarron Global Solutions and Longwoods International. All rights reserved. All materials contained herein are protected by copyright laws. Any storage, reproduction, or distribution of such materials, in whole or in part, in any form without the prior written permission of Cimarron Global Solutions is prohibited. This information (including any enclosures and attachments) is propriety and confidential and has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of the addressee(s) and solely for the purpose for which it is provided. We make no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the information is accurate, complete, or up to date. We exclude all implied conditions, warranties, representations, or other terms that may apply, and we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with use of or reliance on the information. We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so.
Thank You!
2025 Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events National benchmark study is proudly presented by
Additionally Supported By
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Built to Win
The heatmap shows population density by square mile, emphasizing the population concentration in the Midwest and South regions as compared to their western counterparts. Accounting for nearly 60% of the total US population, these two regions are hotbeds for population density making them ideal for sporting event-related travel.
How does population concentration influence what sporting events should be hosted in your area?
Strategy 5
Utilize Resident Sentiment as a Guiding Light
This report serves as a national benchmark, applying its principals to the local community is paramount. Establishing an initial measure of resident sentiment towards sporting events within your community, and periodically assessing changes in this sentiment, can serve as a vital resource for identifying and achieving your organizational goals and objectives.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
TV, Newspapers, social media, online - Oh my!
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community, with Agree and Strongly Agree scoring 89%, followed closely by Mega and College and Professionally events both with 86% favorability.
It is logical that larger-scale events (Major, Mega, and College and Professional) would score high in this statement given their national and international media presence. However, respondents also scored Community and Youth and Amateur Sporting Events 70% or higher (74% and 70%, respectively), indicating a strong perspective that even local and youth and amateur events drive community exposure. This finding may be linked to the prevalence of digital forms of community exposure, such as online and social media.
Details of Each Generation
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Facility Development
Three-fourths of respondents (76%) indicated favorable support towards public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development in their community, with 16% Neutral. More than half (53%) indicated favorable support for public funding for professional sports facility development, and another 25% Neutral. It is no surprise that broad support exists for public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development. The U.S. is currently experiencing a boom in new facility development in this class of facility. Check out The Stoll Report on Sports Facilities to learn more.
Although youth and amateur facility development is not inexpensive, the cost of new facility development among stadiums and arenas in the professional ranks is exponentially higher, with price tags reaching several billion dollars. Opportunity cost, taxpayer burden, uncertain public benefit, and inflated economic impact reporting are several factors that may be impacting the variance in support of public funding between these two types of facilities. More research is warranted in this area.
Generations on the Go
It’s no surprise that the older people get, the less likely they were to travel for sporting events—and the data reinforces this intuition. Gen Z and Millennials were the most active travelers to sporting events, with about one-third traveling more than 50 miles for college/professional events (36% each) and major events (30% for Gen Z, 34% for Millennials). Millennials also led the way in travel to attend mega events (14%), which is interesting given that these events tend to be more expensive, require greater travel distances, and this generation is relatively young in age (28-43). Gen X participated at moderate levels, led by college/professional events (28%). Boomers traveled far less, with only 3% having attended a mega event, and tend to favor smaller-scale gatherings like community and youth/amateur events.
Do your travel habits for sports match your generation’s trends?
Who is Participating?
Two in ten respondents (21%) currently participate in recreational or competitive sports, with current participation highest among Gen Z (30%) and Millennials (28%). Less than two in ten of Gen X (16%) and Boomers (13%) currently participate in sports.
Across all respondents, a third (33%) have not personally participated in the past or currently in recreational or competitive sport, nor do they have children who have.
About half of respondents (54%) have participated in recreational or competitive sport in the past. Of those who have participated in recreational or competitive sport in the past, only a quarter (25%) currently participate in either of these types of sports.
Younger Gens Bet More, Trust Less
Agree or strongly agree to "I support legal sports wagering in my state"
🏟️ Younger generations show strongest parallel between legal wagering and sport integrity skepticism. 💸 Betting exposure may sharpen awareness of manipulation risks and fuels distrust. 👥 Boomers have lower wagering support and more trust in sports. ⚖️ Generational divide emerges between skeptical bettors and trusting non-participants.
Traveling Spectators
While three categories of event tiers saw about 20-30% of respondents travel to attend it’s important to recognize nearly half of respondents did not travel for any type of sporting event. This data point will be monitored going forward for shifts in overall travel for spectatorship. Mega Sporting Events saw the lowest travel percentage, at just 8%. This could be an indication of the infrequency of these types of events occurring stateside, the difficulty in obtaining tickets for and traveling to them, or other factors. Our team will track changes to these figures as several Major and Mega Sporting Events are slated to take place in the U.S. over the next decade (for example, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games, and 2034 Winter Olympic Games).
Across all generations, three in ten (29%) respondents reported traveling more than 50 miles from their residence to attend College and Professional Sporting Events as spectators in the past 12 months. This was followed by 26% who traveled to a Major Sporting Event, and 22% who traveled to a Youth and Amateur Sporting Event. Meanwhile, just 8% traveled for a Mega Sporting Event and 46% of respondents did not travel more than 50 miles to attend any sporting event.
Strategy 3
Demonstrate an Expanded Definition of Success Through Sports Tourism
As destinations strive to demonstrate wide community value it’s easy to rely solely on economics. The findings in this study indicate strong support for a diverse range of outcomes that underscore positive economic, and community impacts alike, cultivating a more complete story.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Supporting Sponsor
Founded in 2003, Visit Frisco has grown in tandem with the extensive growth of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city. It’s the organization’s mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination’s International. For more information, head to VISITFRISCO.COM.
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Events & Environment
Environmental impacts are an increasing factor in evaluating sporting event outcomes, so our research explored several such impacts. Disagreeing with this statement suggests that there are fewer perceived negative environmental effects from sporting events.
On average, nearly half (49%) of respondents indicated they Disagree or Strongly Disagree that sporting events of all tiers negatively impact the local environment. Notably, one-third (33%) of respondents, on average across all sporting event tiers, responded that they Agree or Strongly Agree that such events negatively impact the local environment.
Naturally, the larger the scale of event, the more respondents feel the event negatively impacts the local environment (topping out at 37% and 43% for Major and Mega Sporting Events, respectively).
Voice of Jennifer Stoll, PhD
*If video is blurry - click setting gear in player and increase video quality
TIER 2: Major Sporting Events – Large-scale, elite-level annual sporting events featuring limited participation of college or professional athletes, very high media attention, spectatorship, and viewership. These events may be held in the same city or rotate host locations. Examples include the Super Bowl, NCAA Men’s/Women’s Final Four, Kentucky Derby, All-Star Games and Drafts, College Football Playoffs, Boston Marathon, etc.
Strategy 4
Proactively Address Negative Impacts
While there is strong support for sporting events, this study highlights there are concerns about their impact on local infrastructure and the environment. Organizers should proactively assess and address these issues to maintain community support and minimize negative effects.
Details of Each Generation
Defininig a Generation
From Boomers’ loyalty to local traditions to Gen Z’s digital-first, multi-sport fandom, each generation experiences sports through the lens of its time. Cultural touchpoints, technology, and lifestyle shape not just the games they watch, but how often—and how far—they’ll go to be part of the action.These travel patterns also reflect the generational sentiment differences highlighted in the 2023 Resident Sentiment data, which examined perceptions of sporting events’ impact on communities. The findings showed that younger generations are less likely than older ones to view sporting events as community assets—suggesting that while Gen Z and Millennials are more mobile and eager to travel for major events, their sense of community connection to those events remains more neutral. Read the full article here: https://cimarronglobal.com/generational-differences-in-sporting-event-resident-sentiment/
How do the sporting events in your community align with the factors shaping your target generation’s outlook on life?
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
So Many Benefits
Among those who do or have participated in sport:
- Two-thirds (66%) say they receive personal benefits from participating in sporting events.
- While 61% say that sport participation is an important part of their life.
- Slightly more than two-thirds (68%) believe they receive personal benefits from participating in sport activities.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
TIER 5: Community Sporting Events – Sporting events geared toward local participation. They are typically put on by local community organizers for local participants and are usually recreational in nature (not highly competitive). Examples include local running races (5Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons, etc.) and local golf tournaments that may be hosted by a parks and recreation department or as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Residents generally view sporting events positively. However, organizers and practitioners must address participation issues and potential negative impacts on communities. Although these concerns are less pronounced compared to positive sentiments, they still require monitoring and proactive attention.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Significant Implications
The drop in sport participation among respondents (all of whom were adults) is of concern. Inherently, fewer people participating in sport will impact the risk for several tiers of sporting events including Community and Youth and Amateur events, which take place in most communities. This data point will be monitored along with participation rates among youth as it has significant implications for the sporting event industry.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Age Chart
Looking Ahead
The next decade offers the United States unparalleled opportunities to host major and mega sporting events, boosting economic impact, global visibility, and community growth.
2025 Ryder Cup
2028 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games
2026 FIFA
Men’s World Cup
2025 FIFA Club
World Cup
2034 Winter
Olympic & Paralympic Games
2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup
2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup
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The Good News
Sports tourism professionals will delight in the fact that residents recognize the benefits of sporting events for their communities, both at the local and state levels. Resident backing for this segment of tourism is strong, making it an ideal key market focus.
This report and future analyses of this data will address the rationale for why respondents feel so strongly about the positive impacts of sporting events.
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
Generational Perspective
When assessing favorability (Agree + Strongly Agree) of sports positive impacts on individuals by generation, Gen X leads the way at 85%, followed closely by Boomers and Millennials at 83%. Gen Z lags slightly at 77%, which is likely due to their age and life phase as detailed by our research team following our 2024 paper, Scoring Goals for Community Development, in this timely Expert Analysis, where we highlight the importance of watching this finding going forward.
Age
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Age Chart
TIER 4: Youth and Amateur Sporting Events – Team or individual sporting events with amateur (non-professional) participants both from the local community and/or from other states/regions. Examples of Youth and Amateur Sporting Events include high school athletics, AAU basketball tournaments, USSSA softball tournaments, adult pickleball tournaments, and Olympic governing body sanctioned events (such as USA Swimming Olympic Trials, etc.).
HIDDEN POTENTIAL
The level of agreement decreases as the scale of the event increases. This trend suggests that larger events face challenges in connecting with the local market. Despite high overall scores, there is potential to enhance local connectedness at larger events.
The sports tourism industry often touts its role in communities as a conduit for creating places where people want to “work, live, and play.” It does that in part by cultivating opportunities to host sporting events that contribute to the sense of community. Respondents overwhelmingly indicated agreement that hosting all tiers of sporting events creates opportunities for residents to connect with one another.
The results show a slight inverse relationship between the size of a sporting event and the level of agreement with the statement. Specifically, residents are more likely to believe they can create opportunities to connect with one another at smaller, localized events such as Community or Youth and Amateur sporting events.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Defininig a Generation
From Boomers’ loyalty to local traditions to Gen Z’s digital-first, multi-sport fandom, each generation experiences sports through the lens of its time. Cultural touchpoints, technology, and lifestyle shape not just the games they watch, but how—and how far—they’ll go to be part of the action.These travel patterns also reflect the generational sentiment differences highlighted in the 2023 Resident Sentiment data, which examined perceptions of sporting events’ impact on communities. The findings showed that younger generations are less likely than older ones to view sporting events as community assets—suggesting that while Gen Z and Millennials are more mobile and eager to travel for major events, their sense of community connection to those events remains more neutral. Read the full article here: https://cimarronglobal.com/generational-differences-in-sporting-event-resident-sentiment/
How do the sporting events in your community align with the factors shaping your target generation’s outlook on life?
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Strategy 2
Leverage Sports Strength as a Community Unifier
The report highlights the strong belief that sports can unify people and communities, and positively impacts individuals. This indicates a real opportunity for destinations to develop sports as a tool to foster community cohesion and individual well-being. Lean into that strength as you seek to serve your most important constituents: your residents.
TV, Newspapers, social media, online - Oh my!
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community, with Agree and Strongly Agree scoring 89%, followed closely by Mega and College and Professionally events both with 86% favorability.
It is logical that larger-scale events (Major, Mega, and College and Professional) would score high in this statement given their national and international media presence. However, respondents also scored Community and Youth and Amateur Sporting Events 70% or higher (74% and 70%, respectively), indicating a strong perspective that even local and youth and amateur events drive community exposure. This finding may be linked to the prevalence of digital forms of community exposure, such as online and social media.
Supporting Sponsor
The Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports) is a private, non-profit organization established to attract and manage sports-related events, conferences and activities that drive positive economic development in the City of Orlando, Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, and Seminole County. Founded in 1992-93, the organization has hosted or co-hosted more than 1,700 events in the Greater Orlando area with a total economic impact exceeding $3.86 billion in spending within the community. In 2024, Sports Business Journal ranked Orlando as the #1 Best Sports Business City in the country for Attracting and Hosting Events. For more information, visit GreaterOrlandoSports.com.
Learn More
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
TIER 3: College and Professional Sporting Events – Intercollegiate regular season events and most regular season professional sporting events that draw significant media attention and spectatorship. Examples of College and Professional Sporting Events include a college volleyball match, or football game, an NFL game or WNBA game.
Our endeavor is proudly presented by Miles Partnership and supported by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Frisco.
A Special Thanks to...
Trending Travels
Gen Z and Millennial respondents indicated they traveled more than 50 miles to attend sporting events of all types (from Community to Mega Sporting Events) at higher rates than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts.
Gen Z and Millennials may be leading the way in sporting event spectatorship travel for several reasons including attraction to the cultural and social aspects of sporting events, increased disposable income and decreased personal responsibility (such as family obligations), and an increase in generational emphasis on experiences, and the impact of social media.
We will monitor if Gen Z and Millennials continue traveling for sports as they age and if younger generations show similar trends. However, sporting event organizers should actively target marketing at spectators in this age group.
Older respondents were less likely to travel over 50 miles for sporting events. This highlights the need to engage younger consumers, as older individuals naturally become less inclined to travel for such activities as they age.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Too Many?
Of the respondents that indicated their community hosts these types of events, more than half (54%) felt that Mega Sporting Events attract too many visitors making it difficult for residents to enjoy local restaurants and businesses.
The number dropped to:
- 48% for respondents whose community hosts Major Sporting Events.
- 39% for those that host College and Professional Sporting Events.
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Where You’re From Drives What You Follow
Regional travel patterns were used to define interest in each event tier, revealing that college and professional sporting events attract the greatest interest in the Midwest (30%) and South (31%), compared to the Northeast (24%) and West (28%). These preferences reflect more than just current fandom—they speak to the historical and cultural embeddedness of sports in these regions. In contrast, the West shows a distinct pattern: greater interest in mega sporting events (11% vs. 7% in other regions). This suggests that Western respondents are more likely to travel a wider range of sporting experiences, possibly reflecting a broader lifestyle orientation toward variety and destination-based events.
How does your region’s history and travel habits shape the kinds of sporting events you can attract?
TIER 1: Mega Sporting Events – Global sporting events that take place once in each location, draw international attention and media coverage. Often not annual events, they feature elite athletes from multiple countries competing and spectators travel from countries to watch in person. Examples include the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, etc.
Benefits Local Economy
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy with levels of Agree and Strongly Agree ranging from 82% at the lowest (Youth and Amateur Sporting Events) to 90% (Major Sporting Events). Statements of Agree average 54% across all five sporting event tiers, and Strongly Agree averages 33%. Economic benefits will naturally vary across event tiers and locales; however, it is encouraging that the public is favorable towards the perceived economic impact of all sporting event tiers.
The Good News
Sports tourism professionals will delight in the fact that residents recognize the benefits of sporting events for their communities, both at the local and state levels. Resident backing for this segment of tourism is strong, making it an ideal key market focus.
This report and future analyses of this data will address the rationale for why respondents feel so strongly about the positive impacts of sporting events.
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Generations on the Go
It’s no surprise that the older people get, the less likely they are to travel for sporting events—and the data reinforces this intuition. Gen Z and Millennials are the most active, with about one-third traveling more than 50 miles for college/professional events (36% each) and major events (30% for Gen Z, 34% for Millennials). Millennials also lead the way in attending mega events, which makes sense given that these events tend to be more expensive, require greater travel distances, and this generation often has more flexibility in terms of financial means and ability to travel. On the whole, 14% is still rather low, likely due to limited number of mega events that took place in 2024 outside of the Olympic Games. Gen X participates at moderate levels, led by college/professional events (28%). Boomers and the Silent Generation travel far less, with only 3% of each attending a mega event, and tend to favor smaller-scale gatherings like community and youth/amateur events.
Do your travel habits for sports match your generation’s trends?
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
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- Sporting Event Tiering Basics
Benefits Local Economy
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy with levels of Agree and Strongly Agree ranging from 82% at the lowest (Youth and Amateur Sporting Events) to 90% (Major Sporting Events). Statements of Agree average 54% across all five sporting event tiers, and Strongly Agree averages 33%. Economic benefits will naturally vary across event tiers and locales; however, it is encouraging that the public is favorable towards the perceived economic impact of all sporting event tiers.
Local Infrastructure Concerns
Despite strong support for sporting events, there are concerns about their impact on local infrastructure. Logically, results show the larger scale the event, the more likely residents perceive negative infrastructure impacts. Hosting events can create congestion and strain on infrastructure, and these are important insights to keep in mind.
Strategy 1
Position Sports Appropriately in Your Destination’s Gameplan
It’s time to re-evaluate where sporting events sit in your community’s asset portfolio. Based upon the broad-based support evidenced in this study, consider elevating the positioning of sports tourism in your destination’s strategy.
The Power of Sport
Nelson Mandela is famously quoted as saying, “Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair.” This quote reflects respondents' views on sports' ability to unify people and communities and its positive impact on individuals. Sport can transcend divides and be prudently leveraged as a tool to strengthen our communities and positively impact individuals.
Presenting Sponsor
Miles Partnership is a strategic marketing consultancy focused exclusively on travel and tourism. The company works with more than 150 destinations, hospitality businesses and other travel industry clients worldwide to develop marketing and management strategies that amplify local experiences, boost visitation, improve community relations and increase overall economic impact. Learn more at www.MilesPartnership.com.
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Expert Analysis - ResSen
Jennifer Stoll
Created on July 10, 2025
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Transcript
Generational Divide in Sports FACILITY Funding
Support for Public Funding by Facility Type and Generation
Generation Info
Support for funding youth and amateur sports facilities is strong across generations, but the gap between youth and pro facility funding support widens with age. This shows: ⚖️ Priorities shift with age 🏟️ Framing around youth and local benefits drives support 🌱 Bridging generations builds lasting buy-in
Get Jen's Hot Take
More Data Deep Dives
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Listen to Jen's Take
Agree or strongly agree that cheating and corruption is prevalent in sporting events
More than half of Gen Z and Millennials believe corruption is widespread in sports. See how support of legal sports wagering deepens the generational divide.
Why this data matters: 👉 Perceived cheating/ corruption harms sports' overall health. 👉 Data reinforces the catalysts for shifts across sporting event tiers. 👉 Industry sustainability depends on younger generations' consumer behavior.
More Data Deep Dives
Generation Info
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Generation
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Generation
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate large-scale and high-profile sports tourism is driven primarily by younger, more mobile audiences, while older generations gravitate toward smaller, local events.
Gen Z
Millennials
Read More
Gen X
Every generation connects with sports differently, from the way they watch to the events they travel for.
Boomers
Generation Info
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
More Data Deep Dives
Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Region
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Region
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate that the Midwest and South have the most interest in college & professional sports, while the West leads in mega event participation.
Northeast
Read More
Midwest
The Midwest and South are rich with "drive markets," or population-dense urban areas located within easy driving distance of major sporting venues.
South
See it on a Map
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
West
More Data Deep Dives
Sporting Event Travel Patterns by Generation
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months - By Generation
Its all in the data!
Travel patterns indicate large-scale and high-profile sports tourism is driven primarily by younger, more mobile audiences, while older generations gravitate toward smaller, local events.
Gen Z
Millenials
Read More
Gen X
Every generation connects with sports differently, from the way they watch to the events they travel for.
Boomers
Generation Info
What does all this mean? Listen to Jen's take.
2025 National Benchmark Study
Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events
View the Interactive Report
Presented by
Welcome!
Listen here!
What follows is an insightful and action-oriented compilation of data, the first in what promises to be a series of relevant publications driving the sports tourism industry forward. We invite you to explore the findings and leverage this knowledge to shape the future of sporting events in our communities. This new knowledge will help all practitioners in the sporting event ecosystem—DMOs, sports commissions, governments, event rights holders, partners, suppliers, hoteliers, and supporting professionals—achieve maximum results and improve communities through sports. A new era of leveraging sporting events is upon us, and this report serves as a guiding light! Enjoy!
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our title sponsor, Miles Partnership. Our endeavor is also proudly supported by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Frisco. Expert researchers from Longwoods and Cimarron have undertaken the ambitious task of designing a custom survey that addresses the most pressing issues in sports tourism today. This study, fielded in October 2024 with a representative sample of 4,000 Americans, is the most meaningful inquiry into residents' perceptions of sporting events ever conducted. By incorporating essential elements such as sporting event tiers and desired outcomes, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of the resident perspective.
The Time is now
Welcome to the 2025 Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events National Benchmark Study presented by Miles Partnership. We are thrilled to present this groundbreaking report, the first of its kind in the United States, delving into the ever-evolving landscape of the sports tourism industry. The importance of this study cannot be overstated. As the sports tourism sector navigates a critical point of inflection, influenced by myriad factors, understanding resident sentiment has never been more crucial.
Jennifer Stoll, PhDPresident & CEO Cimarron Global Solutions
A Special Thanks!
Amir EylonPresident & CEO Longwoods International
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
2025 National Benchmark Study - Sponsors
Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events
Proudly Presented By
Additionally Supported By
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
What You Need to Know at a Glance
In a hurry and need intel? No problem, on this page and the next are the 7 Key Insights from this report. Click on any one to go straight to that section to see the data and dive into the details.
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Key Insight 1:
01
Key Insights
02
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
Key Insight 2:
2025 National Benchmark Study
03
There is widespread belief in positive community benefits stemming from sporting events.
Key Insight 3:
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, community exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Key Insight 4:
04
Go To Key Insights 5-7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
What You Need to Know at a Glance
In a hurry and need intel? No problem, on this page and the next are the 7 Key Insights from this report. Click on any one to go straight to that section to see the data and dive into the details.
05
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Key Insight 5:
Key Insights
06
Support for public funding of youth and amateur facility development outpaces support for professional sport facility development.
Key Insight 6:
2025 National Benchmark Study
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Key Insight 7:
07
About This Study
Go To Key Insights 1-4
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
About This National Benchmark Study
What this study is
Achieving New Heights
Most comprehensive research in the industry
Elevated Research Methods
Understanding the playing field
Important Context
What types of events matter
Event Tiering Basics
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Achieving New Heights
What this study is:
Empowering the Industry
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
The Elevated Method
A Deep Dive
Our research team aimed to understand resident sentiment towards sporting events held in their communities. Rather than relying on practitioner assumptions about residents' thoughts on these events, we conducted a comprehensive survey to gather direct data. Our data collection methodology encompassed the following:
Audience Understanding
Peeling Back Layers
Critical Issue Coverage
Robust Panel
Surveying a panel of 4,000 Americans representative of U.S. demographics (age, sex, household income, household size, and geography) as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Each sporting event is unique, so our team analyzed resident sentiment towards different types of sporting events held in communities and perceived outcomes to provide specific insights rather than generalized statements.
We asked respondents about key industry issues, many of which have rarely – if ever – been researched in such depth.
The customized survey enables segmentation of data by essential demographic and psychographic variables, providing more profound insights.
PEELING BACK LAYERS
Robust Panel
CRITICAL ISSUE COVERAGE
AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDING
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Important Context
How resident sentiment supports your destination:
Understanding the Playing Field
The dynamic landscape of sports tourism and the importance of resident sentiment spurred our teams to answer the question, “What do residents think about sporting events taking place in their communities?”
Resident Sentiment
A Decade ahead Like None other!
sports Tourism in the USA
This Study!
Sports Tourism
Expectations and perspectives of local communities are more important now than EVER!
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Event Tiering Basics
Mega Events
Major Events
Events vary greatly, and resident sentiment towards them can differ as well. To capture these nuances, Cimarron developed a proprietary Event Tiering System to aid industry understanding of the impact of different types of sporting events on communities nationwide.
Collegiate & Professional Events
Youth & Amateur Events
Learn More
Community Events
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Across the Board
Top-Line Findings
The results are organized in a top-line overview of the resident sentiment towards sporting events broken into 7 Key Insights.
02
01
06
03
05
07
04
Start
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 1:
Key Insight 1
Sport Can Unify People and Communities
Insight 2
- 2%
- 2%
- 9%
- 48%
- 39%
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Respondents indicated strong agreement for two of the study’s most broad impact-based statements.
Insight 5
Insight 6
87%
A remarkable 87% of all respondents – irrespective of whether they participate in sport or have children who participate in sport – agree or strongly agree that sports can unify people and communities empirically strengthening a widely held, but limitedly validated belief.
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 2:
Key Insight 1
Belief That Sports Positively Impacts Individuals
Insight 2
Sports shine as a means to unify people and communities and positively impact individuals.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Respondents indicated strong agreement for two of the study’s most broad impact-based statements.
Insight 5
Insight 6
Insight 7
"Sport has the power to change the world" - Nelson Mandela
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 1:
Statements Assessing Personal Benefits of Sports
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
I receive personal benefits from participating in sporting events
Insight 3
Insight 4
Sport Participation is an important part of my life
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
I receive personal benefits from participating in sport activities
Insight 6
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 2:
Belief Sports Positively Impacts Individuals by Generation
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
Insight 6
Age
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Chart 3:
Sport Participation is an Important Part of My Child(ren)'s Life
Insight 2
Respondents recognize the benefits of sport participation for themselves and their children.
-1%
Insight 3
- 2%
- 8%
- 46%
Insight 4
- 43%
Insight 5
Overall, respondents reported a perceived positive impact of sport participation on their personal lives and the lives of their children.
Insight 6
Of those respondents who have children participating in sport, a whopping 90% consider sport participation an important part of their children’s lives. This finding underscores the value parents place on their child(ren)’s sport participation – whether real or perceived.
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 1:
Key Insight 3
Statements Assessing Community Benefitsof Sporting Events
Insight 2
I believe sporting events positively impact my community.
Overall, I think sporting events are good for my community.
Overall, I think sporting events are good for my state.
In general, the positive benefits of sporting events outweigh the negative impacts.
My community benefits from the sporting events industry.
There is widespread belief in positive community benefits stemming from sporting events.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Three-fourths of respondents expressed favorable views on many positive aspects of sporting events, reflecting the perceived significant role they play in the public sphere from local to state levels.
Insight 5
Insight 6
Why is this good news for sports tourism professionals?
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
ECONOMICS
Insight 1
Chart 1: Economics
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Benefits the Local Economy
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 2: Community Exposure
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Creates Media Exposure for My Community
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community...
Insight 7
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 3: Sport, society, & Culture
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers Creates Opportunities for Residents to Connect with One Another
Insight 2
Community Events
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
An important discovery was found in the data. Don't miss it - read more here!
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Chart 4: Environmental
Key Insight 4
Hosting the Following Sporting Event Tiers NEGATIVELY Impacts the Local Environment in My Community
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
All levels of sporting events, from Community to Mega, are positively viewed in key outcome categories of economics, exposure, sport, society and culture, and environment.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
An example of results based upon sporting event tiers across a key outcome variable for each category are as follows, with more depth on these topics planned for the future.
Insight 7
Learn More
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Insight 1
Key Insight 5
Chart 1:
Travel More than 50 Miles to Attend a Sporting Event in the Last 12 Months
Insight 2
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Across all generations, three in ten respondents reported traveling more than 50 miles from their residence to attend College and Professional Sporting Events as spectators in the past 12 months...
Insight 6
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Key Insight 5
Chart 2:
Travel More Than 50 Miles to Attend Sporting Events by Generation
Insight 2
Gen Z and Millennials lead the way in sports spectatorship travel.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Gen Z and Millennial respondents indicated they traveled more than 50 miles to attend sporting events of all types at higher rates than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts...
Insight 6
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Key Insight 6
Chart 1:
Support for Public Funding of Facilities by Type
Insight 2
I support public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development in my community.
I support public funding for professional sports facility development in my community.
Support for public funding of youth and amateur facility development outpaces support for professional sport facility development.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
It is no surprise that broad support exists for public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development. The U.S. is currently experiencing a boom in new facility development in this class of facility...
Insight 6
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Key Insight 7
Chart 1: Participation Trend Concerns
Statements Regarding Concerns in Sport Trends
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Sports are becoming too expensive for me and/or my child(ren) to participate
Insight 3
Insight 4
Youth specialization (participating in just one sport) is an issue in my community
Insight 5
Insight 6
Youth decline in sport participation (recreational and competitive) is a problem in my community
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 2: Participation Trend Concerns
Key Insight 7
Past and Current Participation in Recreational or Competitive Sports by Generation
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
The drop in sport participation among respondents is concerning as it has potential significant implications for the sporting event industry.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 3: Negative Perceptions of sporting events
Key Insight 7
Sporting Events Attract Too Many Visitors Making It Difficult for Residents to Enjoy Local Restaurants and Businesses
Insight 2
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Larger sporting events may lead residents to perceive more negative impacts. However, three-fourths still believe the positive benefits of hosting such events outweigh the negatives.
Insight 7
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Insight 1
Chart 4: Negative Perceptions of sporting events
Key Insight 7
Hosting Sporting Events Creates Too Much Congestion and Strain on My Community's Infrastructure
Insight 2
While most indicators in this study are tremendously positive, there are cautionary data points to watch into the future, such as participation rates and negative impacts on communities.
Mega Events
Major Events
College & Professional
Youth & Amateur
Community Events
Insight 3
Insight 4
Insight 5
Insight 6
While still favorable responses, a few metrics emerged showing less strength in support compared to other metrics.
Insight 7
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Action & Conclusion
Five strategies to get you started
From Insights to Action
We are here to help
Don't Go at it Alone
Why we are the perfect pair
Longwoods & Cimarron
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Report Authors & Copyright
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
From Insights to Action
Implementing the data and insights from this report is crucial. The findings have been distilled into five actionable strategies that any organization can use to leverage the positive resident sentiment towards sporting events within communities to achieve meaningful – and measurable – results.
1. Position Sports Appropriately in Your Destination’s Gameplan
2. Leverage Sports' Strength as a Community Unifier
3. Demonstrate an Expanded Definition of Success Through Sports Tourism
4. Proactively Address Negative Impacts
5. Utilize Resident Sentiment as a Guiding Light
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Don't Go At it Alone
To fully benefit from sporting events, proactive and methodical steps are essential. Longwoods International and Cimarron Global Solutions can help your organization use this data to transform your community in the following ways:
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Longwoods International
Cimarron Global Solutions
Longwoods International is a leading travel and tourism research consultancy with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and Toronto, Canada, and offices in Florida, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. It conducts Longwoods Travel USA®, the largest ongoing survey of American travelers, as well as image, advertising effectiveness, advertising return on investment, sentiment, and other custom research in 12 countries around the globe.
Cimarron Global Solutions is the sport and tourism industry leading research, strategy, and advisory company. Established in 2024 by Dr. Jennifer Stoll, Cimarron is committed to providing customized insights and forward-thinking strategies tailored to meet the distinctive challenges of the sport and tourism sectors. They are not just trendsetters; they are shaping the future of sport and tourism. Rooted in integrity, teamwork, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence, Cimarron empowers organizations to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
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© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
© 2025 Longwoods International & Cimarron Global Solutions
Report Authors
Blake Price, PhDLead Project Analyst Cimarron Global Solutions
Tammy KoerteDirector of ResearchLongwoods International
Jennifer Stoll, PhDPresident & CEO Cimarron Global Solutions
Jessica EvansReport Design Cimarron Global Solutions
Copyright & Disclaimer
© Copyright 2025 Cimarron Global Solutions and Longwoods International. All rights reserved. All materials contained herein are protected by copyright laws. Any storage, reproduction, or distribution of such materials, in whole or in part, in any form without the prior written permission of Cimarron Global Solutions is prohibited. This information (including any enclosures and attachments) is propriety and confidential and has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of the addressee(s) and solely for the purpose for which it is provided. We make no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the information is accurate, complete, or up to date. We exclude all implied conditions, warranties, representations, or other terms that may apply, and we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with use of or reliance on the information. We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so.
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2025 Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events National benchmark study is proudly presented by
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Built to Win
The heatmap shows population density by square mile, emphasizing the population concentration in the Midwest and South regions as compared to their western counterparts. Accounting for nearly 60% of the total US population, these two regions are hotbeds for population density making them ideal for sporting event-related travel.
How does population concentration influence what sporting events should be hosted in your area?
Strategy 5
Utilize Resident Sentiment as a Guiding Light
This report serves as a national benchmark, applying its principals to the local community is paramount. Establishing an initial measure of resident sentiment towards sporting events within your community, and periodically assessing changes in this sentiment, can serve as a vital resource for identifying and achieving your organizational goals and objectives.
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TV, Newspapers, social media, online - Oh my!
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community, with Agree and Strongly Agree scoring 89%, followed closely by Mega and College and Professionally events both with 86% favorability. It is logical that larger-scale events (Major, Mega, and College and Professional) would score high in this statement given their national and international media presence. However, respondents also scored Community and Youth and Amateur Sporting Events 70% or higher (74% and 70%, respectively), indicating a strong perspective that even local and youth and amateur events drive community exposure. This finding may be linked to the prevalence of digital forms of community exposure, such as online and social media.
Details of Each Generation
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Facility Development
Three-fourths of respondents (76%) indicated favorable support towards public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development in their community, with 16% Neutral. More than half (53%) indicated favorable support for public funding for professional sports facility development, and another 25% Neutral. It is no surprise that broad support exists for public funding for youth and amateur sports facility development. The U.S. is currently experiencing a boom in new facility development in this class of facility. Check out The Stoll Report on Sports Facilities to learn more.
Although youth and amateur facility development is not inexpensive, the cost of new facility development among stadiums and arenas in the professional ranks is exponentially higher, with price tags reaching several billion dollars. Opportunity cost, taxpayer burden, uncertain public benefit, and inflated economic impact reporting are several factors that may be impacting the variance in support of public funding between these two types of facilities. More research is warranted in this area.
Generations on the Go
It’s no surprise that the older people get, the less likely they were to travel for sporting events—and the data reinforces this intuition. Gen Z and Millennials were the most active travelers to sporting events, with about one-third traveling more than 50 miles for college/professional events (36% each) and major events (30% for Gen Z, 34% for Millennials). Millennials also led the way in travel to attend mega events (14%), which is interesting given that these events tend to be more expensive, require greater travel distances, and this generation is relatively young in age (28-43). Gen X participated at moderate levels, led by college/professional events (28%). Boomers traveled far less, with only 3% having attended a mega event, and tend to favor smaller-scale gatherings like community and youth/amateur events.
Do your travel habits for sports match your generation’s trends?
Who is Participating?
Two in ten respondents (21%) currently participate in recreational or competitive sports, with current participation highest among Gen Z (30%) and Millennials (28%). Less than two in ten of Gen X (16%) and Boomers (13%) currently participate in sports.
Across all respondents, a third (33%) have not personally participated in the past or currently in recreational or competitive sport, nor do they have children who have.
About half of respondents (54%) have participated in recreational or competitive sport in the past. Of those who have participated in recreational or competitive sport in the past, only a quarter (25%) currently participate in either of these types of sports.
Younger Gens Bet More, Trust Less
Agree or strongly agree to "I support legal sports wagering in my state"
🏟️ Younger generations show strongest parallel between legal wagering and sport integrity skepticism. 💸 Betting exposure may sharpen awareness of manipulation risks and fuels distrust. 👥 Boomers have lower wagering support and more trust in sports. ⚖️ Generational divide emerges between skeptical bettors and trusting non-participants.
Traveling Spectators
While three categories of event tiers saw about 20-30% of respondents travel to attend it’s important to recognize nearly half of respondents did not travel for any type of sporting event. This data point will be monitored going forward for shifts in overall travel for spectatorship. Mega Sporting Events saw the lowest travel percentage, at just 8%. This could be an indication of the infrequency of these types of events occurring stateside, the difficulty in obtaining tickets for and traveling to them, or other factors. Our team will track changes to these figures as several Major and Mega Sporting Events are slated to take place in the U.S. over the next decade (for example, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games, and 2034 Winter Olympic Games).
Across all generations, three in ten (29%) respondents reported traveling more than 50 miles from their residence to attend College and Professional Sporting Events as spectators in the past 12 months. This was followed by 26% who traveled to a Major Sporting Event, and 22% who traveled to a Youth and Amateur Sporting Event. Meanwhile, just 8% traveled for a Mega Sporting Event and 46% of respondents did not travel more than 50 miles to attend any sporting event.
Strategy 3
Demonstrate an Expanded Definition of Success Through Sports Tourism
As destinations strive to demonstrate wide community value it’s easy to rely solely on economics. The findings in this study indicate strong support for a diverse range of outcomes that underscore positive economic, and community impacts alike, cultivating a more complete story.
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Supporting Sponsor
Founded in 2003, Visit Frisco has grown in tandem with the extensive growth of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city. It’s the organization’s mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination’s International. For more information, head to VISITFRISCO.COM.
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Events & Environment
Environmental impacts are an increasing factor in evaluating sporting event outcomes, so our research explored several such impacts. Disagreeing with this statement suggests that there are fewer perceived negative environmental effects from sporting events.
On average, nearly half (49%) of respondents indicated they Disagree or Strongly Disagree that sporting events of all tiers negatively impact the local environment. Notably, one-third (33%) of respondents, on average across all sporting event tiers, responded that they Agree or Strongly Agree that such events negatively impact the local environment.
Naturally, the larger the scale of event, the more respondents feel the event negatively impacts the local environment (topping out at 37% and 43% for Major and Mega Sporting Events, respectively).
Voice of Jennifer Stoll, PhD
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TIER 2: Major Sporting Events – Large-scale, elite-level annual sporting events featuring limited participation of college or professional athletes, very high media attention, spectatorship, and viewership. These events may be held in the same city or rotate host locations. Examples include the Super Bowl, NCAA Men’s/Women’s Final Four, Kentucky Derby, All-Star Games and Drafts, College Football Playoffs, Boston Marathon, etc.
Strategy 4
Proactively Address Negative Impacts
While there is strong support for sporting events, this study highlights there are concerns about their impact on local infrastructure and the environment. Organizers should proactively assess and address these issues to maintain community support and minimize negative effects.
Details of Each Generation
Defininig a Generation
From Boomers’ loyalty to local traditions to Gen Z’s digital-first, multi-sport fandom, each generation experiences sports through the lens of its time. Cultural touchpoints, technology, and lifestyle shape not just the games they watch, but how often—and how far—they’ll go to be part of the action.These travel patterns also reflect the generational sentiment differences highlighted in the 2023 Resident Sentiment data, which examined perceptions of sporting events’ impact on communities. The findings showed that younger generations are less likely than older ones to view sporting events as community assets—suggesting that while Gen Z and Millennials are more mobile and eager to travel for major events, their sense of community connection to those events remains more neutral. Read the full article here: https://cimarronglobal.com/generational-differences-in-sporting-event-resident-sentiment/
How do the sporting events in your community align with the factors shaping your target generation’s outlook on life?
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So Many Benefits
Among those who do or have participated in sport:
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Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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TIER 5: Community Sporting Events – Sporting events geared toward local participation. They are typically put on by local community organizers for local participants and are usually recreational in nature (not highly competitive). Examples include local running races (5Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons, etc.) and local golf tournaments that may be hosted by a parks and recreation department or as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit.
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Residents generally view sporting events positively. However, organizers and practitioners must address participation issues and potential negative impacts on communities. Although these concerns are less pronounced compared to positive sentiments, they still require monitoring and proactive attention.
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Significant Implications
The drop in sport participation among respondents (all of whom were adults) is of concern. Inherently, fewer people participating in sport will impact the risk for several tiers of sporting events including Community and Youth and Amateur events, which take place in most communities. This data point will be monitored along with participation rates among youth as it has significant implications for the sporting event industry.
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Age Chart
Looking Ahead
The next decade offers the United States unparalleled opportunities to host major and mega sporting events, boosting economic impact, global visibility, and community growth.
2025 Ryder Cup
2028 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games
2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
2025 FIFA Club World Cup
2034 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games
2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup
2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup
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Voice of Jennifer Stoll, PhD
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Watch on YouTube
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The Good News
Sports tourism professionals will delight in the fact that residents recognize the benefits of sporting events for their communities, both at the local and state levels. Resident backing for this segment of tourism is strong, making it an ideal key market focus.
This report and future analyses of this data will address the rationale for why respondents feel so strongly about the positive impacts of sporting events.
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
Generational Perspective
When assessing favorability (Agree + Strongly Agree) of sports positive impacts on individuals by generation, Gen X leads the way at 85%, followed closely by Boomers and Millennials at 83%. Gen Z lags slightly at 77%, which is likely due to their age and life phase as detailed by our research team following our 2024 paper, Scoring Goals for Community Development, in this timely Expert Analysis, where we highlight the importance of watching this finding going forward.
Age
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Age Chart
TIER 4: Youth and Amateur Sporting Events – Team or individual sporting events with amateur (non-professional) participants both from the local community and/or from other states/regions. Examples of Youth and Amateur Sporting Events include high school athletics, AAU basketball tournaments, USSSA softball tournaments, adult pickleball tournaments, and Olympic governing body sanctioned events (such as USA Swimming Olympic Trials, etc.).
HIDDEN POTENTIAL
The level of agreement decreases as the scale of the event increases. This trend suggests that larger events face challenges in connecting with the local market. Despite high overall scores, there is potential to enhance local connectedness at larger events.
The sports tourism industry often touts its role in communities as a conduit for creating places where people want to “work, live, and play.” It does that in part by cultivating opportunities to host sporting events that contribute to the sense of community. Respondents overwhelmingly indicated agreement that hosting all tiers of sporting events creates opportunities for residents to connect with one another.
The results show a slight inverse relationship between the size of a sporting event and the level of agreement with the statement. Specifically, residents are more likely to believe they can create opportunities to connect with one another at smaller, localized events such as Community or Youth and Amateur sporting events.
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Defininig a Generation
From Boomers’ loyalty to local traditions to Gen Z’s digital-first, multi-sport fandom, each generation experiences sports through the lens of its time. Cultural touchpoints, technology, and lifestyle shape not just the games they watch, but how—and how far—they’ll go to be part of the action.These travel patterns also reflect the generational sentiment differences highlighted in the 2023 Resident Sentiment data, which examined perceptions of sporting events’ impact on communities. The findings showed that younger generations are less likely than older ones to view sporting events as community assets—suggesting that while Gen Z and Millennials are more mobile and eager to travel for major events, their sense of community connection to those events remains more neutral. Read the full article here: https://cimarronglobal.com/generational-differences-in-sporting-event-resident-sentiment/
How do the sporting events in your community align with the factors shaping your target generation’s outlook on life?
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Strategy 2
Leverage Sports Strength as a Community Unifier
The report highlights the strong belief that sports can unify people and communities, and positively impacts individuals. This indicates a real opportunity for destinations to develop sports as a tool to foster community cohesion and individual well-being. Lean into that strength as you seek to serve your most important constituents: your residents.
TV, Newspapers, social media, online - Oh my!
Major Sporting Events scored the highest in residents’ sentiment of their ability to create media exposure of all kinds for their community, with Agree and Strongly Agree scoring 89%, followed closely by Mega and College and Professionally events both with 86% favorability. It is logical that larger-scale events (Major, Mega, and College and Professional) would score high in this statement given their national and international media presence. However, respondents also scored Community and Youth and Amateur Sporting Events 70% or higher (74% and 70%, respectively), indicating a strong perspective that even local and youth and amateur events drive community exposure. This finding may be linked to the prevalence of digital forms of community exposure, such as online and social media.
Supporting Sponsor
The Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports) is a private, non-profit organization established to attract and manage sports-related events, conferences and activities that drive positive economic development in the City of Orlando, Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, and Seminole County. Founded in 1992-93, the organization has hosted or co-hosted more than 1,700 events in the Greater Orlando area with a total economic impact exceeding $3.86 billion in spending within the community. In 2024, Sports Business Journal ranked Orlando as the #1 Best Sports Business City in the country for Attracting and Hosting Events. For more information, visit GreaterOrlandoSports.com.
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TIER 3: College and Professional Sporting Events – Intercollegiate regular season events and most regular season professional sporting events that draw significant media attention and spectatorship. Examples of College and Professional Sporting Events include a college volleyball match, or football game, an NFL game or WNBA game.
Our endeavor is proudly presented by Miles Partnership and supported by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Frisco.
A Special Thanks to...
Trending Travels
Gen Z and Millennial respondents indicated they traveled more than 50 miles to attend sporting events of all types (from Community to Mega Sporting Events) at higher rates than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts. Gen Z and Millennials may be leading the way in sporting event spectatorship travel for several reasons including attraction to the cultural and social aspects of sporting events, increased disposable income and decreased personal responsibility (such as family obligations), and an increase in generational emphasis on experiences, and the impact of social media.
We will monitor if Gen Z and Millennials continue traveling for sports as they age and if younger generations show similar trends. However, sporting event organizers should actively target marketing at spectators in this age group. Older respondents were less likely to travel over 50 miles for sporting events. This highlights the need to engage younger consumers, as older individuals naturally become less inclined to travel for such activities as they age.
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Too Many?
Of the respondents that indicated their community hosts these types of events, more than half (54%) felt that Mega Sporting Events attract too many visitors making it difficult for residents to enjoy local restaurants and businesses.
The number dropped to:
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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Where You’re From Drives What You Follow
Regional travel patterns were used to define interest in each event tier, revealing that college and professional sporting events attract the greatest interest in the Midwest (30%) and South (31%), compared to the Northeast (24%) and West (28%). These preferences reflect more than just current fandom—they speak to the historical and cultural embeddedness of sports in these regions. In contrast, the West shows a distinct pattern: greater interest in mega sporting events (11% vs. 7% in other regions). This suggests that Western respondents are more likely to travel a wider range of sporting experiences, possibly reflecting a broader lifestyle orientation toward variety and destination-based events.
How does your region’s history and travel habits shape the kinds of sporting events you can attract?
TIER 1: Mega Sporting Events – Global sporting events that take place once in each location, draw international attention and media coverage. Often not annual events, they feature elite athletes from multiple countries competing and spectators travel from countries to watch in person. Examples include the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, etc.
Benefits Local Economy
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy with levels of Agree and Strongly Agree ranging from 82% at the lowest (Youth and Amateur Sporting Events) to 90% (Major Sporting Events). Statements of Agree average 54% across all five sporting event tiers, and Strongly Agree averages 33%. Economic benefits will naturally vary across event tiers and locales; however, it is encouraging that the public is favorable towards the perceived economic impact of all sporting event tiers.
The Good News
Sports tourism professionals will delight in the fact that residents recognize the benefits of sporting events for their communities, both at the local and state levels. Resident backing for this segment of tourism is strong, making it an ideal key market focus.
This report and future analyses of this data will address the rationale for why respondents feel so strongly about the positive impacts of sporting events.
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Generations on the Go
It’s no surprise that the older people get, the less likely they are to travel for sporting events—and the data reinforces this intuition. Gen Z and Millennials are the most active, with about one-third traveling more than 50 miles for college/professional events (36% each) and major events (30% for Gen Z, 34% for Millennials). Millennials also lead the way in attending mega events, which makes sense given that these events tend to be more expensive, require greater travel distances, and this generation often has more flexibility in terms of financial means and ability to travel. On the whole, 14% is still rather low, likely due to limited number of mega events that took place in 2024 outside of the Olympic Games. Gen X participates at moderate levels, led by college/professional events (28%). Boomers and the Silent Generation travel far less, with only 3% of each attending a mega event, and tend to favor smaller-scale gatherings like community and youth/amateur events.
Do your travel habits for sports match your generation’s trends?
Check out other resident sentiment deep dives...
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Generation
Sporting Event Travel Patterns - by Region
Generational Perception of Cheating & Corruption in Sports
Generational Divide in Sports Funding Priorities
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Benefits Local Economy
Residents strongly believe that hosting sporting events of all tiers benefits the local economy with levels of Agree and Strongly Agree ranging from 82% at the lowest (Youth and Amateur Sporting Events) to 90% (Major Sporting Events). Statements of Agree average 54% across all five sporting event tiers, and Strongly Agree averages 33%. Economic benefits will naturally vary across event tiers and locales; however, it is encouraging that the public is favorable towards the perceived economic impact of all sporting event tiers.
Local Infrastructure Concerns
Despite strong support for sporting events, there are concerns about their impact on local infrastructure. Logically, results show the larger scale the event, the more likely residents perceive negative infrastructure impacts. Hosting events can create congestion and strain on infrastructure, and these are important insights to keep in mind.
Strategy 1
Position Sports Appropriately in Your Destination’s Gameplan
It’s time to re-evaluate where sporting events sit in your community’s asset portfolio. Based upon the broad-based support evidenced in this study, consider elevating the positioning of sports tourism in your destination’s strategy.
The Power of Sport
Nelson Mandela is famously quoted as saying, “Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair.” This quote reflects respondents' views on sports' ability to unify people and communities and its positive impact on individuals. Sport can transcend divides and be prudently leveraged as a tool to strengthen our communities and positively impact individuals.
Presenting Sponsor
Miles Partnership is a strategic marketing consultancy focused exclusively on travel and tourism. The company works with more than 150 destinations, hospitality businesses and other travel industry clients worldwide to develop marketing and management strategies that amplify local experiences, boost visitation, improve community relations and increase overall economic impact. Learn more at www.MilesPartnership.com.
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