“Our job is to utilize sports to create an economic impact and tourism,” Wisniewski said. “We want to bring sporting events here that will make people outside of Oklahoma City visit our destination and take their outside dollars and spend them here with our local restaurants, hotels and attractions.” According to figures provided by Visit OKC, during their last fiscal year (August 2022 through July 2023), sporting events they supported generated an estimated economic impact of $92 million. The popularity and economic impact that the Oklahoma City Thunder and other professional and collegiate teams such as OU and OSU bring to the table cannot be understated. But what many people may not realize is that other not-so-well-known professional and amateur sports have also been good for Oklahoma City’s economy. Wisniewski said many people have some misconceptions in terms of sports in Oklahoma City.
Topping the list is that the city is not a championship destination. He quickly rebuffed that notion, pointing out Oklahoma City’s long history of hosting NCAA championships, Big 12 championships and other popular sporting events. The NCAA Women’s College World Series is a great example. More than 110,000 people attended the event this past June at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. About 70% of those in attendance were from cities outside the OKC market. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is another major sporting event that, like the Women’s College World Series, attracts thousands of people from across the state, nation and world. “[The Memorial Marathon] is more than just a local event that we care about. There is a significant tourism component associated with it,” Wisniewski said. Other significant and widely publicized sporting events Wisniewski said had a big economic impact on Oklahoma City last fiscal year included the World
More than 110,000 people attended the NCAA Women's College World Series this past June at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. About 70% of those in attendance were from cities outside the OKC market.
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