[Sponsored Content] Community has no offseason: How sporting events are winning Baton Rouge

Sponsored by SportsBR

If you’ve ever witnessed the sea of runners decked out purple, green and gold tutus, masks, baubles making its way through downtown Baton Rouge around Mardi Gras time, then you know the work of SportsBR. But there’s more to this organization than just the annual Mardi Gras Mambo 10k.

This 501(c)6 organization works year-round, putting on some 50-plus events that in the past decade have generated a combined $311 million in estimated economic impact.

In a town that loves its Tigers and Jaguars, it’s no secret that sports represent a billion-dollar business. Sporting events have a unique and positive impact in the Capital Region. Aside from college teams, we wanted to find out how local sporting events are boosting the bottom line. We consulted SportsBR President and CEO Eric Engemann. 

Founded in 1994, SportsBR—a 501(c)6 association—has collaborated with community partners and sponsors to generate more than $30 million of estimated economic impact annually over the last decade for the Baton Rouge area.

These local sporting events provide an opportunity to expose visitors and competitors to our community at large, often when travelers visit the city for no other reason other than to participate in their event.

With events that have infused more than $311 million in estimated economic impact over the past decade, SportsBR generates employment for coaches, referees, stadium vendors and their employees as well as hospitality and service related employment. Competitors, fans and tourists from across the country spend millions of dollars each year on hotels, restaurants, shops, and even parking. Sporting events and new stadia also benefit construction sectors.

Perhaps even more importantly, is the power that sporting activities have to promote unity in the community through activities and events that focus on healthy, active lifestyles and good sportsmanship. SportsBR partners to produce more than 50 annual events, including the ever-popular Mardi Gras Mambo 10k/15k, Tiger 10k and the Battlefield Cross Country Festival. SportsBR also works closely with its sports coordinators and community leaders to leverage their own event assets. “Sport has a capacity for our community beyond stats and estimated economic impact,” Engemann says. 

 

This expanded role allows SportsBR to bring programs and events to people throughout the city.  In 2018, SportsBR supported a number of initiatives designed to give everyone an opportunity to get involved in its events, including a spring developmental track & field series, tennis programming and clinics, and a new program this fall called SportsBR Kids Club, an initiative designed to lower the barrier to entry to kids fun runs at the Battlefield Cross Country Festival, Mardi Gras Mambo and Tiger 10k. “When a community comes together through sports, social barriers that too often divide us, such as race, gender, economics and geography, are broken down,” Engemann explains. “By supporting each other, we all win, and the fabric of our community grows stronger.”

Find out how you can get involved in upcoming events at sportsbr.org.