Stop the Presses: Sports help keep economic ball rolling

Dianne Elizabeth is publisher and president of Springfield Business Journal Inc.

It's no secret that sports all kinds of sports mean big business in Springfield and southwest Missouri. Some would say that the Ozarks is the Velcro on the ballplayer's gloves.

In my family, sports means golf, golf and more golf in the participatory arena. Eternal football on television currently dominates the spectatorship realm. Recently, my husband and I have gotten more active with the addition to our game plan of bike riding along the beautiful, rolling Ozark Greenways trails.

Right now, we're "in training" for an upcoming bicycle tour in flat country consisting of riding from one bed and breakfast to another. In order to properly prepare, we upgraded from our second-hand, garage-sale, Wal-Mart brand bikes.

We are now the proud owners of bright new multigeared, gel-seated touring cycles with raised handlebars so we can see all the sights.

These bicycles were expensive, in my opinion, but purchased through a locally owned retailer, so that made me feel a little bit better when I wrote the check. I'm still searching for a couple of pairs of those tight bike pants that look good on us. Fat chance.

My husband has special golf clubs and everything that goes with them. Greens fees are climbing, and so is the cost of entry into area fund-raising tournaments. The latter are all good causes, so these are dollars well spent, of course.

Next, we must add the cost of picnic supplies and the well-deserved post-biking restaurant meals. Also, there are the charges at the local pro shops, goodie cart necessaries, and lunch or dinner afterward at the clubhouse.

The only sports-related cost that I choked on was the furniture store invoice for the leather recliner required for the unending games on the tube.

When I apply my special multiplier formula to take into consideration all the sports fans and participants in southwest Missouri, the numbers come up in the google range.

What I have not yet included in the calculations is the enormous direct and trickle-down economic impact of the construction and implementation of Springfield's first class tennis, swimming, hockey and baseball facilities.

College sports of all varieties are huge in Springfield. Fans and alumni of Southwest Missouri State University, Drury and Evangel pack the stadiums and arenas. Teams from all the area's high schools have enormous followings, too. I feel certain that surrounding school districts will somehow find the necessary funding to keep their sports programs going. I can see the scoreboards flashing already.

Soccer teams for all ages are everywhere on Saturday mornings. Practice is every day. Sporting goods stores need to stay well-stocked to meet the continuing demand.

We also can't forget boating and fishing. Whether muscle-, wind-, or motor-powered, boats keep lakes-area business and tourism afloat. Marine manufacturers, dealers and service businesses are prominent in the lake- and river-blessed Ozarks. In my experience, boaters and fishermen alike do not operate on strict budgets. They will buy whatever they possibly can. Bass Pro's booming empire is emblematic of the tremendous and positive impact of the business of sports on all of us.

Car racing continues to roar across the nation and the Ozarks, and participants aren't timid about spending on this engaging pastime. Company softball and bowling teams proliferate around town. None of these activities come free.

There is no doubt that I neglect to mention an important sport in this column. I just know that we love sports. We all spend dollars from our businesses and personally to help us participate in some way, directly or as sponsors. In turn, the business of sports helps us pay our own bills.

Sports-related businesses reap profits to make payrolls, which turn over and over again. Sports businesses pay taxes to keep our communities running. Sports in our schools keep us all running, especially the children.

That's what really counts in the final tally.

Dianne Elizabeth