KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Events like the NCAA tournament bring many tourists to Knoxville, and as the fan base for UT baseball grows, so does the economic impact on our area from hosting these types of events.
This tournament draws people from across the region and is not only good for UT financially, but good for Knoxville as a whole.
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Maryville native Chad Tipton said, “It’s good for our economy, it’s good for Knoxville, it’s good for East Tennessee.”
Chad and his wife, Megan Tipton, have yet to miss a baseball game.
“You’re on a roll,” Tipton said. “We just need to roll it into Regionals, into Super-Regions and beyond.”
As the UT baseball fan base grows, so does the economic impact on Knoxville.
“Every time the University of Tennessee plays a sport, whether it’s baseball, football or basketball, it collects taxpayers’ money,” said Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville.
This additional tax money comes from locals and foreigners alike.
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Kayvon Dibai traveled to Knoxville from Georgia. “It took me about three and a half hours to come,” Dibai said. “I live in suburban Atlanta so it was a three and a half hour drive. Not too much traffic so it was great.”
Dibai came not only to cheer for his team for the tournament, but also to spend time with friends.
He said their plans for this weekend include, “Just walking around campus, maybe exploring the city, I’ve never been to Knoxville so we’ll see.”
The VolShop is also very popular at major sporting events.
“People stop by on the way to the game to visit our shop, but we’ve also set up slots at the game,” said VolShop Marketing Manager Tommi Grubbs.
So many people are stepping on the plate that they have to make room to allow more fans to attend the games. University of Tennessee Athletics unveiled plans to make Lindsey Nelson Stadium “one of the top collegiate baseball venues in the country.”
Jimmy Delaney, UT’s Associate Athletics Director for Fan Experience & Marketing, stated, “Now is the time to take Tennessee Baseball and the stadium to the next step and renovate and build a world-class stadium. Something great for our team but even better for our fans.”
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