A growing sports market
Dubai and Shreveport-Bossier City don’t share a lot in common, but both of us have an aspiration to bring in live sporting events from traditional to extreme.
Dubai decided seven years ago that, while they will go after some of the larger high-profile sporting events because they have the venues and the budget, they will focus and compete most aggressively on world championship events such as hot air ballooning, drone racing, fly boarding and other sports that are currently not on the high-priority list for the larger “sports” cities but still provide media exposure to their cities and region and impact their local economy in a healthy way.
We are finding the same is true for Shreveport-Bossier City. The venue is always the top priority in hosting an event. We can probably no longer host LSU or Saints football because of the economics of today’s SEC and NFL football, but we can and do host events like the Taekwondo Grand Nationals, which will have 800 to 1,000 competitors here in July and offers locals an opportunity to compete without having to leave our area. We can and will host the Powerboat Nationals, which will take place Labor Day weekend this year in downtown Shreveport-Bossier City between the Horseshoe and Sam’s Town casinos. We are bidding on the 2018 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships as well as the USA BMX Nationals along with many others, which don’t have the local interest currently of an “NBA game” but do have a small but growing number of local athletes. These events will bring in significant numbers of out-of-town visitors, which meets the main objective of the Sports Commission, and if the locals come out and watch these events live, you or your child just might find out that the intensity and competitiveness is as gratifying as a baseball competition. We have and will continue to court the Bassmaster Classic to hold their marquee event here once again, but with their growth over the last five years, they have outgrown our area venues. We are finding out, like a talent manager finding an up-and-coming music artist, if we can get them here before they get too big, it’s a win-win for our community and provides a tremendous monetary benefit to our area businesses while also introducing a new sport that will gain momentum at the grassroots level.
Shreveport-Bossier City has an amazing diversity of sports and competitors locally. That is why from 4-6 p.m. May 19, we have partnered with the three area chambers and the North Louisiana Economic Development and will host the inaugural Shreveport- Bossier Sports-Biz Connect. Our goal is to have the sports community engage with the business community and begin building those all-important relationships.
And finally, keep an eye out in the skies overhead as soon you will begin to see those amazing and brightly covered hot air balloons practicing for the July 14-20 U.S. Nationals Hot Air Balloon Championship. Here are just a few of upcoming events the Sports Commission is working on. For additional events visit www.shreveportbossiersports.com. For information on the U.S. Hot Air Balloon Championships and the Red River Balloon Rally (including sponsorship information), visit www. redriverballoonrally.com.
Kelly Wells is the Vice President of Sports and Tourism for the Shreveport- Bossier Sports Commission. The Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission is a division of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau in partnership with the city of Shreveport, Caddo Parish Commission, Bossier Parish Police Jury and the city of Bossier. Visit our website: www. shreveportbossiersports.com or email Kelly Wells at kwells@sbctb.org.
Learn more:
May 20-21: Lady Bass Anglers Caddo Lake 27-29: Fit For Life Weekend Shreveport Convention Center 27-29: COPS Bass Tournament Red River South Marina
June 10: Airline 7-on-7 tournament Freedom Fields 17-18: Benton 7-on-7 Tournament Freedom Fields
The Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission is a division of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau in partnership with the city of Shreveport, Caddo Parish Commission, city of Bossier City and the Bossier Parish Police Jury.
