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Oregon Stadium Campaign
News
Portland, Play
Ball!
April 24, 2003
:: Issue #3
House Committee Passes Bill
for House Vote
The Oregon Stadium Campaign is delighted to report
the House Rules and Public Affairs Committee of the Oregon legislature has sent
the MLB Jobs Bill to the floor of the House of Representatives with by 4-3 vote
Wednesday night. Within the next week and a half, the full Oregon House will
vote on the MLB Jobs Bill, which would allocate the new income tax revenue from
players and team executives to help construct a new ballpark. Please take a
moment to contact Oregon legislators and urge them to vote yes on the
MLB Jobs Bill! See the latest information below on the many benefits that would
accrue to Oregon from the arrival of a Major League Baseball franchise and the
construction of a new ballpark.
The True Value of MLB: Jobs,
Tourism, Economic and Community Development
Jobs
Two
independent sources have projected that a new Oregon ballpark would immediately
create hundreds of jobs for the construction industry. An exhaustive economic
study by University of Oregon economics professor Larry Singell indicated there
would be 1,543 full-time construction jobs created by the construction of a new
ballpark. Turner Construction, the nation's largest sports facility builder
with more than 70 major sports facilities completed in the last five years,
estimated that 1,300-1,600 construction related jobs would be created. Dr.
Singell's study also estimated an additional 2,100 permanent jobs would be
created by the team, stadium operations and related
development.
Tourism Dollars Flowing to Oregon
Dr. Singell's
economic study assumes a very conservative 5 percent of MLB game attendees
would stay at Oregon hotels. Over the course of the season, that would result
in at least 150,000 hotel room nights for Oregon's lodging industry. A City of
Baltimore study documented that 12 percent of Orioles' attendees stayed
overnight in 1992, injecting $46 million into the Baltimore region. Almost
500,000 of the out-of-town fans were new tourists to Baltimore, resulting in a
12 percent surge in tourism volume.
Approximately 15 percent of Portland
Trail Blazers' ticket buyers reside outside of Oregon, most in Southwest
Washington. A recent survey found that nearly 50% of Clark County residents,
about 175,000 people, are very or somewhat interested in Major League Baseball.
Assuming 15 percent of ticket buyers of an Oregon MLB team are from out of
state, approximately 365,000 new out-of-state tourist visits will be made to
Oregon each year, resulting in a major economic infusion for the state's
restaurants, bars and retail establishments. Finally, think of what an MLB team
would do for the state's profile and perception during the months of April to
September.
Oregonians' Dollars Remaining in Oregon
Research
and media reports support estimates that approximately 10 percent of Seattle
Mariners' ticket sales come from Oregon and Southwest Washington. Oregonians
have helped Seattle become the most profitable franchise in the major leagues.
Each spring, summer and fall, Oregonians spend millions in disposable income at
Washington hotels, restaurants and retail establishments. Clearly that steady
stream of Oregon dollars flowing to Seattle will largely remain in Oregon when
residents have a team of their own.
Community Development
It
is also important to recognize the intangible value of Major League Baseball;
the vibrancy and energy that is infused into a community, much as the Trail
Blazers have done for their 33 years. Major League Baseball promotes civic
pride and enhances the cultural landscape and livability of a region, while
providing families with affordable entertainment and treasured memories of
times at the ballpark. It has been part of our country's fabric for over 100
years and remains the national pastime.
The proud founding
sponsors of the Oregon Stadium Campaign are:
Pacific Power,
Platt Electric,
The Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde, Oregon
Sports Authority and
Moffatt/Rosenthal.
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