They had asked me initially "How do you like living here now?", and I responded something along the lines of, "I really love it, there is so much to do all the time, all the people my age really love it here, etc.", to which she responded with "I guess you don't get out much, huh?". Which I thought was quite rude although I brushed it off as I should in front of important people for our company.

 

These are the type of people who think Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach are the greatest places on Earth. They just don't enjoy cities - or their idea of a city is limited to a couple trips to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, or maybe Midtown Manhattan. There's nothing to do here (for them) because the idea of paying to park downtown is absurd, and they still think they'll be killed if they set foot in places like OTR, Northside, and Clifton. Their numbers are shrinking though. I don't know that the ASG changed many of their minds, but hopefully it changed a few.

They had asked me initially "How do you like living here now?", and I responded something along the lines of, "I really love it, there is so much to do all the time, all the people my age really love it here, etc.", to which she responded with "I guess you don't get out much, huh?". Which I thought was quite rude although I brushed it off as I should in front of important people for our company.

 

These are the type of people who think Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach are the greatest places on Earth. They just don't enjoy cities - or their idea of a city is limited to a couple trips to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, or maybe Midtown Manhattan. There's nothing to do here (for them) because the idea of paying to park downtown is absurd, and they still think they'll be killed if they set foot in places like OTR, Northside, and Clifton. Their numbers are shrinking though. I don't know that the ASG changed many of their minds, but hopefully it changed a few.

 

My girlfriend is from here and her and her family all love Cincinnati and downtown and all it has to offer, and they are born and bred Cincinnatians.  But yeah it just seems certain people try to go out their way to bring it down.  But yes the examples that you gave fit this person to an absolute T!

This is anecdotal, but I have heard much less of the "there's nothing to do in Cincinnati" attitude in recent years. That's probably due to my living in OTR for the past several years, though.

Those folks would complain about the sunrise --- they exist in every city.

They had asked me initially "How do you like living here now?", and I responded something along the lines of, "I really love it, there is so much to do all the time, all the people my age really love it here, etc.", to which she responded with "I guess you don't get out much, huh?". Which I thought was quite rude although I brushed it off as I should in front of important people for our company.

 

These are the type of people who think Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach are the greatest places on Earth. They just don't enjoy cities - or their idea of a city is limited to a couple trips to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, or maybe Midtown Manhattan. There's nothing to do here (for them) because the idea of paying to park downtown is absurd, and they still think they'll be killed if they set foot in places like OTR, Northside, and Clifton. Their numbers are shrinking though. I don't know that the ASG changed many of their minds, but hopefully it changed a few.

 

Used to go to the Gold Coast all the time .....usually around the 4th of July (tried to tie it into a Reds at Wrigley timeframe). As much as I like I don't do it

anymore because Cincy has everything you need, nightlife, good to really good restaurants, fun bars. Since I am in Covington big thumbs up to the Southbank Shuttle.

I've been interested in how people are perceiving changes especially outsiders, here's a few perspectives:

http://www.local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/Baseball-fans-leaving-Cincinnati-impressed-167302.shtml

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2015/07/cincinnati-s-all-star-festivities-a-home-run-for.html?ana=twt

http://www.fox19.com/story/29530823/all-star-out-of-towners-loving-cincinnati

 

(best one)

http://www.local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/All-Star-Week-Selling-the-Queen-City-to-visitors-161922.shtml

 

Also very telling is that West Chester had its own viewing party for folks who didn't want to go downtown (though I wonder how many of those folks weren't doing it due to difficulties in parking when that many people are downtown and lack of understanding of buses they could take with higher frequencies from nearby neighborhoods - almost anywhere next to UC has 10-15 min bus headways with a 20 min trip at max downtown, plenty of parking there too).  None of the media discussed this as an alternative which was stupid, very stupid.

 

Well you would think, at least locally, that many people came downtown that haven't came in a long time, and realized how nice it is with the new parks and all the activity.

 

Nationally, I read an article where they had site-selectors in town, checking everything out, so that is good.

 

I was on twitter and looked up #cincinnati and was reading through tweets.  I was suprised at all the apathetic people, when it was raining on Monday, saying things like, "This is why we never have anything nice in Cincinnati", etc.  It kind of blew me away since being from Iowa, I think Cincinnati is so much fun and a great spot.  And that is comparing it to Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Des Moines, etc. where I have spent quite a bit of time.  You can do so much here and it is comparable to all those cities in it's own type of ways, though on a smaller scale of course than Chicago and Minneapolis.

 

Even my new co-worker, who has lived here for 20 years, said not long ago in front of people when we had company meetings that Cincinnati was boring, etc.  They had asked me initially "How do you like living here now?", and I responded something along the lines of, "I really love it, there is so much to do all the time, all the people my age really love it here, etc.", to which she responded with "I guess you don't get out much, huh?". Which I thought was quite rude although I brushed it off as I should in front of important people for our company.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is, I hope the apathetic attitude about our great city is lessened and everyone can see it as a great place to live, work and play.  Not a depressing town with nothing to do...

 

Cincinnati used to be a pretty miserable town a few years back.  Lots of potential but nothing to do.  What's happened is amazing, but people in Cincy aren't used to change and have a hard time accepting it.  Over time perceptions will change and its key to making the place the best it can be - when your proud of your city good stuff happens - its a positive feedback loop, though there are still way too many negative folks who want to have your lives be as miserable as theirs.

Also very telling is that West Chester had its own viewing party for folks who didn't want to go downtown (though I wonder how many of those folks weren't doing it due to difficulties in parking when that many people are downtown and lack of understanding of buses they could take with higher frequencies from nearby neighborhoods - almost anywhere next to UC has 10-15 min bus headways with a 20 min trip at max downtown, plenty of parking there too).  None of the media discussed this as an alternative which was stupid, very stupid.

 

Wrong, the viewing party was part of All Star Neighborhoods initiative and involved games etc prior to the ASG:

 

http://www.wcpo.com/sports/baseball/reds/all-star-game/10-tri-state-all-star-neighborhoods-are-celebrating-baseball-with-these-events

 

Why make the assumption that anyone who lives in West Chester has a deep seated animosity towards the City, have no care what happens there and refuse to enter Cincy?

Also very telling is that West Chester had its own viewing party for folks who didn't want to go downtown (though I wonder how many of those folks weren't doing it due to difficulties in parking when that many people are downtown and lack of understanding of buses they could take with higher frequencies from nearby neighborhoods - almost anywhere next to UC has 10-15 min bus headways with a 20 min trip at max downtown, plenty of parking there too).  None of the media discussed this as an alternative which was stupid, very stupid.

 

Wrong, the viewing party was part of All Star Neighborhoods initiative and involved games etc prior to the ASG:

 

http://www.wcpo.com/sports/baseball/reds/all-star-game/10-tri-state-all-star-neighborhoods-are-celebrating-baseball-with-these-events

 

Why make the assumption that anyone who lives in West Chester has a deep seated animosity towards the City, have no care what happens there and refuse to enter Cincy?

 

It wasn't just a deep seated animosity I was getting at, some of it was more practical not wanting to deal with parking/cost of parking given the number of people downtown without realizing there were ways to get around that.  The city-suburb divide in Cincy is a very real issue though I'm sure it doesn't affect everyone.

 

Its good that they had events all over the region though.

Also very telling is that West Chester had its own viewing party for folks who didn't want to go downtown (though I wonder how many of those folks weren't doing it due to difficulties in parking when that many people are downtown and lack of understanding of buses they could take with higher frequencies from nearby neighborhoods - almost anywhere next to UC has 10-15 min bus headways with a 20 min trip at max downtown, plenty of parking there too).  None of the media discussed this as an alternative which was stupid, very stupid.

 

None of the major media outlets in town acknowledge the existence of alternative transportation options. Over on UrbanCincy, we make our best effort to mention what bus routes will get you to a particular event or if there's bike parking nearby. But that concept isn't even on the radar of local TV stations or the Enquirer.

Also very telling is that West Chester had its own viewing party for folks who didn't want to go downtown (though I wonder how many of those folks weren't doing it due to difficulties in parking when that many people are downtown and lack of understanding of buses they could take with higher frequencies from nearby neighborhoods - almost anywhere next to UC has 10-15 min bus headways with a 20 min trip at max downtown, plenty of parking there too).  None of the media discussed this as an alternative which was stupid, very stupid.

 

Wrong, the viewing party was part of All Star Neighborhoods initiative and involved games etc prior to the ASG:

 

http://www.wcpo.com/sports/baseball/reds/all-star-game/10-tri-state-all-star-neighborhoods-are-celebrating-baseball-with-these-events

 

Why make the assumption that anyone who lives in West Chester has a deep seated animosity towards the City, have no care what happens there and refuse to enter Cincy?

 

It wasn't just a deep seated animosity I was getting at, some of it was more practical not wanting to deal with parking/cost of parking given the number of people downtown without realizing there were ways to get around that.  The city-suburb divide in Cincy is a very real issue though I'm sure it doesn't affect everyone.

However, what is your source for claiming that the viewing party was held just for folks wanted to avoid parking/congestion issues?

neilworms - I loved that last link you provided.  I just watched it.  When they spoke with the lady who came down from Springfield Township who hadn't been downtown in years.  And also the reporter noting she talked to many people from the suburbs who admitted that they were missing out on their own city and didn't realize how everything was so nice.

 

That will help the city a lot just in and of itself.  People talk and they will tell their friends and neighbors who hadn't been down in a long time themselves how great downtown and OTR really are.

Why would people from West Chester go downtown on a Tuesday to watch a game on TV that ended close to midnight when they can do something closer to home? The "take the bus" argument is pretty weak, because most express buses stop by at least 630 and all buses stop around midnight or 1230. Local routes take over an hour, and you would have to drive to the bus stop (for most people). Just because the event was happening downtown doesn't mean everyone needs to watch it downtown. They can have events in their own communities.

Why would people from West Chester go downtown on a Tuesday to watch a game on TV that ended close to midnight when they can do something closer to home? The "take the bus" argument is pretty weak, because most express buses stop by at least 630 and all buses stop around midnight or 1230. Local routes take over an hour, and you would have to drive to the bus stop (for most people). Just because the event was happening downtown doesn't mean everyone needs to watch it downtown. They can have events in their own communities.

 

I was suggesting an alternative where someone would drive from west Chester then park by campus.  The bus ride from campus down to downtown is not far either.  If they want to be out after 12:40 or so (I think the last 17 is at 12:45 ish), then they can uber or lyft (or even cab) it for not too much to get up there.  Not ideal, but its an alternative that wasn't even mentioned.

 

Its fine people can watch in their own towns, but I'm still surprised this wasn't mentioned as an alternative.  Bus service isn't bad between downtown and UC.

So you could either drive all the way from West Chester to Downtown in 25 minutes and park in a garage for ~$20.

 

Or you can drive 20 minutes, park your car on the street, and then spend $7 for a group of 4 to bus it from Uptown to Downtown, costing you another 20 minutes. Then spending 20 extra minutes and seven more dollars busing back to you car in Uptown.

 

Generally I'm supportive of encouraging the use of buses, but this isn't a good time for them.

 

I would understand going to a park and ride for an express bus or rail line that runs frequently and is reliable into the evening, but driving almost the entire distance there to then spend money on a much slower form of transportation to save a couple of dollars is not worth it. That's why they didn't mention it in the article.

Last Friday, for example, when travel times from I-275 down to the River on both I-71 and I-75 where well over an hour, buses will be of no use. A lite rail vote held now would have a better result.

 

The media outlets you mention cater to a certain age of individual. They live all over and are not exclusive to West Chester. I think the City/Suburb divide you speak of exists only in that age bracket. My peers (and I) embrace the City and go down often. That being said, my reason for not attending the ASG certainly did not hinge on getting or not getting there easily.

I guess at the very least this event should be a call to arms for better transit services.  Based on how well this went and the generally positive opinion it seems these kinds of events might be more and more common (not to mention the ones that happen annually that draw huge crowds like Oktoberfest).

 

Still pretty shocked that Metro who used to provide express bus runs for these kinds of events stopped doing it a few years back?  Is there any call for this to be reinstated?

W Chester had a watch party. If I lived there I would have done that or hit a bar.

I still contend that this event was not a very big.  It was downright paltry compared to Riverfest and felt significantly smaller than a regular season Bengals game.  Everything but The Banks was dead after the home run derby and the game.  There was a Thursday-level crowd in Madonna's and Knockback's (or whatever that place is called) on Monday night.  When I was on 71 last night during the 9th inning, cars were flooding out of the stadium before the end of the game.  So quite obviously thousands of people from the Cincinnati area who had to work this morning, not the much-celebrated out-of-towner who was throwing down $2,000 in two days. 

 

 

I still contend that this event was not a very big.  It was downright paltry compared to Riverfest and felt significantly smaller than a regular season Bengals game.  Everything but The Banks was dead after the home run derby and the game.  There was a Thursday-level crowd in Madonna's and Knockback's (or whatever that place is called) on Monday night.  When I was on 71 last night during the 9th inning, cars were flooding out of the stadium before the end of the game.  So quite obviously thousands of people from the Cincinnati area who had to work this morning, not the much-celebrated out-of-towner who was throwing down $2,000 in two days. 

 

 

 

Well, then.  I'm not surprised you see it this way since you've been convinced all along that this event and MLB are insignificant.  Heck, I'm not sure it was that big of a deal now but maybe these data will sway me:

 

1. Riverfest and Bengals are 1 day events.  ASG was a week. Your comparison is a head-scratcher.

2. Ruth's Chris, Rheingeist, Ruby's reported record crowds.  Taft's was better than average.  Some restaurant's had average business and The Banks establishments obviously did the best and report that their traffic blew away Opening Day numbers.

3. The three main events drew the second largest total "3 game series" attendance to GABP.

4. As in-towners, my immediate family spent over $700 on ASG related activities.  None of this went into the secondary market. It was all spent with primary vendors.  No hotels.  Tix, merch, and food/drink.

5. I briefly met two chaps who were traveling from Nebraska.  They were attending every baseball event plus Fan Fest.

6.  Economic impact is estimated at $70MM.

 

So...yeah, maybe next time we are offered the ASG (or comparable) I figure we say "No, thanks.  We've got our hands full with Riverfest this summer."

Not only that, but much of the interest in these are games are from visitors. Riverfest only draws locals really. A Bengals training game only draws those already interested in the Bengals. IE: locals.

 

That's not the case for the ASG. Much of the interest, even if it's lesser in numbers, comes from outside Cincinnati. That is important in spreading word of our city. As many know, outside of the region people generally know nothing about Cincinnati. Events like this that show that we're not just some tiny lifeless town in a flyover state are important. And as pointed out by Rabbit Hash, the numbers aren't exactly supporting your statements.

 

Living next to Taft's Ale House also showed me your perception is a bit off Jake. Constant stream of people. Cars from all over the country parked on Race and 15th. People who had never been here asked me for directions or suggestions. These are the types of interactions that leave a lasting impression on visitors.

At least 95% of the fans in the stadium for all of the events had on Reds shirts/jerseys/hats. I was downtown during most of the events and could count the number of other jerseys I saw on my own two hands. I see more visiting fans during any weekend Cubs series. While the attendance was great, the attendance for the 3 home playoff games in 2012 was greater.  There were estimates of 200,000 visitors from out of town and $60 million in revenue but I haven’t seen any details about that, and the only way we were anywhere close to 200,000 visitors from “out of town” is if they consider Covington, West Chester, and Colerain to be “out of town.”

 

I don’t think anyone is claiming it was a failure, it was great for the region, but it was definitely built up more than it needed to be. Very few people outside of Cincinnati cared, but people from Cincinnati loved it. Only 10 million people watched the game on TV, and if you asked half of them right now where the game was they probably wouldn’t even remember. It’s just the nature of events like these, nothing that’s the fault of Cincinnati.

 

i dk i always thought the all-star game was mostly for the fans of the local host teams anyway. i didn't watch all of it (did anybody?), but i thought it came off very well, cinci looked fine and i was glad it beat out the threatening rain. maybe the low ratings somewhat had to do with fan frustration over the royals ballot stuffing controversy? i don't even blame royals fans, but that was a very annoying turnoff this year.

 

freakin auto-correct!  :whip:  :laugh:

I now live in Norfolk, VA, and there were numerous guys here at the office talking about the game, the home team, and how great Cincinnati looked during all the events.

^^I was downtown the entire time (live and work here) and saw jerseys for Cardinals, Brewers, Mets, Yankees, Tigers, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Cubs, Braves, Indians, Royals, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, and Red Sox, just off the top of my head.  I have a 20-game season ticket pack (and see probably 5-10 more games in addition to that), and in my view, there were FAR more out of town fans than we typically see.

 

And the thing that surprised me most, frankly, was the number of people wearing All-Star Jerseys (which of course make it a little harder to figure out who they are fans of).  I had never considered buying an All-Star jersey, but I saw dozens upon dozens of people wearing them. 

 

 

And one more observation on the out-of-town aspect:  We had a guy coming in for work on Monday and Tuesday who had to book his hotel in the last couple of weeks.  He booked the closest hotel he could find to downtown that had any vacancy....in Hamilton. 

^^I was downtown the entire time (live and work here) and saw jerseys for Cardinals, Brewers, Mets, Yankees, Tigers, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Cubs, Braves, Indians, Royals, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, and Red Sox, just off the top of my head.  I have a 20-game season ticket pack (and see probably 5-10 more games in addition to that), and in my view, there were FAR more out of town fans than we typically see.

 

I agree. Also live and work downtown and saw a lot of people wearing non-Reds MLB team gear, including an Expos hat. Ditto for Saturday afternoon at the zoo. The most incredible moment occurred on Main St. Tuesday afternoon where I witnessed three guys happily strolling along, one in a San Francisco jersey, the other two in Oakland jerseys.  :-o

^I saw several sets people walking through Newport's East Row over the weekend in various jerseys (Astros, Mets, and another I don't remember).  These weren't residents with varying fan loyalties, either; these guys were clearly doing walking tours of the neighborhood architecture.  Sadly, I didn't get a chance to talk to any of them.  That doesn't necessarily translate into economic impact, but it's not something I usually see.

I'm downtown everyday and that was the most people I've ever seen walking the streets. All the way up to 7th street though I'm sure it extended beyond that. I was amazed at how many people were downtown especially considering the weather.

 

Also keep in mind that Reds has a strong regional following. Reds fans exist in Indianapolis, Columbus, West Virginia, Tennessee, etc. Just because they are wearing a Reds shirt doesn't mean they are local. And even local spending is great. Money pouring in from those in West Chester, Mason, etc is good for the local economy.

At least 95% of the fans in the stadium for all of the events had on Reds shirts/jerseys/hats. I was downtown during most of the events and could count the number of other jerseys I saw on my own two hands. I see more visiting fans during any weekend Cubs series. While the attendance was great, the attendance for the 3 home playoff games in 2012 was greater.  There were estimates of 200,000 visitors from out of town and $60 million in revenue but I havent seen any details about that, and the only way we were anywhere close to 200,000 visitors from out of town is if they consider Covington, West Chester, and Colerain to be out of town.

 

I dont think anyone is claiming it was a failure, it was great for the region, but it was definitely built up more than it needed to be. Very few people outside of Cincinnati cared, but people from Cincinnati loved it. Only 10 million people watched the game on TV, and if you asked half of them right now where the game was they probably wouldnt even remember. Its just the nature of events like these, nothing thats the fault of Cincinnati.

 

 

Let's do some math, folks.  If 20,000 people traveled from other cities and spent $500 each day for three days, then they collectively spent $30 million dollars.  I think I'm being way overly-generous with those numbers, too.  It was probably more like 10,000 people who spent $300 each day.  So how the flip did they come up with that $70 million figure, unless they started playing the "multiplier" game?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a simple way how economists make an economic impact study:

 

How much money would be spent if the All Star Game was not in the Cincinnati region?

 

vs.

 

How much money was spent in the Cincinnat regioni with the All Star Game and festivities?

 

I am guessing they probably did do some multiplier effect on there and here is why it is important:

 

Let's say 20k out of region guests spent $200/each (could be higher or lower but that I would say is conservative).

 

That makes 4 million.

 

That is 4 million in the hands now of in region companies, people, etc. that otherwise wouldn't have been there and it is there because of the ASG.

 

So now that money is spent in the region, for the most part.

 

So that is almost like doubling down in the region, but let's say 3.5 million is spent.  That makes 7.5 million economic impact from out of town guests.

 

That is why the multiplier makes complete sense intuitively.

 

Then, you add up all the other money spent in the region by people in the region.  If there were 300k visitors total, take out the 20k out of town visitors.

 

That makes 280k, multiply by $150 each = $30 million

 

Add together that makes $37.5 million spent in the region because of All Star game activities that wouldn't have been spent if the ASG wasn't in Cincinnati.

 

But I am guessing there were more out of town guests than 20k and more visitors overall and maybe they used a higher number.  Anyways, that is how they would do the economic impact, very basically.

There is no way that more than 20,000 of the people in that stadium were from out-of-town and staying overnight in the Cincinnati area for several days. 

 

And keep in mind -- sure, hourly and tipped employees are local, but the actual profits often leave town.  For example, the ownership of the Millennium Hotel is in Singapore.  So most of the profits from a sold-out hotel went to Singapore. 

And one more observation on the out-of-town aspect:  We had a guy coming in for work on Monday and Tuesday who had to book his hotel in the last couple of weeks.  He booked the closest hotel he could find to downtown that had any vacancy....in Hamilton. 

 

"MLB contracted 95 percent of the inventory Downtown, and virtually each room is filled up," Calvert said.

 

The big events have had a steep impact on prices at hotels in and near the Interstate 275 loop around Cincinnati. Rooms booked at the Courtyard Cincinnati Midtown/Rookwood in Norwood for this weekend could cost $329 a night. The following week, an online search done Tuesday showed the price would be $169 a night.

 

Calvert said All-Star Game festivities could pump about $60 million into Greater Cincinnati's economy based on estimates.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/07/07/star-game-hotel-story/29840381/

Let's do some math, folks.  If 20,000 people traveled from other cities and spent $500 each day for three days, then they collectively spent $30 million dollars.

 

In what world does $500 get you three meals and a hotel room in a city hosting an event like the All-Star Game?! And these people didn't drink, buy souvenirs (everywhere sold out the $175 Todd Fraiser ASG jersey), or participate in activities ($35 zipline) I think we all get it Jake, you believe, both before and after the event, that the whole thing was overrated and overblown...

How many people are staying in hotel rooms by themselves?  A couple in a $300 hotel room still has $700 to spend in a single day.  That's pretty tough to do in this city. 

 

The Cincinnati Chamber says there are about 3,500 hotel rooms in DT Cincinnati.  So that's 6-7,000 people.  Not tough to see how another 3,500 hotel rooms in the area were filled.  But still -- salaried employees at those hotels made no bonus, some hourly people got a little overtime, and the profits all went out of town or even out of the country. 

^At least we are splitting hairs now and not calling it a bust.  I'm sure the $60-70MM figure includes all of the contract work to get the city ready like signage, event infrastructure, etc.  That's not to mention members of the media and crews who undoubtedly show up with days ahead and after with hefty per diems.  It's not just from consumer spending.  But you could also throw in catering for parties.  People who bought season ticket packages just to get ASG tix. Etc.

 

The way the money flew out of my spendthrift pockets, I have little trouble believing those numbers.

What about the ticket costs? What portion of that goes to the Reds? If those saying it's all locals are correct then the sales taxes go towards Hamilton County, no? How much were tickets on average for each event? That's a significant amount of money that, sure, goes to the Reds but that is a local organization so it's not like the portion they get is leaving the region and going to some hotel owner in Singapore.

Per this article: Castellini: Cincy one of best All-Star hosts ever

 

"Castellini said that while most of the actual game and TV revenue from the event went to Major League Baseball, the local club saw a spike in season ticket sales beforehand to boost local profits (although he did not get specific). "

 

Also

 

-  In addition, $8 million was raised for different charities and local park projects through Major League Baseball and sponsors such as Procter & Gamble.

 

- ...Saturday's color run, which brought in more than 15,000 participants. "That's the most ever in the state of Ohio, and we're looking for more next year," he said.

But still -- salaried employees at those hotels made no bonus, some hourly people got a little overtime, and the profits all went out of town or even out of the country. 

 

Jake don't hate the players, hate the game.

Hey I'm not denying that this brought money and attention to the city, I'm just disputing the official number and the overall cultural importance of the national exposure.  Again, baseball as a sport is dying a slow death in the United States.  The decline started in the 1994 strike year and I'm skeptical that Major League Baseball will be a big deal in thirty years.  If soccer continues to rise in popularity and its season overlaps baseball then baseball is in real trouble. 

 

As for real economic impact, I'm certain that the Grateful Dead dates at Soldier Field two weeks ago had a much more profound economic impact on Chicago than the All-Star Game and its related festivities did in Cincinnati.  80,000 fans packed Soldier Field for three days straight.  A larger percentage of them were probably from out-of-town, aside from there being twice as many people in the stadium.  So probably 50,000 people from out-of-town as opposed to 20,000. 

I love soccer, but more people in this country care about European leagues than they do the MLS.  And there are intrinsic hurdles to the MLS as it compares to the way the very popular European leagues are run that make it very unlikely soccer will be that way in 30 years.  Also, they really should move the season; everywhere else plays soccer from around September 1 to the end of April/early May, and that consistency of scheduling allows for all the best players to participate in the big international events. 

 

The other point that is worth noting is that baseball ratings may be in decline on television, but generally ratings for EVERYTHING have declined in relative terms on television.  What hasn't declined is revenues:  Baseball is making more than it ever has before, and in a world where the most important thing to draw TV viewers is live inventory--anything that will be watched live has an advantage in selling to advertisers over anything that can be DVR'd, and televised sports top that list--no sport can offer anything close to the inventory baseball can. 

 

Honestly, the sport that stands to lose out the most to soccer (and to a lesser extent lacrosse) is probably football.  It's at a pinnacle right now, but it is facing serious headwinds with the brain injury angle that are affecting the participation levels (and lowered participation levels can't be good for later viewership levels). 

(Sorry for the OT post by the way.  It's Jake's fault.) 

Honestly, the sport that stands to lose out the most to soccer (and to a lesser extent lacrosse) is probably football.  It's at a pinnacle right now, but it is facing serious headwinds with the brain injury angle that are affecting the participation levels (and lowered participation levels can't be good for later viewership levels). 

 

Totally agree that they should move the season, and also that football is vulnerable in the long term (as much as I love it).  MLS should also expand dramatically and embrace escalation/relegation as a way increase the fanbase and differentiate from the other American leagues.  Imagine how amazing it would be if Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo all had teams in varying leagues, with the smaller cities having the chance (however slim) of having their city represented on the national stage if they strung together a few good seasons.

Reds pay homage to past with 2015 All-Star logo

 

 

Perhaps I'm biased, but I'm rather unmoved by San Diego's logo:

 

It's a generic sports logo. They didn't even try to do anything creative with it.