BPN Free

Sporting events bring in largest overnight visitors, study shows

Soccer, marathons, NASCAR and other sports drew the largest number of tourists to the Richmond area last year outpacing other events, according to a study released Friday by the regions top tourism group.

The study, commissioned by the Richmond Metropolitan Convention amp; Visitors Bureau, tracked hotel occupancy rates and compared the figures with events going on in the area at that time.

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Department of Statistics found that the days with the highest occupancy rates corresponded with weekends when large sporting events were going on.

The study did not break down occupancy rates for individual events or hotels.

The biggest draw was the second weekend of last years Jefferson Cup youth soccer tournament.

I would have expected one of the NASCAR weekends, said Scott Turner, executive director of the Richmond Strikers Soccer Club, which puts on the tournament.

Among the other events in 2011 bringing in the largest crowds of overnight visitors were basketball and volleyball tournaments in May, NASCAR races in April and September, and the SunTrust Richmond Marathon in November, the study said.

Association and religious-based conventions also brought out large groups of overnight visitors.

Knowing that sporting events were such a big draw is welcome reaffirmation for local tourism officials who are working to make the area a top destination for tournaments and other sports-related events.

The study highlights the positive effect sports can have in the area, said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention amp; Visitors Bureau.

The Jefferson Cup, which began last week, is a good example of the economic impact sports can have in an area, officials say.

According to tournament officials, 24,250 hotel room nights have been booked for this years Jefferson Cup three-weekend tournament. The event is expected to bring 916 teams from 35 states.

Attendees eat at our restaurants and shop at our stores, Turner said.

Officials estimate that economic impact for the area to be about $15 million.

Berry said the area has made a concerted effort in the past several years to reach out and find tournaments willing to play in the area.

That effort has shown some good results as the occupancy rates throughout the Richmond region outpaced growth in the state thanks, in part, to sporting events, he said.

According to the industry group Smith Travel Research, room occupancy in the US increased 4.4 percent in 2011 when compared with 2010. In Virginia, occupancy grew 2.4 percent.

In the Richmond downtown/airport category, occupancy rates increased 12.4 percent in 2011 when compared with 2010, Smith Travel Research said.

Chesterfield County, Henrico County and Petersburg individually saw higher growth rates than the state.

While satisfied with the results, local officials are working to increase the number of people it is bringing here for events.

For instance, Dennis Bickmeier, president of Richmond International Raceway, said the track is making a concerted effort to draw fans from Canada.

I think an April date would be attractive to Canadians, Bickmeier said.

And Jon Lugbill, executive director of Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, said his organization plans on adding at least one event a year for the next five years. We also have plans on expanding our current events as well.

One potential roadblock to the continued growth of sports tourism in the area is SportsQuest, the troubled sports complex in Chesterfield that has been used as a tool to help bring tournaments here.

A number of tournaments and events are now played on SportsQuests fields, including several Jefferson Cup games.

But the partially developed project has been mired with financial troubles. The complex is planned as a sports village, but the only development to date has been on lighted soccer fields and concession and bathroom facilities.

Several contractors have filed mechanics liens for work on the property. The state has sued the company for the way it marketed its fitness center memberships. The landlord of the building where the fitness center was temporarily housed has evicted the company; and a longtime partner has severed its relationship.

On Friday, several officials said they believed the project, in some form or possibly with different ownership, would be completed.

I am concerned but optimistic, said James M. Holland, chairman of the convention and visitors bureau board and a member of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors.

Chesterfield has a lien on the property in exchange for leasing SportsQuests fields several days a week. The county also has a $2.3 million deal for a senior center and indoor basketball court. Neither has been built.

An Irish dancer’s St. Patrick’s Day – mixing business and pleasure in the …

Visit our special St. Patricks Day section here

The month of March is high time for Irish dancers to get to strut their stuff at all types of events. Parades, dinner dances, sporting events – next to nothing is off limits for St. Patricks Day season.

As a former Irish dancer with the Early-McLoughlin School in New Jersey, I remember March after March being jam packed with performances. Weekends were spent being carted around to shows and events of all kinds. Wed be in one location, and before we knew it we were on to the next. It was always a whirlwind.

While they were always hectic, dance-outs were some of my favorite memories of being an Irish dancer. Its rare for children to be able to engage and participate in an activity that is so linked to their heritage. Even further, its rare that said activity has a month out of the year where people of all nationalities choose to celebrate in.

Besides the aspect of celebrating my heritage, getting to perform alongside some of my closest friends while doing the thing we most loved to do most was an experience Id never trade. Lifelong friendships were solidified in backstage waiting areas, private rooms reserved for dancers and car rides in between shows.

So, what exactly goes into a show for Irish dancers? Of course, theres the preparation beforehand. Shows were always an exposition of sorts, a way for us dancers to try out new and fun material in a low to no pressure environment. We get to play with Irish dance during the month of March, rather then have a tunnel-vision focus on competitions.

The crowd favorite for dance shows? Treble reel, always. And, luckily for us, it was usually our favorite as well. Nothing better than a fast and lively reel to get both the dancers and the audience excited and clapping along.

Another crowd favorite is any kind of team dance. Anything from little beginners doing a two-hand reel, to senior award-winning four-hands and eight-hands, seeing the intricacy of a team dance is always appealing to crowds.

St. Patricks Day is a holiday thats celebrated in a number of places. As dancers, we often faced the challenge of performing in bars and restaurants. Tight quarters, tiled and carpeted floors – more often than not, these locales werent exactly Irish dancer friendly. The contrast between a dark lounge area and dancers decked out with wigs and glittery costumes was always a strange paradox.

But this often only added to the fun. Trained to compete at levels of perfection, performing in a crowded bar usually resulted in abounding laughter from us dancers. Squeezing past patrons to finish a step, trying not to kick chairs, purposely under-performing in order to accommodate tight quarters, all we could do was help but laugh.

Even further, us kids were often treated to an unlimited supply of chicken fingers and soda during our breaks at longer shows. Need I say more?

ULM hosts Warhawk Weekend

Super Warhawk Weekend at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is Friday through March 25.

The annual Super Warhawk Weekend is three days of fun, food and events for students and the local community.

Sponsored by the ULM Alumni Association, the weekend is a great way to get acquainted with the university and enjoy spring sporting events, music and food with family and friends and visits from ULM?s mascot, Ace. There?s something for everyone.

Events are scheduled as followed:

Friday

» Warhawk Baseball vs. South Alabama 6 pm at Warhawk Field, $8 adults, $4 youth, ULM students free with ULM ID CAB.

» Concert: ?Open Act for the Fray? at Fant-Ewing Coliseum 8 pm Tickets: $3-$5.
Saturday

» Maroon and Gold Spring Football Game 1 pm at Malone Stadium.

» Student cookout 1 pm at Malone Stadium; free to ULM students with ULM ID.

» La? Louisianne Crawfish Boil (all you can eat) 1:30 pm at Malone Stadium; $25 per person. Tickets are at ULM Alumni Center, 4400 Bon Aire Drive.

» Autograph Session with the Warhawks Football Team 2:30 pm at Malone Stadium.

Free Warhawk Soccer Clinic 3 pm at Malone Stadium.

Free Warhawk Baseball vs South Alabama 6 pm at Warhawk Field; $8 adults, $4 youth, ULM students free with ULM ID.

March 25

Warhawk Baseball vs South Alabama 1 pm at Warhawk Field; $8 adults, $4 youth, ULM students free with ULM ID.

For more information, visit ulm.edu/super or contact the ULM Alumni Center at: 866-WARHAWK (927-4295).

California may ban violent fans from pro sporting events

SACRAMENTO, CA(CBS13) – Some fans take their games personally, but in the last few months weve seen passion turn to violence far too often at California sporting events. Now one lawmaker says enough is enough.

Its three strikes youre out at the old ballgame, but if lawmaker Mike Gatto gets his way, all it will take is one violent act to get a fan banned from professional sporting events in California

There are so many things out there worth fighting for – your family, your country – but the color of someones jersey just isnt one of them, the Southern California assemblyman told CBS13 on Tuesday.

Gatto says his Los Angeles constituents are now afraid to take their kids to ballgames after high-profile incidents such as the vicious beating of Bryan Stow. The Giants fan was in a coma for six months after being attacked by Dodgers fans.

Beating someone up because theyre rooting for a different team, we need to come down hard on these people, Gatto said.

The ban list would target fans convicted of hurting someone at a game. Their name would be placed on an online database and circulated to sporting venues, police departments and ticketing offices around the state. It would also require all teams to contribute $10,000 to a reward fund.

The idea scores big with a number of fans we talked to.

Im for it, one said. I think a lot of the fans take it too serious. Its just a game. It should be played as a game, enjoyed as entertainment.

Violent people kinda ruin it for everybody, another said.

But some worry the law would be ineffective.

I think its a good idea, but I dont know how it would be enforced, one said.

Gatto believes the threat of a year in jail and a $10,000 fine if caught is a good enough deterrent.

Italy and England passed laws like this because of problems with soccer hooliganism, he said. The laws have been tremendously successful over there.

If the law goes through ,a violent fan could face a five-year ban for the first violation, 10 for the second and up to 25 years for the third.

Checkey Beckford, CBS13

Bill to curb fan violence well-meaning, unneeded

Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, was right on almost every count in his critique of fan violence at pro sporting events. It is getting worse. It is detracting from the enjoyment of the game, and is causing some fans to stay away, or at least to leave their kids at home. Punishments are proving an insufficient deterrence.

But, to borrow a phrase from Gov. Jerry Brown, not every societal problem requires a legislative solution. This is one example.

The heart of Gattos proposal (AB2464) would create a statewide roster of hooligans who would be banned for up to five years from professional sporting events after being convicted of a violent or serious felony at a game. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $10,000.

Heres the basic flaw in Gattos banned list: The courts already possess the ability to issue a stay-away order as a sentencing condition when a defendant has shown a propensity for trouble in any particular setting, whether its Candlestick Park, pool halls or wedding receptions. Gatto said the legislation was needed to apply societal and legislative pressure on the courts to use their authority to block proven troublemakers at the turnstiles.

For whatever reason, the antagonistic nature of sports brings out the worst in some people, Gatto said. His own chief of staff, with child in tow, was punched in the face during a 49ers game at Candlestick Park. The provocation? He was wearing a New England Patriots jersey.

Such incidents are becoming all too common and sometimes escalate into serious injury, such as the near-fatal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium last year, or the melees and shooting at a Raiders-49ers preseason game in San Francisco last August.

Other provisions in the bill would require teams to prominently display a text address for fans to report problems. Teams also would be required to contribute $10,000 a year to cover the cost of administering the online list of banned fans, and to establish a reward fund for tips leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

Again, Gatto is not inventing new measures teams already do encourage fans to text-message security, and they dont need a law to know that showing zero tolerance for violence in the stands, such as by offering rewards, is good business.

Fan violence is measurably more troublesome in pro football, and the 49ers and Raiders have taken multiple steps to reduce it at their venues. One of the keys is a strong police presence in the parking lot before games, where excessive drinking and hostilities can poison the days atmosphere before most fans get to their seats.

A final problem with the bill: Its highly unlikely that the presence of someone on the banned list would be discovered in a crowd of 60,000 until its too late. AB2464 may be well intended, but its less than a promising solution to a complex problem that must be addressed by the franchises with a direct stake in their customers experience.

Catch a top match

WHY? Liberty Stadium in the Landore area of Swansea is the premier venue for sporting events and conferences in South West Wales. With a capacity of some 20,532 the stadium is the third largest in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the Cardiff City Stadium. It is also home to Swansea City and the Ospreys regional rugby team, and a result of Swansea Citys promotion the stadium is also the first Premier League ground in Wales.

WHATS THE BUZZ? Built on the site of the former Morfa Athletics Stadium and playing fields, the Liberty Stadium has become one of the foremost sporting venues in Wales. As well as being home to two hugely successful sports teams, the stadium also holds international sporting fixtures and sell out concerts, as well as well as providing a base for thousands of conferences and other special events each year.

Elmer to receive sporting events grant

By

Brittany M. Wehner/Todays Sunbeam

Todays Sunbeam

Follow

Beer cans at sporting events bad idea, crowd expert says

Michael Woods

Staff Reporter

More about

Toronto FC»

It took one full can of beer, flying from the Rogers Centre seats in the 88th minute of Wednesday’s game between Toronto FC and the L.A. Galaxy, to anger one of the most celebrated soccer players of all time.

And according to a leading crowd management expert, there’s a simple way to prevent incidents like the one that saw a full beverage land feet from Galaxy star David Beckham: don’t sell beer in cans.

“Few responsible and professional venues … allow beverages to be sold in bottles or cans, because they become projectiles,” said Paul Wertheimer, the founder and head of Crowd Management Strategies, a Los Angeles-based international crowd safety consulting service. “It’s common sense, it’s well known and it’s well documented. People do stupid things.”

The episode marred what was otherwise a well-behaved affair for the 47,000-plus attendees at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night, Toronto FC’s largest-ever home crowd. Beer cans were sold on the 100 and 200 levels during the 2-2 draw, but not on the 500 level.

TORONTO FC-L.A. GALAXY PHOTO GALLERY

“It’s done for one reason only: because of expense,” Wertheimer said. “You save money on supplies and you’re able to serve more product quicker.”

The Blue Jays, Rogers Centre’s main occupants, said they started providing beer in cans a year ago in response to fans who wanted concession lines to move as quickly as possible. They said the move has received “overwhelmingly positive” reviews.

“While it is unfortunate that someone chose to throw a can, there were thousands of others who acted responsibly,” Blue Jays senior vice-president of business operations Stephen Brooks said in an email. “We believe, like the fans do, that a very small minority should not dictate the experience for the vast majority.”

Ryan Griffore, 32, of London, Ont., was sitting about 100 feet from the can-thrower. “It landed probably a good two feet beside (Beckham). It didn’t miss him by much,” he said.

Griffore said Beckham was a good sport at first, good-naturedly pretending to sip from the can. But when fans hurled obscenities and derogatory comments at him, “it kind of got under his skin a little bit, as it would with most people.”

After the beer-tossing, Beckham delivered a corner kick which teammate Landon Donovan converted, tying the game late. Beckham then turned around to the section from which the beer flew and jeered at the fans.

“Tonight was a great atmosphere,” he told reporters post-game. “The majority were here to enjoy the spectacle. It’s a shame some people spoiled it.”

Police identified the male culprit but because the can didn’t hit Beckham, an assault didn’t take place, said Const. Tony Vella.

“There was a group of people that were identified to be involved, and they were questioned and released,” he said.

It’s not clear whether the perpetrator was removed from the game, which was nearing its end.

Beckham’s no stranger to fan interaction. In 2000, then with Manchester United, he was pelted in the head by two coins in a game against Manchester City. And in his return to the Galaxy in 2009 after a stint with AC Milan, he attempted to scale a barrier at halftime into a section of the crowd in L.A. where a fan, also rushing the barrier, had been jeering him. Spectators were arrested in both those cases.

“People in crowds have a certain amount of anonymity that emboldens them to do these ridiculous things,” Wertheimer said.

Streamers also rained down upon Beckham when he was taking corners Wednesday night. That’s a common part of the experience at BMO Field, TFC’s usual home, where fans are allowed to bring streamers. Wednesday night, fans in the 500 section received free streamers; the ones lower down brought their own.

But Wertheimer said throwing things — even paper streamers — can embolden spectators to cross the line in their disdain for opponents.

“Authorities … that allow the lines between spectator and athlete to be blurred during sports events create potentially hazardous situations for both parties,” he said. “In the mind of a misguided spectator, a can of beer appears to be a logical replacement for a roll of paper: a substitute of one projectile for another.”

Spectators, too, should play a role in maintaining the peace, Wertheimer said. Most NFL teams have a system wherein fans concerned with unruly behaviour but don’t want to risk being identified by the people they’re reporting can alert authorities via text message. Such programs are the future of crowd management, Wertheimer said.

Beckham isn’t the first athlete in Toronto lore to have beer chucked at him. Toronto Argonauts star Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, nearing the end zone on his 87-yard kickoff return that led the Argos to a win over the Calgary Stampeders in the 1991 Grey Cup at Winnipeg Stadium, had a well-tossed beer can explode several feet behind him as he scored the touchdown.

• Email
• Print

• Add to Favourites

• Report an error

• Rss

Tobacco Ads Not Appropriate For Sports Events: Komnas PT

More sporting events in Indonesia should be free of tobacco advertising or sponsorship, following the example of the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games, activists sat. (JG Photo)

Facebook Help Center Community Forum overrun with spam

Facebook Help Center Community Forum overrun with spam

By Emil Protalinski | November 26, 2011, 1:04pm PST

Summary: Spammers have attacked the Facebook Help Center Community Forum over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the US. Most of the spam consists of links for live streaming American sporting events.