Why would
anyone leave L.A. and visit Cleveland for MLB
action? I am going and it's not because I'm a
huge baseball fan. I haven't been to a ball
game in over 10 years, in fact. And by the numbers,
my California teams fair much better than the
Cleveland Indians.
I am going
to Cleveland because of feeling--I think that
something's missing in L.A. Sure there's perfect
weather in the summer and there are lots of
games. But the sense of community is hard to
come by, and when you sit in the stands sharing
the emotional ups and downs of play, you need
the camaraderie that places such as Cleveland
take for granted. If you've not been there, then
it's time to visit and experience what America
is all about.
People
love their hometown ball teams, and if the team
is doing well (like the Cleveland Indians are in
early June), it's all the more reason to be
proud and want to show them off. And believe it
or not, the Travel Industry Association reports
that well over 15
million fans travel each year within the United
States to attend a game and enjoy an overnight
stay at the sports destination.
I did a
little research on this craze and
came up with some interesting data. Baseball is
number one for sports travelers in the
USA (yeah! I got that one right!) While
women travel much less than men to see a ball
game (45% of men and 33% of women see a sport
when traveling,) I fall into the category of big
spender-business travelers (will stay in hotels
and should spend over $500 in town.) I better
take some money and plan to buy something so I
don't disappoint those numbers, even though I am
not a shopper.
What looks
very promising about this upcoming journey is
the data on intent--over 78% of sports travelers
seek entertainment and outdoor recreation during
their trip. Now that's something I can hang my
newly-purchased Cleveland Indians baseball cap
on.
Whatever
the outcome of the game, I plan to have a good
time and absorb the local environs. Hotdogs,
peanuts, sodas and beer are all on the "to do"
list of this outing. Nathan's Hot Dogs will
already have held its annual hotdog competition
in Coney Island, so I'll contemplate the
prospect of gulping down just one or two of the
tasty beef or pork franks. I
expect to like this so much, that I'll fall
within the ranks of the majority of sports event travelers who took their most
recent sports trip in the past year.
I'm hoping
to bring luck to my hometown team (the Indians),
and watch them advance into the finals in 2007.
If that happens, I've already scouted out some
sources for tickets. With ticket in hand, I look
forward to becoming a Cleveland Indians fan, and
have already bookmarked their web page on the
MLB web site!
For more
information on planning a visit to Ohio, check
out the Ohio Department of Development, Division
of Travel and Tourism. A free visitors guide is
available on their website, www.discoverohio.com.
