WKU Basketball makes $2.25M economic impact on Warren County
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – WKU athletics just published a study indicating that WKU basketball had a $2.25M impact on the Warren County community.
The study, coming from the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau, included data from local businesses and hotel night stays generated by home athletic events for both men’s and women’s basketball.
The men’s team finished a successful season that landed them their first NCAA tournament bid since 2013, but the excitement generated during the season by both the men’s and women’s team is a big reason for such an impact.
“That’s probably the biggest difference this year in men’s basketball than a year ago,” said WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart. “When I had people come up to me, they told me they really liked how hard our team played. They liked how hard our team played on defense. The effort level was noticeably better. That made people want to come see this team more.”
Stewart expresses excitement about that figure and thanks the community for their contribution to the success. He stresses that the outstanding assistance from community partners is a major contributing factor to WKU athletics’ success in the Warren County region.
“It will take everyone to have a nationally relevant and successful athletics department in three, five, and seven years,” stated Stewart. It will require our supporters to enter the arena and contribute their usual enthusiasm. However, local companies must also make investments in us.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Stewart continued.
WKU athletics is driven to keep having a good influence on the neighborhood. They plan to carry out this research during the upcoming baseball and softball seasons.
