With the end of basketball, baseball, and hockey seasons, and as football (both the US and European kind) are coming to grips with the impact of COVID on their bottom line, we are seeing more scary numbers coming out. But it is important to remember that there is an entire economy built around game days, especially in college towns. I always remind people that the University of Nebraska's stadium is the third biggest city on the state when the Huskers are playing at home, and businesses have understandably adapted to this over the years. As the sports economy slowly comes back, and as fans return to stadiums, much attention will need to be paid to these related businesses when we begin talking about the recovery.
| less than a minute read
It's not just teams affected by COVID - the US economy has been built around game days, and COVID has a dramatic impact on those businesses
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On a typical fall Saturday when the Nebraska Cornhuskers play at home, cars waving red flags and banners would be backed up in front of the Baker family candy factory along Highway 6 leading into Lincoln.
It is a route with more grain elevators than gas stations. A scenic alternative to the 70,000-car parking lot that can be Interstate 80 from Omaha. And for the Baker family, it meant more than 3,000 customers stocking up on Baker's signature gourmet chocolates each weekend the Huskers were in town.
Without Huskers football, sales during those normally busy periods have been down by 80%, said general manager Todd Baker.
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These are just some of the places that helped create family traditions in connection with #CFB. Kids grew up going to the games and these places (not the bars). It was a WEEKLY RITUAL, not having fans impacting more than Athletic Dept funding. https://t.co/8Bvs5TXMZd
— Reginald Walker Jr. (@RWalk13) October 28, 2020
"When you travel to Happy Valley in the fall, there are two things you do: You take in the electric atmosphere at Beaver Stadium for a football game and you go to the Creamery."https://t.co/ZTs109N2yq
— PSU Berkey Creamery (@psucreamery) October 27, 2020
Even with college football on TV, local establishments that survived on gameday traffic and fans on campus are hurting; we profile some of them from a church in Syracuse to a candy factory near Lincoln. With @Ivan_Maisel, @ESPNRittenberg @TomVH https://t.co/9Rx4ONvIra
— Paula Lavigne (@pinepaula) October 27, 2020
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