$PORT$ In Arizona = BIG BU$INE$$

Hate to date myself, but nearly-everyday watching "Uncle Walter", extraordinary on-the-airwaves reporter  [way back before streaming or screaming news], really did inspire my latter-day entry into online reporting.
He might be throwing his hands up about how news gets done today . . .
Walter Cronkite now has a "school of journalism" named after him + a Cronkite News program on AZ PBS - not exactly doing the news like he did, but that's the way it goes.
A recent report ties in with a post here yesterday about the sports industry's economic impact
Arizona looks for economic boost from football playoff, other events

By Bill Slane | Cronkite News | POSTED: Dec 29, 2015

The article starts off with what's next on the calendar for sports events - The College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 11  that has the potential to have both short- and long-term effects for the state financially.
According to the results of a study, Super Bowl XLIX brought in over $700 million for the local economy, Combined revenues from College Football Playoff events - one sport for about four days alone - generated by hosting those games reached $646.2 million combined in economic impact, according to studies by W.P. Carey. Those games also reportedly created over 1,400 jobs, according to the same studies.
Then there's Super Bowl in February and Phoenix has been selected as the site of the 2017 NCAA basketball Final Four.

Behind all the industry and public relations hoopla, credit goes to reporter Bill Slane for even bringing up a big bone of contention for taxpayers who are asked to foot the bill for financing big sports complexes when major corporations, developers,  and major sports franchisees reap the benefits when promises and projections of local economic development fall far short of goals. Then there's the issue of "operational expenses" . . . organizing committees for each of these events is responsible for all the fundraising to support some of the operational expenses,. . . That would be the only area that would be a potential issue for our state because it is a significant fundraising endeavor for those host committees on the corporate level.”
Pardon me for saying it, but it's not just a potential issue "on the corporate level" . . . quite cleverly the reporter uses conditional future subjunctive words to describe what might not happen [words in bold type for emphasis]

Long term, hosting these large sporting events has the potential for major economic impact on the cities hosting the events, and ancillary events. During the College Football Playoff National Championship for example, the organizing committee will be hosting 25 to 50 CEOs from companies across the country in an attempt to draw their business to Arizona. The Super Bowl Host Committee used the same tactic during this year’s Super Bowl.
“We do that because of the long-term economic development that will generate,” Wright said.
The hope, as with the previous college football title games Arizona has hosted, is to not only give a quick boost to the economy but also create jobs that can have a more lasting effect.
“If we can use this three-year spotlight, with these three, huge mega-events, to convince a couple of companies that Arizona is a great place to invest, to employ people, to bring jobs, that’s a win-win for all of us,” Wright said.
The committee hopes to draw in that business from outside the state by showing off the best of Arizona, with the help of partners like the Arizona Office of Tourism and its director, Debbie Johnson.
The long-term impact that could come from attracting these businesses to the Valley could outweigh the immediate economic benefit, or cost

HERE'S THE KICKER-PAY ATTENTION: A reality-check by reporter Bill Shane:
A recent report from the city of Glendale said the Super Bowl at best created a financial gain of $13,000, and at worst it caused a loss of $1.2 million. The greater benefit for the city will come from the potential growth in jobs from hosting businesses during the game, . .
Nonetheless, the reporter finishes up like so - with some excellent industry comments about how cities score points in the bidding process [with incentives and give-away in contracts that taxpayers might not know about] 

If it was not clear that Arizona wants to host these events after attracting the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff and Final Four in consecutive years, it was solidified last month when it was announced University of Phoenix Stadium would host games next summer for the 2016 Centennial Copa America, featuring national soccer teams from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.
Valley leaders have not yet grown tired of hosting these events, and in fact seem to be trying harder to get more of them each year.
Mike Nealy, executive director of the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl, doesn’t think Arizona has done anything differently in bidding for these events compared to past failed bids. Instead it has just been a perfect storm that has set up these major games coming to Arizona one after the other.
“Many of these events are a bid process and so you take them when you can get them,” he said. “There’s not too many cities that are as fortunate as we are to have hosted so many of these events. And if they keep coming, we are going to keep supporting them, so let them come.”