Economic Impact of Super Bowl LI & the Houston Astros Post Season Run
By David Theis
With the recent Astros World Series victory in October combined with Houston hosting the 2017 Super Bowl, the city had a whirlwind sports year bookended by two indelible events. These achievements in athletic excellence are two of the most recent for Houstonians, but many notable sports moments dot the historic record in the Bayou City. Here are some of the standout events that have shaped Houston sports.
1973 The “Game of the Century” between the UCLA Bruins and UH Cougars at the Astrodome. In the college basketball game that would put the sport on the map and provide the roadmap for marketing it to a mass audience, the Cougars knocked off the Bruins in thrilling fashion by two points, ending the vaunted UCLA program’s 47-game winning streak. Over 50,000 fans packed the 8th Wonder of the World to watch Lew Alcindor clash against Elvin Hayes. Both players went on to become NBA legends.
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PROPERTIES | VOLUME 1 – 2018
The “Battle of the Sexes” Tennis Match. The Astrodome was back in the national spotlight in 1973 when it played host to a tennis exhibition between 55-year-old Bobby Riggs and 29-year-old Billie Jean King. Viewed by an estimated 90 million globally, the match has become one of the most talked about sporting events in history and was recently adapted into a Hollywood movie and a local stage production.
The Heyday of the “Luv Ya Blue” Oilers. At the end of the 1970s, the Houston Oilers had one of their best seasons in team history. Earl Campbell won NFL MVP honors, rushing for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns. The team advanced to the AFC Championship game, where it fell one game short of the Super Bowl in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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I
t wasn’t so very long ago that critics complained that downtown Houston was boring. Then along came 2017, possibly the most exciting year Houston has ever experienced. Between being flooded by Harvey, sheltering Harvey victims, and playing host to both the Super Bowl and the World Series, Downtown was ground zero for the intensity.
frequent cutaways to the city, was seen by 174 million, and the Lady Gaga halftime show was “the most watched spectacle in television history,” according to Bob Eury, Executive Director of Central Houston. 30-second Super Bowl LI ads went for $5 million, so the image building that the city received was very valuable indeed. Beyond that, the event generated some 6.8 billion media impressions; that’s how often the name Houston appeared in print, electronic, or social media, according to Sally Sargent, President and CEO
“150,000 people
And also for the branding. We can’t say the world discovered the city in 2017. “Houston already had a pretty strong brand,” says John Story, associate professor of management and marketing at the University of St. Thomas. “People everywhere know it as the energy capital and the home of NASA.” But hosting the Super Bowl and the World Series gave the world a different look at the city. For the Super Bowl, “150,000 people came here who had never been, and they had a great time. They went home and told people that Houston was really cool.”
came here who
had never been... They went home and told people
that Houston was
of the Super Bowl LI. Besides the highly effective branding, the Super Bowl also generated around $347 million in revenues, even factoring in expenses and the money that was lost because the Super Bowl chased all other types of tourism out of town.
really cool.”
Beyond the actual visitors, media exposure reached a massive audience. 150,000 credentialed media set up shop here, some broadcasting for a full week from Discovery Green. The game, shown with
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The Era of “Phi Slama Jama” at the University of Houston. For three scintillating seasons, the University of Houston Cougars men’s basketball team was the talk of the city and dominated the sports landscape with its high octane, fast-paced style of play and proclivity for thunderous dunks. Powered by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, and other notable players, the Cougars reached three consecutive Final Fours in the NCAA tournament. Phi Slama Jama was recently immortalized in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.
The excitement extended to Houstonians themselves. Ric Campo, chair of the Super Bowl Houston Host Committee, notes that “1.3 million came to Discovery Green (for Super Bowl Live).” Beyond generating considerable economic activity, the events generated “tremendous civic pride,” according to Campo. “There was a zip in the city’s step.”
1986 Carl Lewis Strikes Gold in California at the Summer Olympics. In his first Olympics, Lewis – who starred for the University of Houston Cougars track and field team – won four gold medals in Los Angeles. Lewis would go on to carve out a legacy as one of the pre-eminent athletes in Olympic history, securing nine gold medals and one silver. Lewis resides in Houston, where he is an Assistant Coach for UH Track & Field.
Scott Secures NL West with No-Hitter. Mike Scott enjoyed a successful pitching tenure for the Houston Astros, but his high water mark came in the 1986 season. That year, Scott went 18-10 with a 2.22 ERA and league high 306 strikeouts. Scott ended the season with a flourish, pitching a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants to clinch the NL West for the Astros. When the Astros eventually left the Dome, Scott’s no-hitter game was voted one of the five best ever played in the stadium.
1984 SOTHEBYSHOMES.COM
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“Houston isn’t what people expect... It has an energy I’ve never experienced.”
1994-95 Ware Wins the Heisman. Following the golden era of UH basketball in the mid-80s, the University of Houston Cougar football team had its own moment of glory in 1989 when quarterback Andre Ware secured the sport’s highest honor, the Heisman Trophy. A Galveston native, Ware threw for almost 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns. On his way to breaking 26 NCAA records, Ware guided the Cougars to a 9-2 record and a final ranking of 14 in the Associated Press poll. Ware is now a sports commentator and is part of the Houston Texans Radio Network.
1989
The Clutch City Rockets. Before the Astros World Series victory this past season, Houston had not enjoyed a major sports championship since 1995. For two magical seasons, the Houston Rockets captivated Houstonians with back-to-back NBA championships. Hakeem Olajuwon led the charge in both seasons, and he was joined in 1995 by former Phi Slama Jama running mate Clyde Drexler. Following the second championship, team coach Rudy Tomjanovich uttered the famous statement about the team’s spirit, exclaiming, “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion!”
The Astros First World Series Run. In 2005, the Houston Astros made their first run to the World Series, where they fell short in a sweep to the Chicago White Sox. Led by a dominant pitching staff headlined by Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt, the team additionally boasted Astros legends Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, who made the only World Series appearances in their storied Hall of Fame careers.
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The World Series is obviously a very different animal. It doesn’t attract nearly as many outof-towners. Airbnb reported that most of the guests who booked lodging during the World Series were already from the Houston area. And, compared to the Super Bowl haul, the $20-$30 million that the home games in the World Series generated looks pretty modest.
Attracting a crowd some estimated at upwards of one million, the parade was the biggest event ever held in Downtown. So, civic pride was (and still is) at an all-time high. How does that translate concretely to the life of Houston, and specifically to the life of Downtown? Amanda Calderon has a ready answer. She and her boyfriend Mingo Marquez moved into 500 Crawford, across from Minute Maid Park, just before the season started, attracted by the ballpark itself, along with the sports lounge in the building.
But that’s not the only way to measure impact. The media wasn’t here in the same numbers, but the attention Houston received was of extremely high quality. The “overcoming Harvey” narrative had locked in, and the world was taking a much deeper look at the city than World Series hosts usually receive. To cite a few examples, ESPN. com’s Wright Thompson wrote not one, but two in-depth profiles of the city that rank with the best writing ever about Houston. Many other media outlooks, from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times, explored the same story.
Obviously passionate Astro fans, Calderon and Marquez lived the ups and downs of the playoffs, then took to the streets to celebrate after Game 7. Calderon, 27, grew up in Angleton, and has lived in Houston for three years. The excitement and camaraderie she found that night showed her that, “Houston isn’t what people expect. It’s more than the Galleria and Rice Village. It has an energy I’ve never experienced,” she explains. She and Marquez have decided to renew their lease in March, just in time for baseball.
Beyond the feeling, exotic for Houstonians, that the world was taking a long, approving look at us, we also enjoyed our own city in a new way, best demonstrated by the astonishing weekday World Series parade that shut down not only Downtown, but HISD.
The Super Bowl won’t be coming back for at least a few years—but the World Series is another story.
2017 Houston Hosts the Super Bowl to End All Super Bowls. On Sunday, February 5th, NRG Stadium played host to a stunning Super Bowl comeback and one of the most thrilling games in NFL history. Down 28-3, the New England Patriots came all the way back to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the first Super Bowl game to feature overtime. The 25-point deficit overcome marks the largest comeback in the Big Game’s illustrious legacy. Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the fourth time and won his fifth Super Bowl title overall, tying him for the most ever for a single player.
World Series Champions. The Astros returned to the World Series twelve years later and avenged the 2005 loss in one of the most breathtaking World Series ever played. Winning in seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Astros capped off a magical season and secured a championship for the City of Houston that had just endured the havoc of Hurricane Harvey. George Springer was named World Series MVP, and Jose Altuve was subsequently named MLB American League MVP for his accomplishments during the regular season.
2017
Watt and Altuve Named SI Co-Sportsperson of the Year. To cap off a memorable Houston sports year, Sports Illustrated named Houston Texans’ standout J.J. Watt and Astros’ MVP second baseman Jose Altuve as Co-Sportspersons of the Year. On top of his stellar play on the field as one of the best players in the NFL, Watt raised over $37 million for Hurricane Harvey victims. Altuve, meanwhile, helped guide the Astros to a World Series victory and was named AL MVP.
2017