ROAD WARRIORS
TOPEKA’S SPORTS ECONOMIC OUTFLOW
ABSTRACT
This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of sports-related travel by families in Topeka and Shawnee County, based on data collected through the Topeka Area Sports Commission (TASC) survey.
The primary mission objective is to increase the economic impact of sports within the Topeka area by understanding how local sports community activities contribute to the economy of other communities.
Through strategic partnerships and a multi-channel survey deployment, we gathered detailed responses from over 1000 residents about their travel behaviors and expenditures related to amateur sports events.
The findings reveal significant economic contributions made by families traveling outside Topeka for sports, emphasizing the potential benefits of enhancing local sports infrastructure and events to retain and attract sports tourism.
This analysis offers critical insights for strategic planning and advocacy efforts to foster local sports development and maximize economic benefits for the Topeka area.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report details the unique methodology and calculations employed to assess the economic impact of sports travel by families in Topeka and Shawnee County. The data gathered from a comprehensive Topeka Area Sports Commission survey offers invaluable insights into local households’ travel behaviors and sports-related expenditures. The primary goal of this survey is to enhance the economic impact of sports within the Topeka area by understanding the flow of economic impact from Topeka to other communities, identifying travel destinations for Topeka area residents, and collecting statistical information from at least 1000 residents about the Topeka area sports community that travels outside the Topeka market.
SURVEY OBJECTIVES
• GATHER STATISTICAL INFORMATION:
-Collect data from at least 1000 residents about the Topeka area sports community that travels outside the Topeka market.
• ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT:
-Determine the economic impact that flows from Topeka to other communities with a degree of specificity.
• TRAVEL DESTINATION INSIGHTS:
-Identify travel destinations for Topeka residents engaged in sports travel.
SURVEY DEPLOYMENT
• PARTNERSHIP ENTITIES:
-The survey was distributed through partnerships with the TASC board, Topeka sports entities, Topeka sports venues, parent-teacher organizations, and local school athletic departments.
• SURVEY FORMAT:
-The survey was deployed using SurveyMonkey via email and social media, QR codes at venues, and paper copies at the Visitors Center if necessary.
• KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS):
-Achieve 1000 completed surveys.
-Increase visibility for TASC’s social media presence and increase followers.
-Quantify the economic impact numbers for sports tourism leaving Topeka.
SURVEY DATA SUMMARY
The survey collected responses about travel frequency, travel distance, the number of travelers, and the sports involved. Below is a summary of the critical questions and the responses:
1. HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL OUT OF TOPEKA FOR AN AMATEUR SPORTS EVENT? (Annually)
2. HOW FAR DO YOU TRAVEL? (Check all that apply)
3. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR TRAVELING PARTY, ADULTS/CHILDREN?
4. TO WHAT CITIES DO YOU TRAVEL?
o Several cities were listed, with many in the Midwest and several on the coast.
5. WHAT SPORT DO YOU TRAVEL FOR?
(Check all that apply)
METHODS FOR CALCULATION
OF SURVEY RESULTS
ASSUMPTIONS AND IMPUTATIONS:
1.
MISSING RESPONSES FOR NUMBER OF TRAVELERS:
o For respondents who skipped the field regarding the number of adults or children traveling for sports, these missing responses were replaced with a value of 1. This ensures that each response is complete and avoids skewing the results due to non-response bias.
2. FILTERING OUTLIERS:
o Responses representing entire teams (listing more than six children or adults) were filtered out to focus on family travel data. This filtering prevents the overestimation of travel numbers and associated costs.
3. FREQUENCY OF TRAVEL:
o Travel frequency was collected as categorical data. For analysis, the following conversions were applied:
• "11+" was assumed to be 11 trips (a conservative estimate).
• Other ranges were converted to their midpoints (e.g., "1-3 times" was coded as two times). This approach standardizes the data and provides a consistent basis for calculation.
4. MULTIPLE SPORTS REPORTING:
o For respondents listing multiple sports, travel was assumed to be split evenly among all listed sports. This method distributes travel evenly across sports, ensuring no single sport is disproportionately represented.
5. REPRESENTATIVENESS:
o The survey is assumed to represent Topeka and Shawnee County families traveling for sports. The number of such households was estimated using the latest ACS US Census data, reporting 19,201 households with children. A 25% rate, based on national survey data from SportsETA, was applied to estimate the number of sports-traveling households. This ensures our estimates reflect the broader population.
6. COST ESTIMATES:
o Daytrip costs were $50 per adult and $25 per child based on local data and standard travel cost estimates.
o Overnight trip costs were set at $109 per hotel room, with an average of 1.9 people per room, as provided by the Topeka Sports Commission.
o Overnight trips were assumed to be one night long, and costs were added to daytrip estimates without accounting for additional partial day expenses, resulting in conservative estimates.
CALCULATION PROCEDURE:
1. FILTERING AND IMPUTATION:
o Survey responses were filtered and attributed per the assumptions above to ensure completeness and accuracy.
2. TRIP FREQUENCY ALLOCATION:
o Reported trip frequency was divided by the number of sports listed in each response to allocate trips to individual sports.
3. SUMMATION AND AVERAGING:
o For each sport, the total number of trips, adults, children, and responses were summed. Averages were then calculated, providing a per-sport analysis of travel behavior.
4. DAYTRIP COST CALCULATION:
o Average daytrip cost per sport was calculated using: o ($50 X average number of adults) + ($25 X average number of children)
5. HOTEL ROOM CALCULATION:
o Average hotel rooms needed were calculated as (average adults + average children)/1.9.
6. OVERNIGHT TRIP COST CALCULATION:
o Average overnight cost per sport was calculated using average daytrip cost+($109×average hotel rooms) {average daytrip cost} + ($109 X {average hotel rooms}) average daytrip cost+($109×average hotel rooms)
7. ANNUAL COST PER FAMILY:
o Calculated by multiplying the average costs by the average number of trips per sport.
8. HOUSEHOLDS TRAVELING FOR SPORTS:
o Estimated as 25% of 19,201 households, per ACS US Census data.
9. ECONOMIC IMPACT CALCULATION:
o Economic impact per sport (daytrip and overnight) was calculated using: {Annual cost per family} X ({% of responses listing the sport} X {number of sports-traveling households})
CONCLUSION
The survey results and subsequent calculations demonstrate the significant economic impact of sports-related travel by Topeka and Shawnee County families. These insights can inform strategic planning and advocacy efforts to enhance sports tourism and support local sports organizations. The conservative approach in our calculations likely underestimates the true economic impact, suggesting that the actual contribution may be even higher.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. ENHANCE SPORTS FACILITIES:
o Invest in upgrading local sports facilities to attract more events and tournaments, boosting travel and economic impact.
2.
PROMOTE LOCAL EVENTS:
o Increase marketing efforts for local sports events to draw more participants and spectators from outside the county.
3. SUPPORT YOUTH
SPORTS:
o Provide funding and resources to support youth sports programs, encouraging more families to participate and travel for sports.
4. COLLABORATE
WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES:
o Partner with local businesses to offer discounts and promotions for visiting sports families, enhancing their experience and economic contribution.
APPENDIX
DETAILED CALCULATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS:
• IMPUTATION METHODOLOGY:
o If data was missing, depending, a minimal number or conservative approach was used to ensure data integrity.
• FILTERING CRITERIA:
o During the process, 77 survey responses were eliminated as they were outside the immediate area of Topeka and Shawnee County.
• TRAVEL FREQUENCY CODING:
o To establish the integrity of the organization, a direct spending method and a conservative attitude towards the results were determined to be the best method for estimates.
• COST ASSUMPTIONS:
o The basis for an overnight trip is that the respondent would have traveled more than 90 miles to their destination, requiring an overnight stay.
o The basis for a day trip is within 90 miles, which makes it easier to travel back to their home destination.
Survey Instrument:
TOPEKA AREA SPORTS COMMISSION SURVEY
1. How often do you travel out of Topeka for an amateur sports event? (Annually) 1-3 4-7 8-10 11+
2. How far do you travel? (Check all that apply)
1-25 Miles
26-50 Miles
51-75 Miles
76-100 Miles
100+ Miles
3. How many people are in your traveling party, adults/children?
Adults
Kids
4. To what cities do you travel?
5. What sport do you travel for? (Check all that apply)
Baseball Basketball
BMX/Cycling
Bowling
Disc
Equestrian
Pickleball
Swimming
Cheer/Dance/Gymnastics
2.64
2.48
NUMBER OF TRIPS PER YEAR 4.14
1.88 ADULTS KIDS
2.26
3.26
2.91