Super Bowl, the biggest event for American Football, took place on Sunday with the Seattle Seahawks winning against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This event brought in thousands of people to San Francisco. Super Bowls have historically been seen as “economic boons” for host cities, lifting up the local economy.
Last year’s Super Bowl was hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana. State officials reported the event brought in 115,000 visitors who spent $658 million in the city. A study by the Bay Area Host Committee estimated that the event will generate between $370 million and $630 million in earnings across the area, largely fueled by more than 90,000 visitors anticipated to come from outside the Bay Area.
The committee’s calculation includes money the teams playing in the game are expected to spend on housing, feeding, and transporting players and staff, as well as the logistical costs associated with the game and related events, in addition to direct spending from visitors on attractions and services.
This year’s Super Bowl is also expected to create around 5,000 jobs in the Bay Area across different industries, according to the Host Committee study. It estimated that as part of its broader economic impact in the area, the event will generate roughly $300 million in labor income.
The Bay Area Host Committee also estimated that the state and local governments will see about $16 million in fiscal revenue from the earnings generated from the game.
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Michael Edwards, a professor of sport management at North Carolina State University, told Al Jazeera that the economic benefits from the event are relatively short-term, “not just in duration, but also in scope.”
“They’re limited to certain industries and specific locations,” he said.
“The NFL [National Football League] often uses the Super Bowl as a carrot to encourage cities to invest taxpayer money in new stadiums. You’re seeing that dynamic play out in places like Chicago and Cleveland, where officials are considering domed stadiums. Part of that push is almost certainly driven by the possibility of hosting a Super Bowl, which the league dangles as an incentive,” Edwards added.
Among people unable to watch the Super Bowl in person, there is also likely to be a surge in people heading to bars and restaurants to watch the game or spending money throwing a watch party. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend a record $20.2 billion, or $94.77 per person, on the big game with 79 percent of that on food.