June is an important month in the history of sports. Fifty years ago, Title IX was passed – giving women and girls a chance to play sports on a more even playing field. Hopefully you’ve read our social media posts celebrating women in West Michigan whose lives have been positively impacted by Title IX – you can also read their stories in our recent blog post

Now that the fickle Michigan weather has officially flipped a switch from winter to summer (I guess we’re skipping spring?), thoughts turn to all-things sports – the crack of a bat, the kick of a soccer ball, the ping of a golf ball and the footfall of a runner. At the WMSC, sports are a 24/7/365 business – but we also feel the shift to a busier sports season as we prepare for a full lineup of outdoor sports.

As millions watch March Madness, my thoughts jump to another competition – the NCAA Championships bid process, with 90 championships across 24 sports in three divisions up for bid periodically. I am going to make a bold statement – Grand Rapids has a good shot at being selected to host a DI Men’s March Madness…

Sports are part of the fabric of our lives, as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics recently demonstrated. The Olympic and Paralympic Games also show the resiliency of sport, even in a global pandemic. Admittedly, athletes were subjected to restrictions and lockdowns like never before….

We have an adage in our business – sports tourism is recession-proof. However, we learned last year that sports tourism is not pandemic-proof. Even with every precaution we could implement, nothing could prepare us for the sweeping shutdown of sporting events across America last year – from the Olympic Games to Little League games in our backyards.

Remembering Peter F. Secchia.

As we prepare for 2020, I’d like to take a moment to review 2019 – it was another great year for youth and amateur sports in West Michigan! Below is a rundown of our top 2019 sports moments at the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC).