TOP YOUTH BOWLERS IN AMERICA COMPETE IN 2022 JUNIOR GOLD CHAMPIONSHIPS JULY 11-23 AT EIGHT VENUES ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL MICHIGAN, A FIRST FOR THE REGION
Junior Gold Championships coming to West Michigan in July of 2022.
Work Still Needed to Even Playing Field in Sport
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
WMSC 15TH ANNUAL LUNCHEON FEATURES MSU HEAD BASKETBALL COACH TOM IZZO
15th Annual Luncheon to feature Coach Tom Izzo & honor Peter F. Secchia.
MICHIGAN TECH HOSTING 57TH GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL IN GRAND RAPIDS AT VAN ANDEL ARENA
NCAA DI college hockey invitational tournament held downtown at Van Andel Arena and hosted by Michigan Tech University.
50 Years of Title IX
During the 50th anniversary month of Title IX, we want to acknowledge and celebrate what Title IX means to women across West Michigan. We've invited some of our partners, community members, and staff to share their stories.
Spring Signals Strong Sports Season
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.
THE BEER CITY OPEN RETURNS TO GRAND RAPIDS JULY 20 THROUGH JULY 24
The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club announces the return of the Grand Rapids Beer City Open Pickleball Championships, which will be held July 20 through July 24, 2022 at Belknap Park in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.
WHY GRAND RAPIDS HAS A SHOT AT HOSTING MARCH MADNESS
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…
Olympics Show Sports Industry on the Rebound
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….
SPORTS TOURISM IN WEST MICHIGAN INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY IN 2021 FROM 2020, GENERATING $55.49 MILLION IN DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING
– If the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) viewed the business of sports tourism in 2021 in terms of wins and losses, it would chalk up the year as a win for West Michigan.
Not surprisingly, the economic impact of sports tourism increased significantly in every metric over 2020 when the pandemic scratched many scheduled tournaments, but it also slightly surpassed some pre-pandemic figures…
Sports Lead Way Back to Recovery
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.
Grand Rapids Area to Host 2022 Junior Gold Championships, Excitement Grows for 2021 Event
The Junior Gold Championships will return to Michigan in July 2022, with competition taking place across eight centers in the Grand Rapids area.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the USA Bowling National Championships and Bowling.com Youth Open Championships also will be conducted in western Michigan in 2022.
Grand Rapids Hosts USA Masters Games June 24-27 as Third Host in History; National Event in Conjunction with the Meijer State Games of Michigan
Good things come to those who wait – like the opportunity to host the rescheduled 2020 USA Masters Games, now June 24-27, 2021 in West Michigan.
The USA Masters Games is a multisport, Olympic-style event for athletes 21 and older, featuring athletes from 35 states competing in 24 events in 20 sports at 20 venues across West Michigan. Only the third edition of the USA Masters Games since it started in 2016, the 2020 Masters Games* was awarded to Grand Rapids initially to host it June 19-28, 2020. It was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety precautions.
West Michigan Sports Commission Announces Meijer as Official Naming Rights Partner for Rockford Baseball/Softball Complex
Today the West Michigan Sports Commission announced the new naming rights of the baseball/softball complex to be the Meijer Sports Complex.
IBC Coming to Grand Rapids 2021
The pinnacle events of the United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season, the Intercollegiate Team Championships and Intercollegiate Singles Championships, will be heading to the Spectrum Entertainment Complex in Wyoming, Michigan, in 2021.
The 2021 ITC and ISC will be held May 3-8 at the 40-lane venue, with the finals to be aired on CBS Sports Network. The dates and times of the broadcasts will be released at a later time.
WMSC 2020 Sports Economic Impact
The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) released its sports tourism economic impact figures from 2020, revealing how devastating the pandemic proved to be on sporting events in West Michigan and the respective visitor spending, and mirroring national sports industry trends.
Despite that, the WMSC still generated $13 million in direct visitor spending in 2020 through 45 events hosted in West Michigan (many of which were at the WMSC’s baseball/softball complex). The WMSC sees 2021 as a rebuilding year as sports are positioned to be one of the first segments of the tourism industry to return.
Registration for the 2020 USA Masters Games is now open!
Grand Rapids, Mich., January 6, 2021 ─ Athletes 21 and older who want to compete in a multisport, Olympic-style event can now register for the third edition of the USA Masters Games (USAMG). The 2020 USA Masters Games now held June 24 – 27, 2021, is open for all athletes in the United States as well as internationally and there is no qualification necessary to compete in the USAMG.
