(The Center Square) – Wisconsin sent a $2 million earmark to Discover Green Bay and released $5 million of opportunity attraction and promotion funds to tourism agencies in the state heading into next week’s NFL draft, scheduled to run from April 24-26 near Lambeau Field.
That’s in addition to the $1.25 million being requested for additional law enforcement resources at the event.
Politicians such as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers have continued to tout economic impact claims about the event as they request more funding. But those numbers – an economic impact of $94 million in the state and $20 million in the Green Bay area – are not backed up by solid economic numbers, according to economists who study large sporting events.
“Every year these bogus economic claims about the NFL draft come out,” economist J.C. Bradbury wrote about the Green Bay tourism estimates. “Economists haven’t studied it directly because it makes no sense. But we really could use an actual serious study to counteract this BS PR.”
Inflated claims are often a part of funding requests related to sports stadiums. But economists say the numbers are often flawed because they include only the revenue and not the lost revenue from the crowding out of other events, diverted spending from elsewhere in a region and costs related to hosting an event.
Last year, Visit Detroit claimed the draft created $213.6 million of economic impact and Kansas City made the claim of more than $100 million in 2023.
Both claims were disputed by economists.
“The Draft is an outstanding opportunity to showcase everything Wisconsin and Titletown have to offer—and on a global stage,” Evers said in his weekly radio address. “The economic benefits will be felt by local businesses, Main Streets, and communities throughout the Fox Valley and across our state.”
Evers said that 250,000 are expected to attend the draft. Several media outlets reported this week that short-term rentals near Lambeau Field have dropped prices and are still available.
“This is a free family event. It’s not like a Super Bowl corporate audience,” Nick Meisner of Discover Green Bay told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It’s families and it’s real people who are coming to a free event. Those prices are simply out of their range.”
