SPORTS COMMISSION CASE STUDY

Our firm has significant experience securing state funding for our clients. We have represented the Greater Cleveland and Columbus Sports Commissions for nearly a decade. When we were first engaged by these clients, our primary focus was securing an earmark in the biennial budget process for their operating purposes. In 2009, we worked with the legislature to create the Major Sporting Event Grant Program to award grants to assist local organizing committees in their bids to host major sporting events. Financial support is extremely important for local organizing committees to remain competitive with other states like Texas and Florida to host large sporting events, which generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in state tax revenue. Our team worked to secure $1 million per fiscal year for the program in recent years.

 

Recognizing a need for additional funding in light of several major events that were on the horizon, we worked with the Sports Commissions to pass House Bill 531, which infused the program with $5 million to make grants under the Major Sporting Event Grant Program. Our firm incorporated a robust media relations and coalition building strategy to complement our direct advocacy effort. We built a coalition of over 80 representatives from the major sports teams in Ohio, university presidents, CEOs and other nonprofits, and engaged the coalition in advocacy and media efforts. Following passage of House Bill 531, there was a continued need for funding.  Securing these large events e.g. the MLB All-Star Game, the NFL Draft, etc., is extremely competitive.  To ensure that Ohio remain as competitive as possible, our team was able to secure an additional $5 million to this fund in the recently passed operating budget, making Ohio’s program one of the strongest in the country.