The 2014 Independence Bowl between Miami and South Carolina generated a total benefit of between $17.6 million and $18.8 million to the Shreveport-Bossier City area, through a combination of spending and media exposure value.
The 2014 Independence Bowl accounted for between $7.9 million and $9.1 million in direct and indirect visitor spending, as well as spending by the participating universities, members of the media, game officials, and fans at Independence Stadium. Also included in that number is year-round Independence Bowl Foundation spending.
The media exposure value to the Shreveport-Bossier city area was estimated at $9.7 million. The media exposure value is a combination of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s Vocus Report, which measures the public relations exposure from articles, websites, electronic media and social media, as well as a Sponsorship Science Report, which measures advertising value of the television broadcast of the game.
The $9.7 million in media exposure value combined with the $7.9 million – $9.1 million in direct and indirect spending accounts for the economic benefit calculated between $17.6 million and $18.8 million.
Scott Wysong, Ph.D., performed the economic impact study. Wysong, a resident of Shreveport, is an Associate Professor of Sports Marketing at the University of Dallas and President of Wysong Brand Solutions, LLC, which has conducted economic impact studies for sports and entertainment venues, events and festivals.
“This study confirms what we’ve known all along,” 2015 Camping World Independence Bowl Chairman Kyle McInnis said. “The Independence Bowl has a substantial, positive economic effect on our region each year.”
The game, which took place on a Saturday for the first time since 1990, had 38,242 tickets sold and garnered a 2.5 US Television rating, it’s highest since 2003. ABC televised the Independence Bowl game for the first time since 1991, with more than four million viewers tuning in.