During the 2021-22 NBA season, the city of Cleveland played host to the excitement of the NBA All-Star Game and other celebratory events during All-Star Weekend.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ home arena, was on full display throughout the weekend.
While higher ups in the Cavs organization surely were happy to show off the arena, that was far from the only benefit of the star-studded affair.
According to a recent report, the NBA All-Star Game and other associated events provided Northeast Ohio with an economic impact of $248.9 million.
“The NBA and their corporate partners really exceeded our expectations when it came to direct spending in our community during NBA All-Star 2022,” David Gilbert, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland, said in a release. “Hosting the first fan-facing All-Star in two years, welcoming so many incredible NBA legends to The Land for the NBA’s 75th Anniversary season and everyone wanting to make this a very special celebration, definitely helped provide a level of excitement and aided in surpassing our original estimated economic impact number.”
Of course, that’s great news for people within the Northeast Ohio community. What is even better news is that after several years of being in the doldrums of the NBA, the Cavs enjoyed a major resurgence in the 2021-22 season. That was evidenced by the fact that two members of the Cavs were named to the All-Star Game in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.
Though the Cavs unfortunately missed out on the playoffs after striking out in the play-in tournament, the team has a very bright future ahead of it.
For that reason, it would not be a shock to see the Cavs once again become a major draw for the city of Cleveland and surrounding areas. While the All-Star Game is not likely to be played in Cleveland again for some time, it would not be much of a surprise at all if next season sees the Cavs hosting a fair number of playoff games.
