By Maritza Dominguez | Arizona Republic
Spring training this year brought in $418.5 million to Arizona’s economy, the Cactus League announced on Friday.
A study by the Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business found that the 2023 spring training season generated $710.2 million in total economic activity. Researchers conducted surveys with 3,386 out-of-state visitors to measure “only new dollars that flowed into the state” during spring training.
The league was founded in 1947 with Cleveland Guardians and New York Giants and has now grown to 15 teams. Arizona hosts half of Major League Baseball teams, in 10 ballparks around metro Phoenix.
Gov. Katie Hobbs joined the league for the announcement at Tempe’s Diablo Stadium, saying that while spring training games don’t count, “the economic impact certainly does.”
The Cactus League is a critical partner to her office’s efforts to create jobs and build business in Arizona, she said.
This year was also the first year the league was able to operate a season without any pandemic restrictions.
An economic report has not been done since 2018, which showed it generated $644 million in economic impact that year.
