US Open Dwarfs Super Bowl in Economic Boost to N.Y. Region

Aug. 26, 2013 — -- As Rafael Nadal and company bring their tennis whites to the U.S. Open, spectators and athletes will give an estimated $720 million boost to the metro New York City area, far surpassing what the most-watched sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl, is expected to bring next year to the region.

The U.S. Open kicked off on Monday at the U.S. Tennis Association Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

Its two-week time frame is the main reason why the tennis tournament will generate more economic activity than the $430 million the Super Bowl is expected to bring when it comes to MetLife Stadium at East Rutherford, N.J., in February. The Super Bowl is a one-game, one-weekend affair.

The U.S. Open is a signature tennis event as the fourth of four grand slam events, or majors, in the sport, says Stephen Greyser, business of sports professor emeritus at the Harvard Business School.

"While everyone knows it's a grand slam event, it's the only tennis grand slam in the U.S.," says Greyser. The Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon are the other Grand Slam events.

The U.S. Open is one of the longest signature events in the world, following the World Cup, which takes place in different stadiums within one country.

In Photos: Maria Sharapova Launches Accessories Line

The biggest driver of the U.S. Open's economic engine is that, like soccer's World Cup, it's a global sporting event that attracts international tourists and their dollars, says Chris Widmaier, managing director of communications for the U.S. Tennis Association.

On average, about 40 percent of fans and patrons who come to the U.S. Open are from outside the New York metropolitan area, says Widmaier. Those visitors often stay for days and invest in hotel stays, communication, restaurants and other services. Of that percentage, about a third of those visitors are international tourists.

Greyser notes that the length of the event gives sponsors continued visibility in not just sponsoring the championship event broadcasts. Three broadcast partners are participating in this year's U.S. Open: CBS Sports, ESPN, and the Tennis Channel.

US Open Caps a Wacky 2013 Tennis Season

Many of the sponsors are business-to-business firms, or companies that have business clients, including JPMorgan, American Express and IBM. Sporting event sponsorships typically include tickets and VIP seating for companies and their guests, such as prospective clients.

"From a business of sports point of view, this is a big deal, even within the genre of tennis. It's a very different kind of thing if we were talking about some other sport," Greyser said.

Business sponsorship interest is partly why the U.S. Open has a high-end market audience.

"The market audience comes with the sport, but the high-end sponsors come with the event's length and visibility over the two-week period and the opportunity to entertain guests," Greyser said.

Another boost to the metropolitan area is the estimated 13,000 seasonal jobs created for the tournament, Widmaier says.