LeBron James’ return to Cleveland is worth more than wins and losses to the city according to a Cleveland County executive.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal‘s Mark Niquette, James return will bring Cleveland and the surrounding area over $500 million a year in profits.
The return of the star forward to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers will mean $500 million a year in additional ticket sales and spending, County Executive Ed FitzGerald said today. The 2016 Republican National Convention in the city will bring an additional one-time windfall of $200 million, he said.
Based on calculations by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, James’s return will generate $215 million from games alone. Average attendance increased from about 12,000 before James joined the team to about 20,500 during his final season, the county said. Although attendance has slipped, officials expect sold out games next season with James on the court.
Other spending increases will come at restaurants, convention business and hotels, FitzGerald said. Anticipated benefits include a $34 million increase in annual spending by fans at games to $170 million a year plus 500 additional jobs supported by the Cavaliers, the county said.