Playoff Not the Only Big Money in Town

Updated: Friday, 06 Jan 2012, 11:40 PM CST
Published : Friday, 06 Jan 2012, 11:40 PM CST

HOUSTON - Less than 24 hours from now, the Houston Texans will go head to head with the Cincinnati Bengals in their first ever playoff game.

All eyes are on the Texans, but that national spotlight won’t disappear after the game ends Saturday night.

Right around the corner is the Houston Marathon and US Olympic Trials running next weekend.

Talk about attention and a huge economic impact for our city.

Thousands of fans will pack Reliant Stadium on Saturday for the playoff game.

“An NFL team is kind of the front porch of a community, and certainly, there’s a lot more to Houston,” Texans President Jamey Rootes said. “The national TV exposure we'll get and the exposure on ESPN and sports outlet is fantastic for Houston.”

Rootes said the amount of money the team generates for the city is also pretty significant, and tomorrow, there will be plenty of people eating, drinking and buying Texans gear.

“On our event days, people locally, regionally, nationally come into our community and spend dollars,” Rootes said. “It’s estimated our team generates a $300 million annual economic impact. That's significant.”

But the excitement and economic impact doesn't end when the time runs out during the fourth quarter. Houston has another big weekend just days away.

“The Chevron Houston Marathon Weekend this year will feature more out-of-town participants than we've ever had,” said Wade Morehead with the Houston Marathon Committee. “It's larger in scale and we will be hosting the Olympic trials marathon on Saturday. It’s going to bring in every fan, media outlet, vendor to the city of Houston to participate in this amazing weekend.”

Morehead said last year, the marathon weekend generated $51 million for the city. This year's weekend, combined with the US Olympic trials, is expected to see a 50 percent increase.

“The amount of money that is going to be spent here, all of the hotels have been full downtown for a long time and hopefully will be out eating food at restaurants,” he said.

Whether it is running, or football, or any other type of event, Morehead and Rootes agree back-to-back big weekends in Houston will only help put the city on the map.

“Houston offers everything that the larger cities offer at a much better price, much friendlier faces, engaging community,” Morehead said. “I would schedule anything here if I were an event because I know I’d be able to keep my costs down.”

“Houston does a wonderful job hosting events and the more you do it successfully, people go and tell their friends, and we'll get better and more opportunities to market our city on a national and international stage,” Rootes said.

While it'll cost you hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dollars to go to Saturday’s game, there are still some tickets available to get a front-row seat at the Houston marathon and US Olympic trials.

And you won't need a penny. It's absolutely free.