The NFL Playoffs at Ford Field in downtown Detroit are providing more than just a high-decibel home field advantage to the boys in Honolulu blue and silver. It’s bringing a lot of green to metro area businesses.
Visit Detroit estimates last weekend’s home playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, a 24-23 Detroit Lions victory, generated $20 million in economic impact for the city. That includes fans and visitors being downtown before the game, their spending at restaurants, bars, hotels, parking lots, retail, and other businesses.
In addition to the 65,000-plus people attending the game at Ford Field, thousands more watched the game at bars and restaurants throughout the city. Additional economic activity happened after the game on Sunday when people poured out of the stadium to celebrate.
Visit Detroit studied the impact on hotels for home games during the season. When the Lions have had a home game over the past two years, hotel occupancy has been 9.6 percent higher than on weekends when they are not in town. The organization says it estimated hotel occupancy to be 25 percent higher last weekend than a typical January weekend.
By virtue of the Lions’ win on Sunday and the Green Bay Packers defeating the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit will host another NFL Playoff game this Sunday at 3 p.m., when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town for a Divisional Round tilt.
That should ring up another estimated $20 million into local business coffers and another potential 25 percent boost in hotel occupancy.
“The Detroit Lions playoff run is more than just a game, it’s a celebration for Detroit, our region, and the state of Michigan,” says Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit. “This exciting moment not only energizes our city but also showcases Detroit as a vibrant host for top-tier sports events. The playoffs bring a wave of enthusiasm, uniting our community and attracting visitors to experience the pride and passion that define Detroit.”
Molinari adds that as many as 50 million people watch NFL Playoff games on TV nationwide.
“They saw images of a vibrant and beautiful city. It was a remarkable advertisement to get fans from all 32 teams nationwide to consider coming to the NFL Draft April 25-27 this year,” Molinari says.
