Nearly everybody loves sports, whether as a spectator or as a participant. People love sports because of the competitive nature and the intricacy of the game, no matter what game that is. Maybe their enjoyment also has a lot to do with the camaraderie and the feeling of team spirit, the thrill of rooting for an individual or a team and sharing in the exhilaration of winning and the commiseration when losing.

Sports are a large part of our American pastime choices, which then naturally leads to a flourishing sports industry. For example, those big stadiums economically enhance and aid the cities in which they are built. The athletes who sign those huge contracts not only deliver their unique athletic prowess, but project an image leading to product endorsements for companies that will be marketing products many consumers will be clambering to buy. To say nothing of the many instances of goodwill athletes bring to any number of charities and youth programs.

Then there is the infrastructure supporting sports events—facility maintenance, ticket-selling and ticket-taking workers, those who provide the concession fare and those who efficiently serve it. They all work hard to do a good job so you’ll be happy while you’re there and eager to return.

And what about the companies that manufacture stadium seating, develop the most up-to-date and modern scoreboards, create the technology for the instant replay so important in today’s sports? The games are competitive—and so are the wide variety of businesses and employees who make them more enjoyable.

When people come downtown to enjoy a Lugnuts game, when they busy the area roads on their way to a Michigan State University football game, when they’re attending hockey games, college or high school basketball games, here for tennis tournaments, volleyball, gymnastics—well, you get my drift! These are people who patronize our restaurants, our gas stations, our hotels, and the wide variety of retail establishments in the Greater Lansing area. Yes, sports provide tremendous business opportunities, and in this month’s magazine you’ll learn how fortunate we are to have such hardworking and successful members of our community working in this industry.

Thank you, as always, for reading our magazine and for being an important part of our economic community here in mid-Michigan. From all of us at The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, have a prosperous month.

		Chris Holman Publisher