Sporting Events Reshaping PA Economy

Pennsylvania expects a big economic bump with nearly 2 million visitors this summer to major sports events. Pittsburgh saw over 700,000 fans for the NFL Draft last weekend, the biggest event in the city’s history.  Philadelphia is hosting the PGA Championship, six FIFA World Cup matches, and the MLB All‑Star Week this summer.  Anne Ryan of Pennsylvania Tourism says Pittsburgh had eyed the NFL Draft for about a decade, and Governor Josh Shapiro made an aggressive push for the event in 2023…

“Folks were planning for these events back in 2019. It takes years to secure events of this size, but knowing that 2026 was going to be the 250th anniversary very much was the ‘why’ behind a lot of these events.”