PIERRE — The South Dakota High School Activities Association has begun to collect data from state tournaments to gauge the economic impact of those events. According to SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos, the study will help the association engage with local chambers of commerce in an effort show the economic worth of the state events and perhaps find a way get local businesses to lower costs for hotel rooms and food. ADVERTISEMENT The association often finds itself competing with other events for the use of venues.
The study may help the association prove, Swartos said, “that we might not be as flashy, but we have value, too.” According to data collected from 20 state events, those events generated $14.3 million in direct spending from families in attendance.
As the money flows through the community, Swartos said, its second- and third-hand effects result in an output of just more than $26 million. The direct spending by families attending state events led to $2.9 million in tax revenue for the host communities.
The events in the data collected so far took place in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Harrisburg, Brandon, Pierre, Watertown, Brookings and Aberdeen. The data collected on the economic impact of state events does not include the spending by the teams themselves or the association. That spending includes hotel rooms and food for players, coaches, staff and officials as well as facility rent.
In November 2023, SDHSAA entered a contract with IMPLAN of Huntersville, No.
