Big 12 Wrestling Championship's Economic Impact On Tulsa

As the second day of the Big 12 Wrestling Tournament at the BOK Center wraps up, experts said this event will have a positive impact on Tulsa's economy.

The Director of Sports Sales for the Tulsa Sports Commission said they are excited to showcase all Tulsa has to offer for those traveling here this weekend.

People traveled from across the country to the BOK Center for both days of the Big 12 Wrestling Championships.

Some people came from western Oklahoma.

“I am actually a wrestling coach at Elk City,” said wrestling fan Kaleb Murray, who traveled with a few of his friends.

Others, from as far as North Dakota.

“It was a solid 10 hours of driving,” said Sidney Kautz, who came from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND.

Fans say they were excited to come out to Tulsa and see what it has to offer.

“We come up, book rooms, staying the night, we are just here enjoying wrestling all weekend,” said Murray.

“I have always loved Tulsa, earlier on in my life I lived in Kansas and coming to Tulsa was kind of a great weekend thing to do,” said Barbara Lyles, who made the trip down from Minneapolis to come to support her grandson.

Joel Koester with the Tulsa Sports Commission said bringing sports to Tulsa helps boost the city’s economy and introduces the city to people who might be looking to move.

"These events set Tulsa up for success in the future,” Koester said. “Not only bringing visitors here to see Tulsa, but student-athletes are going to be graduating, they are going to be looking for jobs. Again, it's a really great way to showcase the city. Plus, it also gives us the opportunity to host larger events down the road."

These events, he says, are indicative of Tulsa’s status as a major sports destination.

“These events are just massive for the community and as we continue to establish ourselves as a major sports destination, which Tulsa is quickly becoming,” Koester said. “We’ve got a lot of great events coming down the pipeline, not only on the sports side but also the equine side and meetings and events side.

Koester says they are anticipating about two million dollars of economic impact from this tournament, including both direct spending on ticket sales and indirect spending from shopping, dining, and booking hotel stays.