Tropicana Field is about to get a very different kind of spotlight.
For a ballpark that averages 17,468 fans for regular-season games - a number that puts Tampa Bay in the bottom three in attendance, according to an ESPN report - the World Series is a chance for the Trop to look like a completely different place. It already did during Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, when 40,230 fans filled the stadium for a sellout crowd. Now, with up to three World Series games set for next week, tickets are disappearing fast, and what remains is mostly on the resale market.
That surge in demand is where the local boost starts, according to University of South Florida associate economics professor Michael Snipes. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Snipes said the biggest benefit will land with businesses near the stadium.
“This is going to be an economic positive for all of St. Pete,” Snipes said.
“Downtown is very close to the stadium. The beach is close to the stadium.
It’s going to be very easy for people to come down here and have a good time.”
The timing helps, too. Deloitte surveyed 4,000 people and found only about 45% of Americans planned to take a summer vacation this year, the lowest mark in six years. Even with that backdrop, tourism leaders in Tampa Bay say visitors are still coming to the area at a healthy pace.
Snipes sees the World Series as more than a baseball event. He said it gives the region a national stage to sell itself in a very simple way.
“This is going to be a really good opportunity for the Tampa Bay region to advertise itself and say, ‘Hey, it’s late October, it’s freezing, we’ve got three feet of snow in Buffalo. But hey, down here in St. Petersburg, we’ve got beautiful weather, and really good baseball.”
Tampa Bay has hosted plenty of big moments before, including the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Finals and NCAA Women’s Final Four. This World Series will be the Rays’ third appearance, and it carries a twist: with the Brewers on the other side, both clubs are still chasing their first championship win.
The last World Series game at the Trop came in 2008 against the Phillies. The Rays also reached the 2020 World Series, but lost to the Dodgers in six games at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
This series arrives during the final years of the Rays’ run at Tropicana Field. The team is under contract to stay in St. Petersburg for two more seasons, and its next home is a $2.3 billion stadium in Tampa, projected to open in spring 2029.
Snipes said the World Series presence should shine a light on the Rays and the region, while reinforcing the idea that the club is staying put.
“A World Series, really for any team, is always going to be something special,” Snipes said. “Especially for the Rays.
Last year, we didn’t even have a home, and there was uncertainty that they were going to get the dome done on time for this season. For a lot of people, especially for fans, this is a reason to celebrate where we live, celebrate the team.”
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