Texas Rangers center fielder Craig Gentry (23) hits his first home run, an inside the park home run, in the fourth inning, during their baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (Associated Press)
The Texas Rangers are putting Arlington on the map.
The Rangers have reached the World Series two years in a row. Fans from both near and far have attended the playoffs to support their team.
“It’s just a lot of fun. It sets this town on fire, actually. People are really pumped about what’s going on here,” Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. “The economic impact, that is what it does for hotels and restaurants and all that in Arlington…it’s big stuff.”
A comparison of October of 2009 when the Rangers were not in the playoffs to October of 2010 when they went to the World Series shows a 15.9 percent sales tax increase.
“They’ve had more sellouts this season than they’ve ever had and especially during the World Series. The tremendous games that have occurred here have been packed more than ever before,” said Cluck.
The city of Arlington earns about $600 thousand dollars for each regular season game that is played at Rangers Ballpark. During the playoffs, that number increases to about one million dollars per game.
“It’s in our best interest to be ready, to be prepared, to be able to respond quickly, because it helps bring tax dollars to our community,” Arlington Deputy City Manager Trey Yelverton said.
“It turns what would normally be a slow Tuesday night into tables full of Rangers fans ready for the first pitch…a regular Saturday night into a really crowded Saturday night,” Barley House bartender Andrew Thompson said.
These crowds boost sales at local businesses where fans decked out in Rangers gear come to root on the team.
“There’s a lot of Ranger hats, lots of Rangers fans, Washington ‘That’s the way baseball go’ jerseys and things like that,” Thompson said.
With back-to-back trips to the World Series, Rangers fans have had a positive impact on the team and the local economy.
