Quad Cities, Where Sports Tourism Grows

We sit down with John David of Sports ETA to unpack the surge in sports tourism, the rise of women’s athletics, and how smart facilities turn weekend tournaments into lasting economic impact. Stories, data, and practical plays show how authentic moments become lifelong memories.

• sports eta’s four pillars and national view
• data on female participation and leadership links
• facility development as economic infrastructure
• spectator versus participatory tourism dynamics
• how youth events seed future leisure travel
• authentic local touches that elevate events
• examples from Spokane and Central Florida
• practical ways hotels and partners can lean in
• bmx origins, olympic pathway, and facility playbook
• quad cities momentum and community pride

Thank you, John. Visit sportsquadcities.com for planners, fans, and upcoming events. It all starts with Visit — explore more at VisitQuadCities.com

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Transcript

Welcome And Mission Of QC

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Where do you find a family of communities connected by the Mississippi River and grounded by real people with real stories? Where explorers, entrepreneurs, investors, and dreamers discover a place that's world-class, hassle-free, and refreshingly genuine. QC That's Where. Coming to you from the Union Station Podcast Studio, this is QC That's Where's the Captain Black Dr.

Meet John David And Sports ETA

SPEAKER_05 0:32

Welcome to QC That's Where? I'm your host, Katrina, and I'm so excited today to have John David of the Sports ETA in the Union Station Podcast Studio with me today. Hello, are you? Thanks for having us in Johnson Town for a short while, and we have basically not one year to have a table, but um that's the women in the world. So sports ETA, uh sports events and tourism association, you're the president's EO. What is your what's your day-to-day, and how'd you get into that slot?

SPEAKER_01 1:05

You know, sports and tourism, if you're not familiar with the association, we're the trade association with industry. We've got over 800 members across the United States, with the majority of the members of visiting quite quad cities. And you know, day-to-day is spectacular. I mean, it's so much fun. Alex, I feel so humbled and honored because I truly say that about 50% of what I do is telling your stories. You know, whether it's speaking at the Illinois governor's conference on tourism or park and recreation conferences, you know, one of the things I love to do is nationwide being an advocate for the industry. And when I need to come to a great destination like this and see the body work that you all do, I live here and I'm so motivated and so excited and passionate, you know, and just inspired. I'm inspired by the efforts that happen there. And so with our association folks are full tools: education, advocacy, resources, and networking. So we own and operate a series of events which motivate uh you know and create networking opportunities and create deep education. You know, how do you guys attract rate toward women into your town? If you're a rights holder, you know, how do you partner with a destination? You know, if you're an industry partner, you know, how do you maximize housing opportunities or technology opportunities? So everything within that ecosystem. We also do a ton of data and research, uh, like we're presenting at the various presentations that we're on here in town, to really showcase the power of what you all do. But I'll just say we're we're very narrow in scope because it's always tourism, but we're extremely in the depth of what we do as far as resources and what we provide to industry.

Data Trends In Women’s Sports

SPEAKER_05 2:39

We're so fortunate to have you as a national partner. Um, you know, having having your expertise and having your time and kind of looking at you know the trends across the nation, um, what are other communities and destinations seeing is super helpful. Um we were just this morning we were in our board meeting, and you had the opportunity to share some trends and talked about female athletics and disabilities. Um, what are some like really important numbers about each of those facets that you think destinations should really cling on to as we try to grow?

Facilities Arms Race And Community ROI

Spectator Vs Participatory Tourism

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Sure, sure. I mean the first thing I'll talk about is female sports participation. And it's the numbers are staggering. First and foremost, we all need to know every single year since 2019 we've had significant increasing growth in just raw participation in sports, which is phenomenal. So we know that from a sports tourism perspective, we've got a really long runway. So when you start breaking down the female participation, the numbers are spectacular. Let me give you a great example. In the team sports, female participation had never eclipsed 20% ever. It's now eclipsed 20% for the first time in 2025. So that's a staggering number. When we look at the impact of women's basketball, the gate and car effect, if you will, and what that's done for that sport, but look at women's wrestling, women's flying football, so volleyball, cheer and dance, so many different women's sports. Their numbers are just staggered right now. I mean, absolutely staggering participation. And it's phenomenal. And the biggest thing that I love at the quote, it's meaningful for me. I have three dollars. I mean, you know, they all were sports athletics, they were all athletes, all participated, and it's it's meaningful for me personally. And one of the quotes that I love 94% of all women in the C-suite perform athletes. 94%. That is a staggering number. So when I think of that statistic, I think of the growth in female sports today, where are we going to be in another decade? So it's really exciting. You also mentioned facility development. I spent 25 years with USA B Max. I when I was the tip of the spirit of that organization, helping build new VMAX facilities across the country. I love that work of advocating and helping a new facility coming around and watch these families walk to it. I love seeing that. It is literally an arms race in facility development. We're seeing so much growth in so many communities that are coming in and adding new facilities. It could be partner migration facilities, you know, it could be more specific design facilities. So there's tons of opportunity there. I'll tell you what what every community in America is understanding. Every community in America post-pandemic is understanding the power of sports tourism. They were recognizing the great benefit that it had. They're seeing it just in hotel overnight consumption has to go check out the impact. But I'll tell you what they're seeing with civilizes. They're seeing that if they as a community work, you master the web complex, and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, local citizens have this great world-class facility that's paying for itself with visitors and taxation Friday, Saturday, and Sunday returns. And that is starting to scale as you want. And everyone's realizing that because there's not a park director in America that you're going to go look at and talk to, and you're going to say, Do you have all the facilities that you need? And they're going to say, yes, that doesn't exist. Nowhere. So everyone needs more facilities. What sports tourism does is it takes oftentimes that kind of standard facility. And now you've got those great professionals of sports tourism here about cities that go and say, hey, let's not do it at that level. What if we do this? Now we're this great asset for the community. It's also a random generator. So again, like last time I had a chance to go tour TTK. And I mean this for those of you who've never been in this facility, it's not like they've ever seen the retail hotels. This is also a hospital space to be built. If that facility, last time there were thousands of families there. What would they be doing?

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

What would they be doing? Yeah, they would not be participating. They'd be traveling somewhere else. And instead, they have so I love that conversation.

SPEAKER_05 7:22

Yes. And what you mentioned this morning, and it's all sort of part of sports tourism, and it's it's kids and families. It's two amateur sports. Um can you kind of talk about the vast difference between the professional sports, which are great to have studies and professional teams, but then also the impact those kids and families are making.

Planting Lifelong Travel Memories

SPEAKER_01 7:48

If I go to the Johnny Classic, I'm a spectator traveling town, comes see a great alternative. Uh and then the contrary to that is certainly you know participatory sports tourism. That's what your family, you know, you're participating in that, maybe your son or daughter, you know, that that's the majority of those kind of things. And they're very different, but they're equally important. And one of the things that we'll tell every destination is you know, you want to be able to focus on a you know, you want to have a great spectator event that might have some great media coverage again, like your John Deere Classic, you know, that's well-round and things that nature has a high profile event, tons of our media that are armed for that, that's great for overall leisure travel and tourism. But when you actually look at the numbers, youth and amateur and participatory sports tourism nationwide is a much larger number. And it's just because of the millions of tournaments and weekend events, and we did events that are happening over and over again. And what we love about that, and what we try to advocate from a tourism standpoint with sports tourism, is when we talk about future tourism and that pipeline, how are we gonna be quoting families to come to Quad Cities, you know, not just today, but but in 10 years. Because when we take a kid, and they're 10 years old, and that first hotel that they've ever stayed at is in Quad Cities, and the arena is across the street. That's one of the most exciting moments of that kid's life. You have planted a seed that will last forever. And I'll give you a great example of this in one of my personal life. I grew up on hospital service with a kid. I raised BMX and I raised Lord Across all across the United States. Uh born in Batteries, Louisiana, and and mostly around I 10. I had never been north of Interstate before. Never mind. And in a week, I qualified to go to a race in Bloodville, Tennessee, eastern Tennessee. Okay? Being from Southern Louisiana, I had never seen fall foliage.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Oh, okay. Ever.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Like I've never seen the fall leaves and those kinds of things. Right? So I go and go this way. I can close my eyes today, and I'm a 13-year-old kid with my dad, and I'm driving up this freshly light out road, and I can see the orange in those leaves. And it is such a vivid memory for me to go waste that top gun road cross race. So fast forward, I have three dollars. They've been born and raised in the chamber zone. Do you know what my three dollars have never seen?

SPEAKER_05 10:11

What?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Fall fold. Oh, do you know where I took down on a vacation?

SPEAKER_02 10:17

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

I did. And that's the scene that that opportunity towards towards the grace. And it's it's those stories that have to be told. I think when I see what we've all lived in quad cities, that's what's so exciting about what we're having. Give it 10-15 years and let these scenes grow.

SPEAKER_05 10:36

So what like what can hoteliers, um, community partners, us, what can we be doing right now to help sports to grow? Like, like take a capital investment and like switch it aside just right now, what we can do.

How Destinations Create Authentic Moments

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Wean in. It's simple. It's simple. Lean in. I mean, that's what we love to share and showcase. I think that's what's important. The other thing that I challenge every destination is you you have to find a way to make an event where help support us for a little bit. How do you make that event need the closet? Now that's not easy. You know, in some destinations, it's it's very easy to be very authentic. Uh I'll give you some great examples a little bit about that. When you're hosting great events, the last thing that you want your attendees to do is to come in and see the airport, the interstate, the hotel, the field, and that's it. You need them to be really injected into the community and understand what it's all about. So one of my favorite examples is Little Kentucky. We would host five races in the Little Kentucky. Every single year, they would bring out the publisher. The publisher from Churchill Downs in front of Kentucky Derby, he would in full like regalia do the call to post before being experts. It was so incredibly cool because it was so authentic to the community. So in one of the other districts we were working with, I was a little kick-on, and they did such a great job. And I was going to have been there for 10 years. And one day I called them up and I said, you know, guys, we're we're this bad, beautiful facility, custom little Phoenix Racing. And we're like out here, like this is the heart of the Southwest. I mean, and we're not doing anything authentic. I gave them some ideas. And so they came back to me and they said, okay, we've got some calls. Yeah. And like, we're going to come out and bring out Mariachi band. And I'm like, what? Like, no, they can go out and retire here, and it'll be amazing. So they do. And so we're in the middle of pro practice, and I got a 10-person mariachi band doing their thing with hats really and all stuff. And I'm like, this is the weirdest thing I ever like. And then they there's an hand. I'm like, the national land, can they do that? Like, is that okay? So it was a new little thing.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

So later that year, uh wear seasons of value. And I always love to ask our customers, what did you really enjoy? Like, what was the one moment that really mattered? So I see this family before and his father's son, and his son almost talked about 12 years old. I I seen all of them. And I asked them, I said, How many minutes do you have to do this year? No, I'm going to 11 minutes. I'm like, 11 nationalists. And I'm like, what would have been if I stand out of the list? Yeah. And the dad sits there and capturing his beard. He's like, oh, good question for the kid.

Who’s Doing It Right And Why

SPEAKER_02 13:40

He says, don't pass.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

That's our mission.

unknown 13:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Leave a lifelong memory. Yes. That's I tell all of our members. No one will avoid it. All you gotta do is leave a lifelong memory.

SPEAKER_05 13:55

Is there a destination? And that's a great example. Is there a destination that is just like across the board, overall just doing it right?

SPEAKER_01 14:02

You know, there's several. I mean, there's so many of our members that I sit back and look at, and I'm just so impressed with how they're engaging in it. Um, you know, one of the ones that I've got to spend time with lately that I just continue to be blown away with, with how holistically they're doing it so well in terms of similar development, in terms of events that they may operate, in terms of overall impact, and just the wisdom that they're approaching it. And I'm spoken in Washington.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Spoken towards Michigan.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Uh Ashley Blake, uh, she's one of my bosses, she's one of my workers, and uh they're so smart, and their approach has been so impressive with facilities podium that's got an indoor track facility. Yeah, that is like the marvel of the Civic World. They just built this beautiful cross-country facility, but then they also look at some of the weekend and participated in. So they're the one that I point to that I was impressed with. But uh the whole county, Central Florida, uh Central Florida, Central Florida sports, they are a juggernaut, a juggernaut in sports, and their approach and what they do and their team there, there is so impressive. This is it's 30 years of wisdom that has been at the point there that they've done. But when you look at the raw number of events that they have, the impact of the communities had a chance to come in and take the board and watch the millions of dollars that they were reinvesting in facilities. It was unbelievable. All funding from all the hotels in the entire county comes in and they work to disperse that. But when you're seeing, you know, technically a destination marketing organization, demo like these about cities that they're going and saying, you know, we're putting three million dollars to turn the field here at this bar in this city, and the next city we're doing this, that's this happening scale.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

And to me, when I again I think about thing work, where would we be?

SPEAKER_05 16:06

Now, I can't let you go away without talking about your VMX test because I know you were with uh you with the VMX for decades. Um you co-produced some Olympic trials, like tell me everything. VMX is a we have a VMX channel. Um there's just there's an audience for it, and and there's something that you know we can stand and put some more energy into because they're out there, it's so fun, so cool.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Which I grew up with some VMX and uh really the the you know the second sport that I fell in love with. And it's just a great culture. You know, it's this board where everyone is so excited. It's this mix of people. It's so fascinating too because you'll have kids that are the absolute best in your entire school that's a BMX racer, and they're and they're loved and beloved, and they fit in. You'll have another kid that's probably the least athletic kid that's equally as loved and beloved in that culture.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

And that to me is what was also special is that it's such an inclusive place. So it's this crazy inclusive sport. And I raised it as a kid, and uh when I was going to NSH, Louisiana, I had the pleasure of running the VMX track because in Madden, Louisiana, and wanted to attain a natural internet. And I testered my heart so much, uh, she was like, listen, I'm gonna set up a meeting in the sports condition. Like, you gotta stop talking about this in National Method. Like, just don't I don't care anymore, go talk to the sports fish. Member those guys, and uh basically pester them as well, you know, and uh they just helped me go out and create response to an RP, create a proposal, and I drove 18 hours to handle it with the proposal of the national government in one event. Yeah, and and so we had to do change in nationals, and uh we hosted that event about six months later.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

Okay, and so that was my crazy star into it.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

But all I wanted to do is I raised national tournaments, I wanted to bring one to my city. I'm from southern Louisiana. I love tourism and hospitality, it's in my DNA and my blood. And I just wanted to do that, and then it got me this big, you know, and I was out there, my job was to help create new facilities and help grow the sport of the MX. And I again I think it's very similar to what I do today. I can tell you your stories, I can tell me what you guys do. I got to just tell what Paul Paul runs the attractive, which is a great facility, an amazing human being that volunteers, dedicates his time because he's a racer too. And he just wants to see those families have an opportunity to go into the great sport. And fast forward, the sport becomes a limit sport. Yes. And so all of a sudden, because of VMX I'm fought in Switzerland to be with the International Federation, I got to learn two Olympic trials, help get not BMX racing, VMX freestyle into the Olympics. And it was just amazing. But in a long way, when I was trying to build the facilities, what I learned and when I started having success was when I started pairing with the business club cities in the world, that's when our sport started growing. Because you have to have facilities at sport, right? If you had zero basketball courts in America, how many kids playing basketball? Yeah, and so that's how it was too. Because we had three national minutes with VMAX, we needed new destinations, and we would partner with a destination, build a facility with guaranteed minutes. And so I got involved with uh sport TTA on their board, and I was on their board for 11 years. I'm the longest, there's never been a board member that has had a 10 years long as me.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

It could be long I loved it.

Family Sports Paths And Local Flavor

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Every time we get in a board member, I don't know if I could build the track. And I did most of the time. I mean, most everybody I found someone who businesses with them, I fell in love with the industry. Yeah, with sports tourism. And when the opportunity came up to do VMX, you know, the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. Uh those people were familiar with the people. Not only the families that participated in the sport, the kids I got to watch grow up, you know, but also the staff and teens that I know. But uh we sat down the first day and list of things. And it was a kid's forward to do it. You know, build an actual headquartering facility. It was all these things we account. 25 years I was an air. And I was like, and the last thing we were doing, we opened up a$26 million facility in a total model with headquarters and music and everything else. And the remote cutter on that, and I had what's the thing? Yeah. And so it was just such a great time in my life to go make a transition to sports ETA. And I'm not sure that.

SPEAKER_05 20:56

That's incredible. Congratulations, by the way, on all the successes that you've helped help me make VMX into. And a few EMX was a specific sport you fell in love with.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Oh football. Oh I love I love football. That was my thing. But yeah, by the time I basically hit like sixth grade, I'm like, I don't think this is gonna work out for me. And I got MMS. Yes. And it was a place for size better. I mean, you could you could do amazing things, you know, and it's just a foundation.

SPEAKER_05 21:26

What sports are your daughters too?

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Yeah, that's crazy. So younger daughter, all music. I mean you name it. There's a music program, all she does is music all along. And it's still a sport when you go to a march and competition, the world championship for which was amazing. It's a sport, you know, it's just it's an artistic sport. So I love that one. Uh little bar she played softball and soccer on the hall. And then all the stuff actually was a sports sales manager for visitors.

SPEAKER_05 21:54

Oh, very cool. So she was a couple circle. Yeah, she worked with now as is.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

She was in dance and cheer and play soccer.

Community Pride, Metrics, And Close

SPEAKER_05 22:05

Yeah. Amazing. Running in your family. That's awesome. So anything you're dying to experience, anything you want to taste, you've got whites, you got to know what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

You guys think it's so funny too we're driving over here and judging routine by absolutely all we've known for years. We're going through things. I'm looking in the city, and my favorite thing after a trip like this is when I get home and I want to call by my wife. And my litmus test, my personalist test, is do I tell my wife, hey, you know, what do we need to come somewhere? And literally, I can't wait to call my wife and be like, hey, we need to come to me here. Because I think this could be a tough eating, this is bar scene, it's just really culture. And there's so many those two things. But uh yeah, I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to come back in summertime. The last time I was here, you know, we did it at MX National video, and I think the last time in 2015, seeing what has transpired years here, it's a fun unbelievable one. I mean, this is a town that is doing great, great things. And you can feel the community behind it. And it's just a beautiful town. Yeah, yeah. I mean, and in 2014, you just got a chance to hear you know how the residents feel about their community. And uh organization called introduced that study company. We highly work within the MRCR studies, who we respect. This is some of the best known numbers you've ever seen. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_05 23:46

I'm so happy to hear you say that. When you were saying you're gonna call away my talk, one away, the other, standing on the shelf, like how do you do that? I'm so excited and happy that you guys want to come back. And it's been 10 plus years you've been in the last time. So welcome back again. So glad to have you. Um I guess we will I'll let you get in on your days and know you're busy. So let's have you finish off this podcast. We'll ask you the ageable question. QC, that's where QC that's that's where we're going to be first. I love that. Thank you so much. Thank you, John. Um, in just a few moments, our outfits will invite you to visit quadcities.com, our website visitquadcities.com, which I highly recommend. But if you are listening on this podcast and you have made it to this point, I'm gonna send you to sportsquadcities.com. That is full of all the information for our sports planners, our sports fanatics, and all the events we've got coming up. That's where you'll want to be for this podcast. So thank you again. And remember, it all starts with visit.

SPEAKER_00 24:47

You've been listening to QC That's Where, powered by Visit Quad Cities. The stories don't stop here. There's always more happening, more to discover, and more reasons to say QC That's Where. Explore it all at VisitQuadCities.com.