Woodchucks Report on Economic Impact
Wausau, WI – In addition to the long-term economic impact that the multimillion-dollar renovations have had since 2014, the Woodchucks also have a yearly impact on the Wausau area’s economy.
This past season the Woodchucks were able to grow to a fully staffed front office. In 2022 the Woodchucks employed 5 full-time, year-round front office staff members, three of the new front office full-time staff members moved to the Wausau area for their jobs with the team. We also employed 16 interns and 68 game day staff members. This accounts to a labor income of over $430,500. 25% of the Woodchucks summer interns were not local to the area and moved here temporarily for the summer, bringing their housing, food, and entertainment spending to the Wausau area. Game day staff members for the Wausau Woodchucks join us every summer, and for many of them it’s their first job! This year 11 game day staff members were new to the workforce.
During the 2022 season 43,957 people attended Woodchucks games at Athletic Park. Approximately 6% of these fans were from out of state, coming from 25 different states, with the most out of state visitors coming from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois. Even within Wisconsin, Woodchucks fans travel to Wausau from all over with fans coming from south of Milwaukee to north of Bayfield. While most of our fans were from the Wausau area, 3% of Wisconsin based fans came from north of Highway 8 and another 2% were from the Fox Valley area. It is likely that many of Woodchucks game attendees coming from further distances spent additional time and money in the Wausau area.
Another way the Woodchucks contributed to our local economy was by choosing to use local companies as vendors for items like stadium signage, apparel, concession items and transportation. This focus on using local vendors started with the stadium renovations, in which 90% of the $10 million of construction contracts were awarded to local contractors. In total these local vendor relations infused the local economy with over $300,000 in 2022 alone.
A large way the Woodchucks had an indirect economic impact on the Wausau area was by updating their brand back to the Wausau Woodchucks. Now, whenever the team travels to their away games those fans are all seeing the name Wausau on the players’ jerseys. Another benefit of the new branding is that when the Northwoods League scores are scrolling on channels such as Bally Sports North, the team’s name now shows as ‘WAU’ as opposed to ‘WIS’ as it has previously. It’s another way the Woodchucks are putting Wausau on the map.
The Woodchucks look forward to continuing to strengthen the local economy for many years to come. The team will start their 30th season in Wausau in May 2023.
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The Wausau Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 29th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.woodchucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Woodchucks as your favorite team.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
