The QC’s sports gem
It’s springtime and that means rain and baseball. It is also an opportunity to be reminded of the importance of sports tourism in the Quad Cities, specifically the gem that is Davenport’s Modern Woodmen Park and its home baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits.
That facility was recently selected for a second time as the nation’s Best Minor League Ballpark by readers of USA Today.
Voters in the national newspaper’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards online balloting picked the riverfront home of the Quad Cities River Bandit from among 20 minor league ballparks across the country that had been selected by a panel of the publication’s editors and industry experts. Modern Woodmen was one of just four ballparks nominated from the Single-A or High-A levels.
It boasts the only double-decker carousel in baseball, its own cornfield, a 690-square-foot 4K video board, 20 luxury suites, and five group areas.
The last time the park got top honors was 11 years ago when USA Today first included ballparks in the poll. This spring, a news release from the Quad Cities River Bandits said, USA Today decided to re-ask that question in its 10Best Poll.
“All of us with the River Bandits are appreciative and humbled to go two for two in being named the best Minor League ballpark in America by USA Today 10Best,” said River Bandits owner Dave Heller.
Corporate support needed and appreciated
Deere & Co. receives a lot of the attention in the Quad Cities from its financial and volunteer support of various organizations, especially nonprofits, to the iconic John Deere Golf Classic. This recognition of Modern Woodmen Park also provides an opportunity to underscore the importance of other corporate support such as Modern Woodmen of America’s long-standing sponsorship of Modern Woodmen Park.
Modern Woodmen of America President and CEO Jerry Lyphout said in the Best Minor League Ballpark news release: “Modern Woodmen Park is a great asset in our community. We’re proud to sponsor this family-friendly venue. It fits our organization’s mission to improve quality of life for our members and their communities very well.”
The ballpark has had its naming rights sponsored by the Rock Island-based fraternal financial services organization Modern Woodmen since 2007 with an initial 10 year agreement, and that has continued for another 10 years with a reported $250,000 annual price tag.
The other significant corporate sponsorship of a sports tourism facility is TBK Bank’s naming rights of the TBK Bank Sports & Entertainment Complex, formerly known as Bettplex, which features indoor-outdoor sports fields, entertainment, event spaces, a restaurant, sports bar and fitness center
TBK Bank’s other community sponsorships include long-time naming-rights support of the TBK Bank Quad Cities Marathon.
This important corporate support with naming rights all the way down to buying tickets for employees and clients helps the region and its burgeoning sport tourism industry and should be a reminder how businesses help drive the economy.
