@mainepublic
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@mainepublic Portland’s minor league sports teams generate over $110 million each year in economic activity and support over 900 jobs. That’s according to a new report from the Maine Center for Business and Economic Research. Caroline Paras with the center said researchers looked at the impacts of the team’s hiring, business-to-business deals, and visitor spending to generate the numbers. “Attending a game from over 50 miles away takes 6-8 hours,” Paras said. “You’ve got travel. You’ve got a three-hour game. You’ve got pre-game ritual, post-game ritual. You’re talking about an eight-hour day, and for visitors, day trippers, it’s the reason that they come into Portland.” The report found that the Portland Sea Dogs generated more than half of the overall economic activity, and the Maine Celtics generated the least at just under $10 million. Mayor Mark Dion said it’s fair for people to question the city’s partnerships with teams, especially with potential changes to the Portland Expo and the Hearts of Pine’s proposed stadium. He hopes the data unveiled in this report will help inform some of the city’s decisions ahead. “Having a new athletic facility is really a model in cooperation, conciliation, and consensus between everybody who might be using it. And I hope it’ll inform other councilors as we proceed down these various paths having to do with policy and sports arenas,” Dion said. The Portland Expo is owned by the city of Portland and is the oldest operating sports venue in the nation, originally built in 1914. An assessment done earlier this year found it needs more than $300 million in repairs. 🎥: Video from a press conference in Portland on September 16, 2026 (Madi Smith/Maine Public)
