The Mississippi State University football team has seen much success this year despite losing its last three games in a row. As a result of this, businesses around Starkville this football season have seen more visitors, increased profits and record nights.
Jennifer Gregory, vice president of tourism development and manager of the Main Street Association, said home football games at MSU are the largest tourism attractions in Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
“Success on the football field definitely brings more fans to the ballgames, which translates to more visitors in our community,” Gregory said. “We see a direct correlation with the number of fans and visitors in town to the economic impact our community experiences.”
Gregory said there are numerous things that factor in to whether more people visit Starkville during the football season.
“We’ve seen that a winning team, a new coach, a fresh perspective and a new marketing campaign definitely brings more fans to the games and to the community,” Gregory said.
Despite losing its last three games, MSU started the football season 7-0 this year, which is something Chad Jennings, general manager of Little Caesars, said has had a large impact on the amount of business he has seen.
“If the football team is successful, we get more business, especially at the stadium,” Jennings said. “We have a vending contract with Aramark, so the better the team plays, the more people that will come to the game.”
Jennings said when the team is doing well, fans will stay in the stadium longer which generally results in selling more pizzas.
Lewis Beane, owner of Corky’s Package Store and Party Place, said he believes more success is a result of two things.
“It depends on who we are playing, and if our team has been successful,” Beane said. “If MSU would have never won a game this year, I think we wouldn’t see as much business as we have.”
Matt Trenary, owner of CJ’s Pizza, said the restaurant’s success is primarily based on game time, but success on the field is also responsible for more business.
“We’ve been serving more people this year compared to last year,” Trenary said. “Being 7-0 and selling out the stadium every game definitely has an effect on how many people will be in Starkville.”
Trenary said he thinks if MSU did not have a single win this year, business would be a lot different at CJ’s.
“If we were winless right now, I don’t think I would be having record nights like I have been having this year,” he said.
Gregory said tourism spending in dollars in Oktibbeha County has increased by almost 25 percent over the last two years.
“There are many factors that contribute to this increase, including the increase of visitors as a result of increased excitement about the football program at MSU,” Gregory said.
Will Malone, manager at The Lodge, said he believes people will show their support regardless of the football team’s record. Malone said even though this is what he believes, business has definitely picked up since the Bulldog’s recent success.
“I absolutely think that being 7-0 earlier this year brought in a lot more people, especially with the We Believe campaign, which got a lot of businesses involved and brought more visitors in,” Malone said. “If MSU was 0-10, I do not think people would be coming in as much as they have been.”
Bryan Elmore, manager of Harvey’s, said if the football team was winless, there would be a prominent effect on business.
“It definitely helps when the football team is winning, games are games though, and loyal fans still come in no matter what happens,” Elmore said. “But when the team is doing well, we do tend to get a lot more business here at Harvey’s.”
Gregory said she is convinced a winning football program will always generate excitement, but if the community does not have events for fans to participate in, restaurants and stores to patron and an inviting and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, fans will not choose to stay long in Starkville.
“There has to be a true partnership between the community and the university’s athletic department, and currently there is,” Gregory said. “The partnership of promoting our athletic program and our community at the same time and consistently working to improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors results in the surge in sales tax receipts, visitors and excitement about our community and university.”