June 28, 2023 | Sports Destination Management
#209: June 28, 2023
Pickleballs

Beyond Bed & Bath: Former Big Box Stores Becoming "Picklemalls"

The rise of e-commerce has driven some big box stores out of business. What is happening with the space left behind? In many cases, it is being capitalized on to host the next big growth sector: pickleball. It makes sense, too: Such stores have lighting, high ceilings, ample space, rest rooms and HVAC, as well as parking - and they're accessible.

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Destination Spotlight

Discover the Best of Sports and Recreation in Harford County, Maryland

It's time to put Harford County, Maryland top-of-mind mind when considering destinations along the East Coast. Yes, of course there are great venues for baseball but there are also places for bass fishing, lacrosse, soccer and more, as well as hotels in every price point, plenty to do when games are done - and lots of reasons to come back.

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Discover the Best of Sports and Recreation in Harford County, Maryland
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Featured Destination
Rocky Mount Event Center: Situated for Success

Rocky Mount Event Center: Situated for Success

Located just an hour east of Raleigh, North Carolina is the southern-charmed city of Rocky Mount, home to the Rocky Mount Event Center.

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In other news and commentary...
Sky-High in Confusion: Can You Fly the Hempward Pennant?

Getting ready to fly and want to know whether your CBD (or THC; we're not judging) products can accompany you? Here's the first thing you need to do: Stop surfing. The Internet is a nice resource, but information you'll find there could be outdated, inaccurate and, well, downright biased. And with regulations changing, you want to be in the know.

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Titan's Tragedy and its Chilling Impact on Deep Sea Tourism

It seems as though deep sea tourism is a bit like space tourism: Everyone wants to do it - until they don't, and usually, they don't because something high-profile and catastrophic has happened. OceanGate had been running crewed expeditions in a submersible vehicle to look at the Titanic wreckage since 2021. Suddenly, last week, everything went wrong.

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Lighting of Sports Venues Remains Biggest Hot Button in Growth

We've heard plenty of complaints about noise pollution and parking problems caused by sports facilities in neighborhoods. But one of the hottest hot buttons, and the one that tends to raise the most concern, is lighting. And for cities who want to use sports complexes to attract tournaments, it's something to be addressed sooner, rather than later.

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Magnet Fishing Attracting Not Just Scavengers But Competitions

Unless you've been hiding in a fallout shelter, it has been impossible to miss magnet fishing. The social media phenom has morphed into clubs, meetups and even competitions. It has also raised questions about the ownership of salvaged goods. After all, people are pulling out bicycles, dockless scooters, license tags, guns and live bombs. (Wait. What...?)

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MLB Teams Opening Youth Sports Training Centers

It's a long road (and a long shot) from youth baseball to the big leagues but some teams are trying to shorten the distance between those two points by opening youth baseball and softball training centers in their communities. Such centers not only develop local talent but increase participation. And that's good news, because demand is trending up.

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What's Trending? Naked Sports, from Road Races to Pickleball

It's summer, and while that generally means the ability to go without socks (or without shoes entirely), there's also a demand for sports that don't require clothing at all, and in fact, where wearing clothing is actively discouraged. Here's a roundup of some of those, from the World Naked Bike Ride to nude pickleball to running sans shorts.

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Inside Events
Inside Events: World Wiffleball® Championship

Inside Events: World Wiffleball® Championship

The 44th World Wiffleball® Championship is currently scheduled for July 15-16, 2023, at Memorial Park in Midlothian, Illinois. Yes, the game with rules similar to those of baseball has gone, well, big league. It has strong traditions, but it never takes itself too seriously. Co-Commissioner Mike Baniak sat down with SDM to talk about the sport.

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Instagram Photo of the Week

"LumberJill" Martha King represented the USA in Rotterdam at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® 2023 International Women Cup and World Trophy on June 10 | Photo by STIHL TIMBERSPORTS | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook |YouTube

Send us your photos! Send them directly to us or use #sportsdestinations in your posts. Select photos will be presented on sportsdestinations.com, SDM Blitz and in the latest issues of Sports Destination Management magazine. Use #sportsdestinations via Twitter or Instagram

Instagram Photo of the Week
Read the latest issue of Sports Destination Management

May/June 2023 Issue Cover

May/June 2023

There are many great things to see when studying the sports business industry: Emerging trends, the creation and growth of an alternative accommodations market, new sports and plenty more. But the one thing that never changes is that it is an industry of stories. This issue celebrates those stories, whether it's successful facilities, innovative marketing campaigns, boosting economic impact or even collaborating with competitors. We invite you to sit back and enjoy these success stories and even to get some new ideas as you write your own.

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Last word...

"You wonder if a fish goes home and exaggerates the size of the bait it stole."

~ Bob Hope






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