Every summer, families from across the country gather at Marvin Norcross Stadium in Waco to cheer on boys and girls competing in the Little League Southwest Region Tournaments.
This year, the city hosted softball and baseball teams from East Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The baseball bracket also included teams from Arkansas and Mississippi.
“When those people come into town, they need a place to stay — and they spend money,” said Waco Mayor Jim Holmes.
Holmes said the tournaments give the local economy a healthy boost. Hotels see the biggest gains, but the impact extends beyond lodging.
“We track attendance at different museums — the Dr Pepper Museum, the Sports Hall of Fame, the Mammoth Site — and we see more people coming in during these Little League tournaments,” Holmes said.
Last year, that added up to nearly $1.3 million in above-average spending during the tournament weeks, according to city officials.
“The sales tax portion of that impact — maybe $30,000 to $40,000 — goes directly into city coffers,” Holmes said. “And we’ve seen strong revenue, even in this inflationary environment.”
While the tournaments bring an economic lift to the city, they also come with personal costs for many families.
Kassy Cox, whose son Boston plays for the team from Tulsa, Oklahoma, said parents pay out of pocket for travel and lodging.
“It’s paid for for all the boys and the coaches,” she said. “Parents — obviously getting down here, travel — is pretty expensive.”
Still, Cox said the experience is worth it.
And if you ask Boston Cox or any other kid around the ballfield what the best part of the tournament is? They'll tell you “playing baseball."
For Cox and his teammates, it’s about chasing a dream — one pitch, one game at a time. And maybe, if things go just right, all the way to the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania.
As the tournament wraps up for the year, city leaders are reminded that the road to the World Series doesn’t just run through the ballpark — it runs through Waco’s restaurants, museums, hotels and small businesses, too.
