The 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic not only shattered attendance and viewership records, but it also generated an economic windfall of more than $35.5m for the local community, according to numbers released by the Visit Knoxville tourism board. Regarded as the “Super Bowl of bass fishing”, the Classic Week activities in Knoxville, Tennessee, attracted a huge crowd of 163,914.
“Knoxville as a destination is the perfect fit for events like the Bassmaster Classic,” said Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “From natural resources like the Tennessee River and surrounding lakes to the multiple venues hosting various events throughout the weekend, fans from all over the world enjoy an experience like no other here in Knoxville.”
Fans travelling from across the US and as far away as Australia and Japan not only packed Thompson-Boling Arena for weigh-ins and the Knoxville Convention Center and World’s Fair Exhibition Hall – which hosted the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by the U.S. Army – but those same visitors accounted for 31,525 room nights at hotels across Knox County.
“We’ve had an excellent relationship with B.A.S.S. since hosting the Elite Series in 2017 [at Cherokee Lake],” said Chad Culver, Sr, director of the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission and Convention Sales. “Our partnership successfully continues with hosting the Bassmaster Classic in 2019, another Elite Series [event] in 2021 and the Classic once again this year in 2023 – the highest attended Classic to date.”
When the Classic was first hosted in Knoxville just four years ago, the event created an economic impact of $32.2m. In addition to producing more than $2.85m in state and local tax revenue, including taxes on sales, restaurant purchases and lodging, the 2023 Bassmaster Classic and associated activities supported a total of 12,698 jobs, according to a report from the local host.
Image: the 2023 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee (Credit: B.A.S.S.)