We’re looking at a situation without Notre Dame football until the spring or maybe even next year. For most of us, we’d only lose a small part of our autumn lives. However, South Bend’s economy stands to lose a lot more if there’s no football at all.
A story by WNDU-TV sheds light on the situation. This community already lost a healthy dose of revenue when Notre Dame’s 2020 commencement went virtual. If Rob Decleene, Executive Director for Visit South Bend/Mishawaka, is correct, a lost football season would be devastating. One football weekend bring in $17 million from visitors to St. Joseph County and $22 million to the South Bend/Elkhart region.
All told, $102 million in economic impact is at risk. The bars, restaurants, stores and hotels that rely heavily on fans who spend all or part of their weekends in South Bend in the fall will need to start thinking of ways to keep going without that annual revenue. That might not be easy in a world where COVID-19 reigns supreme and keeps people away during times of year that football isn’t played. As we all know by now, this virus doesn’t discriminate.