January 30, 2024

A recent economic impact study by Dr. Fady Mansour of the D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology has helped the city of Columbus hit a grand slam in bringing professional baseball back to the Chattahoochee Valley.

In early January, Diamond Baseball Holdings announced that its Double-A Atlanta Braves affiliate team, the Mississippi Braves, would relocate from Pearl to Columbus following the conclusion of its 2024 season. As part of the move, the Columbus Consolidated Government has approved a $50 million bond issue to upgrade Golden Park. The upgrade is part of a $300 million investment to redevelop Golden Park and the South Commons Softball Complex.

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson was quoted as saying, “This is an exciting day for Columbus and the result of hard work and dedication from a number of parties invested in the future of our community. … This project, anchored by the return of professional-affiliated baseball to Columbus, will have a transformative impact on not only our downtown area but the lives of our residents as well.”

Mansour’s study, part of his work directing the college’s Butler Center for Research & Economic Development, outlines just how transformative the team’s move to Columbus and the related improvements to the Golden Park area will be.

“Our community continues to be a well-known and diverse destination for sports tourism, and this most recent announcement by Diamond Baseball Holdings underscores that,” said Mansour, who also serves as an associate professor of economics in the Department of Accounting & Finance. “The team’s move to Columbus and the improvements to Golden Park that brings promise to bring a significant increase of economic activity, job opportunities and city revenue to the Chattahoochee Valley.” 

Specifically, Mansour’s research cites that the region could expect an estimated $475 million in direct and indirect economic output, an increase of $260 million in Muscogee County’s gross domestic product (with $179 million in labor income), and the addition of 3,934 new jobs. Annually, the sports venue is anticipated to generate $6.26 million in revenues, create 59 jobs, and provide more than $2 million in labor income. The project includes a mixed-used development with apartment condominiums, retail and office spaces, and renovations to the sports venue.

Golden Park currently seats 3,500 spectators, but renovation plans could add more seating as part of the pending improvements that will bring it in line with the MLB’s Minor League facility requirements. The park opened in 1926, and for nearly six decades since the 1950s, it has hosted six Minor League affiliate baseball teams and witnessed baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Cal Ripken running the bases. In addition, the venue hosted the first-ever Olympics Fastpitch Women’s Softball competition during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.

ABOUT THE BUTLER CENTER

Established in 2011, the Butler Center for Research & Economic Development is an applied research center in the Turner College of Business & Technology with the vision of being the region’s leader in providing objective business and economic analysis.

Faculty affiliated with the center provide timely, high-quality and affordable products to benefit business, municipal and community leaders charged with policy analysis, economic impact analysis, market analysis, forecasting and cost/benefit analysis. Their services include collecting, analyzing and generating economic and demographic data on our local region while developing students’ academic and investigative experience in the areas of business and economic research.

For more information or to connect with the Butler Center team, visit www.columbusstate.edu/turner/butler-center/.

Media contact:
Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu 

Related news coverage:
LIVE: Columbus State University on recruitment inpacts of MiLB joining Fountain City (WRBL-TV, Jan. 10, 2024)