Sports Generate Record Revenue in Southland

The sporting events industry contributed $2.7 billion to the Southland economy in 2003, the highest one-year total ever, according to a study released by the Los Angeles Sports Council and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Sporting events -- including professional and college teams, horse tracks and annual events such as the L.A. Marathon -- generated $1.4 billion in direct revenue and $2.7 billion overall, according to the study, conducted by the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Attendance at local sporting events hit an all-time high of 27 million last year -- up 16% from 2000 -- and employment grew to 3,023 full-time and 11,292 part-time workers, also a record, according to the study, which covered Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.