To celebrate the impact of sports tourism in Milwaukee and as part of its National Travel & Tourism Week activations, Sports Milwaukee, powered by Visit Milwaukee, is thrilled to partner with the Milwaukee Brewers™ for a special Bronze Fonz bobblehead scavenger hunt on Friday, May 24. By following the clues to iconic Milwaukee locations, 50 lucky fans will be able to find tickets to the Brewers’ weekend interleague clash against the Chicago White Sox, May 31 – June 3, along with their very own Bronze Fonz bobblehead. 

 

Created to celebrate Milwaukee’s many icons, the Brewers™ molded a bobblehead replica of the famed Bronze Fonz statue, which will be featured as a part of a special ticket package during the team's May 31 match-up against the Chicago White Sox. Keep an eye on Visit Milwaukee’s social media channels for hints at where to find them! 

 

This scavenger hunt is just one example of community activations in which Sports Milwaukee, powered by Visit Milwaukee, is thrilled to participate to drive increased awareness of and attendance at Milwaukee’s sporting events. 

 

Other Sports Partnerships Include: 

 
  • Visit Milwaukee Renews Partnership with Bobby Portis: Visit Milwaukee is thrilled to renew its partnership with Milwaukee Bucks’ Hype Man, Bobby Portis. Bobby most recently starred as our Staff Intern in our “The Office” parody, and he will continue to show his love for the city through the 2024 – 2025 NBA season. 
  • Christian Yelich Home Plate Charity Concert: Visit Milwaukee is partnering with Christian Yelich on his annual Home Plate Charity Concert. This year, proceeds will benefit Team RWB, Brewers Community Foundation™ (BCF) and the Visit Milwaukee Foundation, which grants scholarships to local hospitality students. Team RWB supports wellness programs for military veterans living in the Greater Milwaukee Community, BCF supports more than 200 non-profits in areas of health, education, recreation and basic needs, and Visit Milwaukee Foundation supports students studying hospitality in the Milwaukee area and the hospitality industry with a new emergency relief fund.
  • “Inside the Huddle” Partnership: Later this year, Visit Milwaukee will begin its partnership with “Inside the Huddle” TV show and Lammi Sports Management. The popular Green Bay Packers-focused show is a staple of the NFL football season and will feature fun Milwaukee trivia, commercials, and a partnership with the 2025 NFL Draft to be announced. 
  • Chicago Market Broadcasting: Visit Milwaukee will continue to work with the 670 The Score in Chicago to reach Chicago sports fans through targeted in-game commercials during Brewers and Cubs games this summer, encouraging them to spend more time in Milwaukee when their teams are in town.  
  • Milwaukee Admirals: Locally, Visit Milwaukee has partnered with the Milwaukee Admirals as a sponsor for the 2023-2024 season, including commercials on their AHL broadcasts and in-stadium advertising. This fall, look out for some additional fun and exciting partnerships with the Admirals to extend the new Visit Milwaukee brand! 
  • Milwaukee Wave “Tidal Town” Student Section: For the 2023—2024 Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer season, Visit Milwaukee partnered with the team for a promotion that allowed local university and college students to attend home Wave games for free. Students could redeem free tickets to sit in Visit Milwaukee’s “Tidal Town” section throughout the year. 
 

Impact of Sports Tourism in Milwaukee 

 

The impact of sports tourism, both locally and across the country, cannot be underestimated. As of 2023, Sports ETA, the leading trade association for the sports tourism industry, estimates that the total economic impact of the sports industry nationwide eclipses $128 billion, driving $52.2 billion in direct spending. Each year, the industry supports 757,600 full-time and part-time jobs across the country, contributing $20.1 billion in taxes to the U.S. economy. 

 

Last year alone, Sports Milwaukee filled 50,280 hotel rooms, generating an estimated economic impact of $59 million for the Greater Milwaukee area, while booking 86 events for future years. 

 

So far in 2024, Sports Milwaukee has brought in eight weekends of youth sporting events at Baird Center and in the Wisconsin Center District’s two other properties, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre. These eight weekends of sports events alone have generated: 

 
  • 10,000+ room nights for the city’s hotels
  • 79,000+ visitors to the destination
  • $17.9+ million in economic impact for the community in the first quarter alone
 

In another exciting summer in Milwaukee, the Sports Milwaukee team is thrilled to welcome a series of major sporting events throughout the area, including: 

 
 

And in 2025, Sports Milwaukee looks forward to welcoming visitors for major sporting events, including: 

 
 

For more information about tourism's impact, visit the Tourism Insights page on Visit Milwaukee’s website and learn more about Sports Milwaukee here.