Sports and sporting events generate up to $280 million dollars annually for the Pikes Peak Region. That's the finding of a new report examining the Colorado Springs sports economy from non-profit Colorado Springs Sports Corporation along with UCCS and the Southern Colorado Business Forum and Digest.
Authors of the report call it the best comprehensive assessment of the impact of sports that’s been done locally.
The sports economy is anchored by the Springs’ close ties to Team USA, through hosting the headquarters of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as well as its associated training center and museum. Next comes collegiate athletics from the three distinct programs of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado College and UCCS. The city’s professional soccer club, the Switchbacks, as well as locally hosted professional events, round out the top drivers.
Nearly 2,000 full-time jobs are directly involved in the sports economy, ranging from employees of sports organizations themselves, to venue operators and vendors. An additional 1,150 jobs work in related supply chain businesses and other sectors, according to the study.
The $280 million in local impact represents the high end of estimates. Study authors gave a conservative estimate of nearly $260 million in impact. Both estimates were higher than the pre-existing baseline estimate of nearly $202 million. That estimated impact includes everything from ticket costs and hotel bookings to restaurant spending.
Figures compiled for the report did not include sports entertainment dates from home games of the Switchbacks or Rocky Mountain Vibes baseball team. Nor did it include the 2025 U.S. Senior Open golf tournament held at the Broadmoor resort or the 2025 Department of Defense Warrior Games largely held at Colorado College.
The study also did not mention that 2025 marked the last season of the Rocky Mountain Vibes and that three Olympic Governing Bodies (USA Archery, USA Taekwondo, and USA Judo) moved their training activities out of Colorado Springs to the U.S. Performance Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The biggest recommendation from what is intended to be an ongoing annual report is for the city to dedicate more attention and resources to boosting sports as a top local industry. Such attention would help sports become “a defining element of regional identity, a driver of economic vitality and a foundation for continued growth” the report argues.
