Leaders discuss the sports industry’s role in the Twin Cities’ economy, culture and community life
Writer: Pablo Marquez
April 2025 — Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the few metropolitan areas in the United States with six professional sports teams. The Twin Cities are home to the Minnesota Twins baseball, Minnesota Vikings football, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx basketball, Minnesota Wild hockey and Minnesota FC soccer. Greater MSP is considered to be one of the best sports cities in America, considering that Chicago, New York, and Washington are the only other cities that have six professional sports teams. The sports industry in the Twin Cities plays a significant role in the region’s culture, community life, and fiscal bottom line.
The six professional sports teams, collectively, provide a substantial boost to the region’s economy. That, however, requires investment to keep the facilities operational and attractive so fans want to continue coming back. The proposed $769 million renovation of the Xcel Energy Center and surrounding venues is projected to boost annual local spending by $110 million and create over 5,000 permanent jobs. The Minnesota Lynx have experienced increased fan engagement, with a 15% rise in attendance and a 90% surge in merchandise sales in 2024. Target Field enhancements for the 2025 season aim to improve fan experience and operational efficiency, reflecting the Twins’ commitment to infrastructure investment. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bank Stadium is projected to require $280 million in maintenance over the next decade, with $48 million of that amount needed in the next year.
Industry leaders in the region, including Matt Majka, CEO of Minnesota Wild; Al Stauffacher, president and CEO of Twin Cities Gateway; and Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson, president and CEO of Visit Saint Paul, shared their insights on the Twin Cities’ continued growth and success as a national leader in sports entertainment.
Matt Majka, CEO, Minnesota Wild
For the size of our market, we are robust and diverse in terms of the number of sports available at the major league level. We have all major sports in the Twin Cities, which is impressive considering that we are vastly different from places like New York City or Los Angeles. We are a relatively smaller, midsize market but still have professional hockey, basketball, baseball, football and soccer. We also have a number of major colleges in the Twin Cities, so there is a lot available to fans and customers throughout the area. It’s quite competitive, and we found that when all the teams are doing well, there is space for everyone. The teams are all quite friendly with each other. The sports teams in the Twin Cities prioritize a collaborative effort to lift all tides.
Al Stauffacher, President & CEO, Twin Cities Gateway
Sporting events are our bread and butter, there are great sports facilities in the Twin Cities. Many people don’t know about the National Sports Center, but our other cities also have phenomenal facilities. The Twin Cities Gateway always wants to brag about our place on the national sports stage and capitalize on our status as the sports mecca of the U.S. For example, the Target USA Cup is the largest soccer tournament in the Northern Hemisphere with over 1,200 teams participating this year, and this competition takes place at the MSC National Sports Center. The 10-day event is massive for our community. We intend to continue pushing sports harder on an international level, especially in Canada.
Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson, President & CEO, Visit Saint Paul
Minnesota Sports & Events was formed after the work to host the Super Bowl. It results from the collaboration between Meet Minneapolis, Bloomington CVB, and Visit Saint Paul. It focuses on working together to bring large, signature events that can impact Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota Sports & Events has grown, and the impact of the events that are coming is awesome. Those include the Women’s Final Four tournament, USA Gymnastics, and the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. We are pumped to have that support and to be able to bring in these bigger events.
For more information visit:
https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/
