New York, New York is a helluva (sports business) town. <\/p>\n
The 30 teams and permanent events that call the Big Apple home drew a total of 50 million fans during our study and combined for 955 years of tenure, led by the Belmont Stakes, Yankees and tennis\u2019 U.S. Open, which are each more than a century old.<\/p>\n
However, multiple executives said that more affordable markets are clearly cutting into the city\u2019s overall sports business market share and affecting its resident population (which declined by 2.6% from 2020 to 2025).<\/p>\n
FC Barcelona last year relocated its North American commercial headquarters from New York, where it had been since 2016, to Miami. JPMorgan Chase has more workers in its Dallas office than in NYC, and powerhouse private equity firm Apollo Global Management is planning to open a second headquarters in Florida or Texas.<\/p>\n
Home Base:<\/b> The country\u2019s most-populous market is home to 16 NCAA Division I schools and the headquarters of nearly every media company, advertising agency, financial institution, private equity firm, players union and major league, including the newest resident, the NWSL, which moved to Manhattan from Chicago in late 2022. Additionally, StubHub recently expanded its global headquarters by moving to a 103,000-square-foot space at 4 World Trade Center.<\/p>\n
NYC was the study\u2019s top destination for B2B events, such as last month\u2019s Deep Blue Business of Women\u2019s Sports Summit, presented by Geico; this week\u2019s Sports Business Awards ceremony; and July\u2019s annual Fanatics Fest at Javits Center. Also, next month\u2019s NBA Draft at Barclays Center will mark the 23rd time the event has been in the city since 2001.<\/p>\n
Coming Soon: <\/b>Although the U.S. Olympic governing bodies rarely host major events in NYC, Icahn Stadium at Randall\u2019s Island Park will host the Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor and Para National Championships in July.<\/p>\n
The city is approaching the zenith of another sports construction boom that will have seen $4.1 billion in construction since 2018, including a $455 million transformation of Belmont Park that is on schedule to wrap up in September (which led to the race being run in Saratoga 2024-26); next summer\u2019s completion of NYCFC\u2019s $780 million Etihad Park; and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, capping off a decade that will have seen $1.5 billion in renovations.<\/p>\n
New to Town:<\/b> Twenty-one hotels (3,458 rooms) are on track to open in the city this year.<\/p>\n
Key Numbers: <\/b>The city\u2019s per diem is among the highest in the study, ranging from $271 in January and February, to $434 Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.<\/p>\n
Previous Rankings<\/p>\n
2023:<\/b> #2<\/a><\/p>\n 2024 Event Hosting:<\/b> #7<\/a><\/p>\n