When a small community has the big-time opportunity to have a nationally-televised Division II playoff game occur in their town everyone –– from the local restaurants to the stores who sell athletic gear –– benefits.
Northwest Missouri State University will host North Alabama in one of two national semifinals Saturday, Dec. 6 at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville.
ESPN2 will be in town for the 3 p.m. game and will broadcast live with Pam Ward and Ray Bentley providing commentary.
If someone planned to book a hotel room, they'd better have done it weeks in advance because all rooms in Maryville are already taken.
Chuck Hetrick of Comfort Inn, said the semifinal game is a good thing for the hotel business in Maryville.
"Usually our business is very quiet during the first weeks of December," Hetrick said. "This is the third year for the semifinals in Maryville. We have been full all three years during that time."
A representative from Holiday Inn Express said their rooms are all booked and they have a waiting list while the presence of thousands of additional spectators and weekend overnighters is expected to be a boost to Maryville's revenue.
Carson Riedel, from Carson's Sports Grill, said he is optimistic about the expected increased revenue Maryville will see as the Bearcats host the Lions Saturday.
"We should have a good crowd before and after the game this year," Riedel said. "With the chilly weather, some fans may choose to watch the game here at Carson's. We believe the revenue will be much higher this year than it was the previous two years."
Maryville's other restaurants believe their business will increase over the weekend, as well. The game will not only be shown in Carson's, but also Applebee's.
Two Maryville businesses specializing in athletic, sports wear are also expecting large crowds.
Amy Goecken, of The Student Body, said while they might not expect a large amount of increased sales over the weekend, the farther the Bearcats go in the playoffs, the longer they can keep selling their Bearcat gear. That usually leads into the revenue earned during the Christmas shopping season.
The Student Body is having a sale on their Bearcat hats this weekend, and they are also selling T-shirts advertising the nationally-televised playoff game.
They aren't the only ones looking forward to a crowd this weekend, Bryce Buholt, a manager at Jock's Nitch, said it can get pretty crazy in the shop over the weekend.
"Oh yeah, we definitely have an increase in sales," he said. "All the alumni come back and not just us, but the whole community benefits. All the hotels are full, and people from all over come to watch the game."
Jock's Nitch sales start today and extend through Sunday with some gear starting at $9 Buholt said. They also have hoodies on sale for less than $20 dollars. he added that if the Bearcats win Saturday, then they will have National Championship T-shirts for sale starting Monday or Tuesday.
Not only do businesses gain, but the university itself benefits in a special kind of way.
James W. "Bill" Loch, the Northwest Board of Regents president, said this is a fabulous opportunity for both the university and Maryville to showcase themselves.
"I would say that it's the best publicity that you could possibly have," Loch said, "to have a game televised by ESPN and to make Maryville known. And they (ESPN) do a good job during the broadcast — they mention a lot of things about Maryville. But what better situation could we have?"
Loch said it's great for the university because it reflects on tradition and the groundbreaking, instrumental effects that Northwest has had on areas like technology.
"You can't get that kind of advertisement," he said.
Maryville, Mo. —
