Professional sports have been a huge part of American culture for over a century. Teams not only entertain fans on the field, they also help the community and contribute to the fabric of the cities they are located in. The longer a team is in an area, the more important it becomes.
The Phoenix Suns have been Arizona’s premier professional basketball team since 1968. They are one of the most successful teams in the regular season in NBA history, although they have never won a championship.
We’ll talk about how the many famous players who have played for the team have contributed to the greater good of Arizona’s economy, from driving tourism to the state to bringing attention to auto insurance in Phoenix through celebrity endorsements, such as Chris Paul.
#1 – Charity Work
Professional sports teams and athletes often put a lot of time and money into the communities they are involved in. The Suns have been an important part of the community in Arizona through charity work for decades.
The official charity of the team is called Phoenix Suns Charities. The charities use money from the team itself and donations from players in the organization to help Arizona’s various communities.
It opened in 1988 and the organization has spent over $35 million on non-profit organizations that support children and disadvantaged people.
Star players on the team like Devin Booker like to focus on specific causes and they use their influence to positively impact people’s lives. Food shelters, autism awareness campaigns, and work with ministries are all items that Booker contributed to in conjunction with the Suns in the past year.
Booker won the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in 2021. This means he was voted as the athlete in the league who put more time and effort into charity work than anybody else. This is such a boon for the Phoenix area to have someone who is personally invested in others and cares about them.
There’s something about having professional athletes show they care about you that really makes a difference in young children’s lives. Cities like Phoenix are lucky to have so many professional athletes in the Suns’ franchise who have made their presence known to people in need.
Athletes are often role models for children and other citizens. When players on the Suns use their voice and their time to give back to the city, everyone benefits tremendously.
#2 – Endorsements
The Phoenix Suns have had a lot of famous players through the years who gain recognition through endorsements. When the population sees superstar athletes advertising a product, it often leads to an increase in notoriety, and the local economy benefits from the attention.
Chris Paul has been advertising State Farm insurance for a large majority of his career. When his advertisements air in Phoenix, they bring attention to specific insurance policies and contribute to interest in State Farm insurance.
This education will allow people to think more closely about how they can drive safer to save money on their policy. When everyone is driving well, the Phoenix area becomes a safer city to be in. Insurance prices go down for everyone in a place where people are safer drivers and get into fewer accidents.
Other current Suns players have received endorsements in local businesses in the gaming sector and sports drink sector. Devin Booker is a celebrity endorser and co-owner of Coco5. This is a sports drink that has ties to Arizona.
Suns forward Jae Crowder partnered with Gila River Resorts and Casinos. Point guard Cameron Payne has an endorsement with Built By Gamers. These two endorsements are very important for promoting video games and e-sports as reputable entertainment products.
Video games have not always been encouraged for children, but pro athletes like these can change the discussion around the topic. The more types of businesses that are affiliated with the Suns, the more likely Arizona’s economy can grow and become more diverse.
#3 – Small Businesses
Many small restaurants are positively impacted by the Suns, especially in the last couple of years. The team went to the NBA Finals in 2021 and had the best regular season record in 2022. This means more fans came out to see the team, and the small business owners around the stadium saw large profit increases.
Willie’s Taco Joint is one of the signature small businesses next to the Suns’ stadium, and the pandemic saw the restaurant struggle to stay afloat. After the basketball season started and the team went deep into the playoffs, the taco place was able to become a community hub for fans and tourists who wanted some great Mexican food before or after the game.
This shows location matters a lot in entrepreneurship and business. As the Suns continue to stay relevant with Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and a slew of solid role players, small businesses will look for even more ways to profit during the peak of the season.
#4 – Notoriety
The Phoenix Suns have been able to bring notoriety to the state of Arizona as a whole for decades, especially when Charles Barkley won MVP in 1993. He carried the team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Despite this loss, the team was the center of attention that year at a time when basketball was soaring due to Michael Jordan’s fame.
When people start to become more familiar with an area, they will visit as tourists or even consider moving to a city or state. There isn’t really a financial metric for notoriety, but Charles Barkley was a fun person and a great athlete who was able to let people know what Phoenix was all about.
Athletes get a bad reputation for making too much money for playing sports. What many people don’t think about is how pro athletes and sports teams give back their time and money in ways that shape the community and help the economy.
Tourists visit Phoenix to watch stars like Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul. These athletes do commercials that increase business for the companies in the local area. They also do charity work that changes people’s lives for the better. You can easily see how the Phoenix Suns are integral to the culture and economy of the state of Arizona.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance site, AutoInsurance.org. He wants to let people know how athletes and sports teams positively influence a city’s economy.
