ESPN spotlight boosts Columbia’s local businesses, school recruiting

College GameDay recently made its way to Columbia for the first time in a decade, boosting more than school spirit across the city. 

Businesses saw a rise in sales and foot traffic, and city officials said Columbia benefited, too. 

College GameDay is ESPN’s weekly pre-game show that broadcasts live from the site of a key college football game.

Hundreds of students camped out on Bluff Road and waited for the gates of Gamecock Park to open in the early morning.

USC senior, Cailyn Scharneck, said the school could have handled the crowd much better. 

“People were passed out and getting trampled,” said Scharneck of the crunch that happened when one of two gates opened early. “One of my friends threw up because he was so claustrophobic.”

But, business owners say the long-term impact was well worth College GameDay’s presence on campus. And the exposure also helps attract new students, residents, and tourists to the city.

Scott Powers, executive director of sports at Experience Columbia, said the city embraced the spotlight. 

“I’ve been in the sports tourism business for 20 years, so I know a lot of people all over the country,” Powers said. “On Saturday, they all blew up my phone and couldn’t get over how great Columbia looked.”

Experience Columbia’s Powers said businesses across the city flooded the office’s phones, looking for ways to help.

“Media outlets, restaurant owners and hotels were all trying to find ways they could get more involved,” Powers said. “A lot of those calls were from locally owned businesses that wanted to get their names out there but also wanted to give back and show off Columbia in a good light.”

Students prepared for the historic occasion by arriving as early as 9 p.m. the night before the planned 6 a.m. opening of the gates. The students filled the night with card games, Waffle House runs and lots of school spirit.

“People drove by honking, cheering, dropping off water,” Scharneck said. “A man with a trumpet even came and played our alma mater for us at midnight.”

Scharneck said the energy was unmatched.

“I remember looking straight at Williams-Brice Stadium in the middle of the night, thinking there is no way I’m here right now,” she said. “It felt like a fever dream.”

Alex Shaw, bar manager at Thirsty Fellow Pizzeria and Pub, said the Vista restaurant prepared for the event like no other home game.

“We ordered a lot more liquor, beer and supplies, and (employees were) here much earlier,” Shaw said. “Everybody was in the mindset of understanding this was going to be more than we could ever expect.”

Shaw said the preparation was well worth it. They opened the doors an hour and a half early to make the most of the anticipated increase in business.

“There was a huge crowd from both sides,” Shaw said. “We had a ton of business from Louisiana State University fans who traveled and, of course, Carolina fans who were out and about early.”

Shaw said the added business and exposure was an extraordinary experience for his staff.

“This football game and this weekend was just different,” Shaw said. “It means more to us. And we just had a lot of fun.”

Experience Columbia’s Powers estimated the increased foot traffic in Columbia over the weekend generated an estimated $100,000 in economic impact, in addition to the $11 million a typical football game brings in.

Powers said the economic impact is great for the city, but the competition between other cities and universities mattered most.

“There’s competition everywhere for university admissions and for hosting these types of sporting events,” Powers said. “The more your city can tout what you can do, especially when you have the huge platform ESPN GameDay offers, the more competitive you automatically become.”

Cities also can win awards for hosting the sporting event of the year, and he said Columbia is aiming to apply for as many awards as it can.

“We want to use this event to further show people why Columbia is such a great host for sporting events,” Powers said. “We also do it for the 15- and 16-year-olds who watched the broadcast and thought, ‘Man, I want to go to school there.’”

Powers said everyone involved understood the bigger picture of what the opportunity meant for the city.

“As a 1994 Carolina graduate who has been in this position for 20 years, I am one of Columbia’s biggest cheerleaders,” Powers said. “I get paid to tell our story, and it’s a lot easier to do that when you have great stories like these to tell.”