Long NFL Lockout Would Hurt Philly

As the NFL labor dispute threatens to delay training camp, the economic reality is starting to set in for some businesses in the Philadelphia area.

But still up for debate is how much a prolonged lockout with affect the region economically.

The greater Philadelphia region now faces the loss of preseason and training camp revenue, as NFL labor talks drag into July.

The Eagles train at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., a former steel town that is banking on its annual Musikfest, the Eagles and a newer casino (with a new hotel) for revenue.

It’s unsure how Lehigh officials can get camp ready for the Eagles on short notice, since training camp was scheduled to start in late July.

Lehigh officials have said publicly they can set up stands for people attending camp , but they will need some notice. But Lehigh also needs to accommodate students by mid-August, when the Eagles have usually moved onto the NovaCare Center in Philadelphia.

Last year, Mike Stershic of Discover Lehigh Valley told the Allentown Morning Call that a financial impact study was never been done to determine how much money the Eagles bring to the Lehigh Valley.

“We know people who go there stay for the morning and then go to the Crayola Factory or Dorney Park or other places in the Lehigh Valley. If they don’t have kids, generally they go to some place that’s air-conditioned,” Stershic said last summer.

And of course, the lockout may have a direct impact on the folks over at NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J.

The Eagles themselves have not downsized during the lockout.

In general terms, local restaurants and bars would also suffer if the lockout moves into the regular season.

The social networking business site Focus.com looked at eight different media sources, from ABC News to GameInformer.com, to collect some jaw-dropping facts.

1. About 20 percent of sport bar sales happen on game-day Sundays
2. In cities with NFL teams, 33 percent of bar sales happen on game days
3. About 3,000 seasonal jobs could be lost in each NFL city if the lockout is prolonged

In dispute is the exact broad impact of a strike on a region like Philadelphia.

The NFL Players group estimates each regular season game lost costs the host city $20 million in total revenue, so by that estimate, the loss would be $160 million to the region.

NFL owners dispute that, saying that a series of studies shows a much-lower regional economic impact.

Economist Robert Baade put the number at closer to $16 million for the season for a typical NFL city, based on historic trend analysis.

Baade and other academics who have researched the impact of strikes and franchise moves on cities believe that the evidence shows people will spend their money on other activities, instead of football.

But most of those studies were not done during a recession.