WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida
Sports fuels Gainesville's economy
By Alexa Ryan
December 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM EST
During football season, University of Florida football fans hold their breath for a Gator win.
Sports tourism pumps millions of dollars into local economies every year, including Gainesville’s.
When UF wins, fans celebrate. And they spend big at restaurants and Gator merchandise stores.
So, all ships rise . . . when the Gators win, so does Gainesville’s economy. That’s according to Chris McCarty, the director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Listen to the story.
Sports tourism pumps millions of dollars into local economies every year, including Gainesville’s.
When UF wins, fans celebrate. And they spend big at restaurants and Gator merchandise stores.
So, all ships rise . . . when the Gators win, so does Gainesville’s economy. That’s according to Chris McCarty, the director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Listen to the story.