Report: S.B. County 7th-best minor sports market

The Sports Business Journal lists San Bernardino County seventh in its annual ranking of the nation’s top minor-league sports markets. From bizjournals.com:

It’s the home of three class-A minor league baseball teams: the Inland Empire 66ers (1987), the High Desert Mavericks (1991) and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (1993); and a minor league hockey team: the Ontario Reign of the ECHL.

“Attendance for the area’s three Class A teams is on pace to top 600,000 for the first time since 2005, and the clubs have combined for a 7 percent increase in attendance to date compared with last season,” the report said, drawing a comparison to the area’s high unemployment rate and poor housing statistics.

Hershey-Harrisburg, Pa., topped the new list, followed by Fort Wayne, Ind., and Tulsa, Okla.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.