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.