Genesee County, MI — At Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting, Dr. Beverly Brown, the committee’s chair, spoke to her fellow Commissioners about the prospect of a Sports and Entertainment Commission in Genesee County.

Last summer, the Impact Genesee Summit, an event co-hosted by Genesee County and the University of Michigan-Flint’s Office of Economic Development (OED), sparked interest in what a focus on sports and recreation could do for Genesee County. One of the sessions at the event was on sports tourism and how it could be leveraged as an economic development tool.

” (A sports commission) would allow us to capitalize on the rich history of athletics in our community,” Dr. Brown said on Wednesday night.

In April 2026, a contingent from Genesee County, including Dr. Brown, Commissioner James Avery, Commissioner Gary Goetzinger, and Commissioner Shaun Shumaker, traveled to Grand Rapids to meet with the team that was instrumental in the creation of the West Michigan Sports Commission.

“It was very exciting and eye-opening,” said District 5 Commissioner James Avery. “We had a chance to visit what I would call a ‘field of dreams’ for athletics … I was enlightened by how much they bought into having sports as an economic driver.”

Several meetings were held after the visit, and ultimately, the Board voted 9-0 to create a committee to explore the creation of a sports and entertainment commission. Board Chairman Dale K. Weighill selected the four members who traveled to Grand Rapids last month to serve on the committee, which will be formalized at next week’s regular meeting.

That committee will ultimately make a recommendation to the full board in the coming weeks.

The West Michigan Sports Commission, which was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2007, owns and operates an 80-acre sports complex in Rockford (Kent County) and is responsible for attracting major sporting events, as well as hosting youth and amateur sporting events to drive economic growth in the county.

In 2025 alone, WMSC hosted 105 events, generated 50,050 hotel room nights, and produced an estimated $83.5 million in economic impact.

Their model makes clear that this type of commission is not just about driving economic growth through sports and entertainment, but also a tool to create a brand for Genesee County and raise the quality of life for residents.

More to come!