Fans shrug off recession and spend millions during spring training in Arizona

Fans hit a home run in spring training spending

PHOENIX — Spring training gave Arizona an economic home run when it really needed it.

Baseball fans spent an estimated $359 million during spring training in metro Phoenix and Tucson, an increase of 7 percent over last season.

In making their spring debut in Arizona, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians helped contribute to the increase.

An extra week’s worth of games also added to the bottom-line with 246 games in 2009 during a five-week season, compared with 177 during four weeks in 2008.

The Chicago Cubs led attendance this spring, drawing 203,105 fans.

Information from: The Arizona Republic, www.azcentral.com