Our History

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Maryland Sports was back on the road in Fiscal Year 2023 working to recruit new sport tourism events to the state. The year also saw an increase in interest for the Youth and Amateur Sports Grant and Michael Erin Busch Fund, while TEAM Maryland continued to grow.
• Attended and sponsored numerous trade and industry conferences including: TEAMS in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in October, US Sports Congress in Richmond, Virginia in early December, and the SPORTS Relationships Conference in Savannah, Georgia. 
• Traveled to several statewide conferences and events including Maryland Tourism Day in Annapolis in February and the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit in November.
• Applications for consideration for the Maryland Sports Youth and Amateur Sports Grant & Michael Erin Busch Fund (Grant & Fund) exceeded more than $2.24 million dollars for more than 70 events statewide
• TEAM Maryland continued to grow as Allegany County was added as a new DMO to the marketing initiative.  TEAM Maryland also saw the formation of its internal leadership team, made up of DMO representatives from across the state of Maryland
• Working with sport tourism consulting group, the Collective Best, TEAM Maryland implemented several actionable items including new approaches to collectively market TEAM Maryland to Events Rights Holders and the entirety of the sport tourism industry.
• Inaugural 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare held Labor Day weekend
• Maryland Sports hosted 2022 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships in Frederick, Maryland
• October saw the second edition of the newly branded MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory
• Terry Hasseltine was named Maryland Tourism Person of the Year by Maryland Tourism Coalition in November 2022.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Fiscal Year 2022 was a year of many firsts for Maryland Sports. Major events that had been in planning for several years came to fruition, and the department unveiled a new grant and fund program to help elevate sport tourism events across the state.
• July 2021, Maryland Sports worked with USA Cycling, TEAM Maryland partner Visit Frederick and officials from the City of Frederick and Frederick County to recruit the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships
• Baltimore-Maryland 2026 World Cup bid hosts a major press conference at M&T Bank Stadium during the summer; the official FIFA/ US Soccer site visit takes place in late September
• The inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill takes place in Cecil County at the Fair Hill Special Events Zone in October
• The first iteration of the new look, Maryland Sports Youth & Amateur Sports Grant and Micheal Erin Busch Fund.  The Grant & Fund touched more than 60 youth and amateur sport tourism events throughout the state, awarding more than $1 million dollars in grant funding on events
• Maryland Sports played an instrumental role in the passage of House Bill 897 – Sports Entertainment Facilities and Events, Prince George’s County Blue Line Corridor Facilities, and Racing Facilities (Major Events Fund) legislation. Legislation allows Maryland Sports to utilize state funding to help recruit, retain, secure, and execute major, large-scale sport tourism events in the state of Maryland.
• Along with TEAM Maryland partner Visit Baltimore, Maryland Sports welcomed the CIAA Basketball Tournament to the Baltimore Arena (rebranded in late 2022 as CFG Bank Arena).  Maryland Sports was part of the multi-year planning and partnership efforts to help secure the event in the state for the first of three years.
• Awarding of the 2028 and 2032 AAU Junior Olympic Games to Baltimore, Maryland
• Visit Baltimore staff played a key role working with Maryland Sports and The Sport Corp. to help build partnerships with local businesses and community-based organizations for a number of efforts including the 2026 Baltimore-Maryland 2026 World Cup Bid and Maryland Cycling Classic.
• Milestone events touched by Maryland Sports: Major League Quidditch National Championship (Visit Howard County), The Super Games (Experience Prince George’s County), Bay Bridge Run and USSSA Eastern Nationals (MAASA).
• Maryland Sports sponsors: TED College Park: An Equal Future, and the 40th Annual Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Fiscal Year 2021 started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As people across the world worked to adjust to a “new normal”, Maryland Sports remained productive within our department and the MSA agency as a whole.
• From late 2020 through the middle of 2021, Maryland Sports continued to monitor and update recommendations for the state’s Return to Play Guidelines because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The Maryland Sports Commission team joined MSA in providing manpower to assist various state departments including the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Maryland Department of Health as part of the COVID-19 GoVax campaign and rollout. 
• During the 2021 Maryland General Assembly, state legislators passed the Maryland Sports Youth and Amateur Sports Grant (YASG) and Michael Erin Busch Fund, with a new funding increase of ~$1.5 million dollars (USD).  The grant became law on July 1, 2021 and impacted more than fifty (50) youth and amateur sporting events across the state of Maryland throughout FY 2022. 
• Maryland Sports staff members contributed to the newly created MSA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force, meeting virtually with fellow colleagues to help develop strategies and address concerns within MSA.  This work included participation in the monthly MSA Heritage Month Staff Stories Series. 
• Maryland Sports Team also joined with MSA communications to help promote RFP/ RFI announcements for upcoming Capital Development Projects and employment opportunities, utilizing LinkedIn and Twitter to increase potential application pools,with a focus on targeting local, small, and minority-owned businesses.
• Maryland Sports partnered with PlayEasy to redevelop the online venue database for TEAM Maryland Partners. This replaced the original database that had been created for the Maryland Sports Commission website.
• Terry Hasseltine named Baltimore Business Journal Faces to Watch in 2021

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Maryland Sports celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019 with a watershed calendar year.  Poised for a strong start to the 2020 calendar year, Maryland Sports felt the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but refused to stay stagnant.
• USA Cycling Amaetur Roads National Championships in July 2019
• The Sport Corp. hired President/CEO of the Fair Hill Organizing Committee to lead the effort in hosting the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.  Established Advisory Committee; Launched website, social media platforms and event logo; Hire key personnel
• Secured UCI calendar date for the Maryland Cycling Classic; Appointed HOC chair; Web and social platforms launched
• Attended SoccerEx with delegation to enhance Maryland’s 2026 FIFA World Cup efforts as part of the United Bid. Maryland Sports and The Sport Corp. officially launched the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 World Cup Host Candidate City bid, including branding, website, and social media.
• Developed legislation to support long-term funding support for the Maryland Sports’ Youth and Amateur Grant Program.
• Supported Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game Youth Day, Governor’s Challenge, 2019 USJN, IronMan Maryland, MD Crab Bowl
• Maryland Sports released its “10th Anniversary” publication in early 2020, highlighting departmental achievements with both print and digital editions. This publication was shared with elected officials, NGBs, ERHs, and other partners in the sport tourism space.
• Terry Hasseltine recognized by the Maryland Destination Marketing Organizations’ as partner of the year.
• As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Sports Commission was tasked with creating a workgroup to develop guidelines for a return to safe sports competition for youth and amateur athletics statewide.  The result was the development of the Maryland Return to Play Guidelines, a series of recommendations issued for athletic activities and the risk posed by potential close contact among participants.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• For Fiscal Year 2019, Maryland Sports showcased its ability to host and execute major events, while also raising the bar for global scale competition through a new affiliate, non-profit organization. The impact from sport tourism events across the State continued to provide a boon to Maryland’s economy.
• Created first Maryland Sports’ Affiliate Organization: Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp); created board of directors
• Launched efforts to secure UCI date for Maryland Cycling Classic
• Awarded first allocation of the Maryland Sports’ Youth and Amateur Grant Program to over 40 events. These events represent over $50 million in direct spending on Maryland’s economy
• Continued to enhance TEAM Maryland with 16 partners
• Hosted NCAA Women’s Lacrosse National Championships, USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals, Governor’s Challenge, USSSA World Series, Discovery Cup, MD Sports Spelling Bee, US Triathlon Club Championships & EagleMan
• Attended: TEAMS, Sports ETA Symposium, SPORTS, The Relationship Conference, Women’s Summit, ConnectSports, US Sports Congress
• USA Cycling Amaetur Roads National Championships 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Fiscal year 2018 has been nothing short of rewarding. Throughout the course of the year, Maryland Sports has been extremely active with the community statewide. In FY18, we had 15 TEAM Maryland partners, welcoming Talbot and St. Mary’s county to the team. Maryland Sports launched a new website specifically for its 15 TEAM Maryland partners, TEAMMaryland.us. 
• Maryland Sports staff worked extremely hard to make sure our grant program would not get cut during the legislative session, ensuring that we will have the funds to help our TEAM Maryland and Maryland’s Own partners create and sustain successful and memorable events.
• Maryland Sports attended several conferences, such as NASC’s 4S Summit, TEAMS, US Sports Congress, SFIA and NASC. Maryland Sports also sponsored other events throughout the fiscal year, such as IRONMAN Maryland, Across the Bay 10K, Fair Hill Races, US Lacrosse’s LaxCon, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), TEDx College Park and others.
• For its first time ever, Maryland Sports hosted its own locally organized event at the US Naval Academy in March of 2018, the Maryland Sports Spelling Bee. We created this event to give kids throughout several counties in Maryland that did not have the chance to compete in a regional spelling bee to compete in the Maryland Sports Spelling Bee. Our Bee was a qualifier for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, MD.
• In June of 2018, the United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States was selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ by the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. For the first time in history, FIFA’s Member Associations were given the opportunity to vote on the host for the FIFA World Cup™. They did so by a vote of 67% (134-65) majority by 203 members. Baltimore is one of 23 cities that has the opportunity to host matches. FIFA will choose 16 of the 23 cities in late 2020.
• We have created several advertisements that have been shown throughout numerous platforms, such as PressBox, Sports Destination Management, Destination MD, SportsEvents, US Lacrosse, Fair Hill Foundation, Sports Planning Guide and CBS Baltimore.
• Ashley Harper Cottrell received national (Connect Sports Game Changer Award) and local (The Daily Record Leading Women) recognition for her work in the Sport Tourism Industry.
• Terry Hasseltine recognized by The Daily Record as Influential Marylander in the Free Style category.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Fiscal Year 2017 was a monumental year for Maryland Sports. HB1619 was signed into law in May 2017, which was approved unanimously by both House and Senate. We also created several ads placed in Sports Business Journal, Sports Planning Guide, Sports Destination Management and more.
• Maryland Sports touched over 320 events, generating over $181.4 million in direct spending on Maryland’s economy.
• We had 14 TEAM Maryland partners who generated 87% of our total direct spending across the state.
• Throughout the year, Maryland Sports, along with Visit Baltimore, made the shortlist for the 2026 FIFA™ World Cup.
• Fair Hill, a prestigious equestrian center in Cecil County, was recommended as the site for an international CCI4* event. We also traveled to Lexington, KY to witness and gather insight on best practices associated with the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* event and learn what we can do to enhance the event when it comes to Maryland.
• In May, USA Cycling announced that the 2018 and 2019 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships was awarded to Hagerstown and Washington County, which will take place in July.
• Maryland Sports was named Tourism Partner of the Year by Wicomico County
• Terry Hasseltine named Sport Tourism Executive of the Year by the National Association of Sports Commissions

ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2016, Maryland Sports, also known as Maryland’s Sports Commission, rebranded with the “Maryland’s Sports Commission” primary logo. Maryland Sports staff and TEAM Maryland members attended SportsTravel’s TEAMS Conference, SportsEvents’ S.P.O.R.T.S. Relationship Conference, ConnectSports Marketplace/Olympic SportsLink, NASC Symposium and US Sports Conference during 2016.
• 2016 was an important year for Maryland’s Sports Commission. Maryland and Baltimore City hosted both the US Lacrosse Convention and the NSCAA Convention in January 2016.
• We touched hundreds of events across the State of Maryland, including the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse First and Second Round games, BIG EAST Conference Baseball Championships, the Sectional Mid-Atlantic Qualifying rounds for the US Open and many more. We rebranded ourselves with a new logo, transitioning from Maryland Sports to “Maryland’s Sports Commission.”
• March was the month of women’s basketball in Maryland. The CAA Women’s Basketball Championship was held at the Show Place Arena in Prince George’s County, including the best teams from around the CAA in a single elimination tournament. Shortly after the first and seconds rounds of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament were held at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.
• Other major events throughout 2016 included the Big 10 Men’s lacrosse Championships, EAGLEMAN Maryland, IRON Girl Triathlon, Bassmaster Elite, Naptown Challenge, USSSA Eastern World Series and several others.
• Maryland Sports created an Instagram account (@MarylandSportsCommission), now managing six different social media platforms.
• MAASA, or the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance, was awarded Tourism Partner of the Year by the Maryland Tourism Coalition. The Governor’s Challenge in Wicomico County winning an award by the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Locally Created Event of the Year.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2015, new brand identity “Maryland Sports”
• Maryland Sports and TEAM Maryland supported 310 events in 24 counties in 45 different sports. Hosted: US Lacrosse annual convention (Sports Medicine Symposium and the 2015 MLL Draft help in concert with convention), Mite Beach Bash, CAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, 119^th running of the Hunt Cup, Big 10 Lacrosse Tournament, 14^th annual Frederick Running Festival, 2015 SAC Invitational Memorial Day Tournament, 140^th running of the Preakness, Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals, USA BMX East Coast Nationals, Walmart FLW Tour, 10^th annual Under Armor All-American Lacrosse games, National High School Lacrosse Showcase, Cal Ripken World Series, USSSA Eastern World Series, 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals, Bassmasters Elite NorthEast, Savageman Triathlon 30.0, 15^th annual Legacy Chase, Ironman Maryland, The Baltimore Running Festival, Maryland and Penn State, Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, 54^th Annual JFK 50 Mile, 2015 Governor’s Challenge Basketball tournament.
• TEAM Maryland supported the groundbreaking of Calvert Regional Park in Cecil County.  The massive complex has 10 fields: 9 natural grass and 1 turf field, and has the potential to hold tournaments and games for field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The Office of Sports Marketing would be rebranded as “Maryland Sports”. This would entail creating a new website, social media channels, brand guidelines and a new logo. Along with the new re-branding of the office, the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA) was developed, and TEAM Maryland would add Worcester County to their partnering counties. Studies and grants for the amateur sports community including economic, direct spending and sports tourism that would help facilitate more sport play in the state.
• The Colonial Athletic Association brought college basketball and the thrill of tournament play to Baltimore in March 2014, drawing nearly 20,000 fans. The tournament is committed to the Baltimore Arena for at least three years. Maryland Sports worked with a regional coalition to support Washington DC 2024, the Olympic Games Bid.
• Maryland successfully hosted the International Crown, ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, Ohio State-Navy, Army-Navy Football Game and 10K Across the Bay.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The Sports Marketing Office would move into the Maryland Stadium Authority Offices as it would continue to grow and impact sport in the State of Maryland. With this addition to change in offices, the Executive Director would be elected as the Chairman of the National Association of Sports Commissions.
• At this time the MSA, DBED and the Maryland Sports commissioned a study to establish benchmarks and guidelines for determining economic impact in the State of Maryland.
• Along with new sporting events coming to the State of Maryland, new Pilot programs were conducted by legislation granting Wicomico County to generate tourist dollars for involvement in events and activities. With the involvement of the Eastern Shore jurisdictions; Ocean City and Wicomico County, they would develop a partnership, with grant from legislature; to market their joint sports facilities and hospitality assets.
• In addition, the first Military Bowl was held in Annapolis, Maryland. It was great success, both in attendance (30,163) and economic impact ($ 1 million.) The bowl game, presented by Northrup-Grumman, is committed to Annapolis for another five years.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• OSM assisted marketing efforts to expand existing Maryland-based tournaments, such as the Columbia Invitational, an elite soccer club event. The Columbia Invitational, sanctioned by the national governing body, grew from 325 teams in 2011 to 500 teams throughout the mid-Atlantic region over the 2012 Memorial Day weekend.
• The governing body for the new Olympic sport of BMX held the East Coast Nationals at Chesapeake BMX in Severn, June 14-16, 2013. This is a major qualifier for national ranking, and is expected to draw a large field of competitors.
• Along with the BMX Nationals, the CAA event was awarded resulting in a 6.5 million dollar economic impact, with 500,000 in tax revenue and 5,500 in hotel rooms annually. This great progression made by the Office of Sports Marketing would impact our Executive Director as he was elected to the Maryland Tourism Council Board of Directors. 

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The Office of Sports Marketing had a successful year building on past initiatives. TEAM Maryland, the partnership established with local marketing bureaus, grew by 30% with the addition of the Town of Ocean City, Charles, Garrett and Baltimore Counties. Along with the added counties TEAM Maryland also introduced and developed a Resource Center.
• The added incentive to membership included an enhanced presence on the Sports Marketing website, membership in the National Association of Sports Commissions, and the opportunity to participate in industry trade shows. This helped in recognizing the Maryland region as an international sports destination.
• OSM was instrumental in bringing the popular Dew Tour back to Maryland. Ongoing discussions with Dew officials determined they were looking for an East Coast beach resort, so our Executive Director arranged a meeting with Ocean City.
• The result was a record-setting weekend for Dew attendance. 73,000+ at the gate also translated into a 7% bump in visitors to the town and significant sales increases in the retail and hospitality sectors. Also, contributing to the host city’s long-range benefit were the four hours of live NBC coverage and a week of front page visibility on the Dew website –– all featuring views of the boardwalk and surrounding landmarks. Ocean City also received advertising time during the live coverage, allowing Rodney the Lifeguard to make his pitch to a national audience.
• This high-profile will have success in future years as it would return to the beach venue, with attendance increasing every year to a record 105,000 in 2014.
• Terry Hasseltine recognized by Baltimore Business Journal “Power 20: The Next Generation.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2010, TEAM Maryland was launched to evolve the Office of Sports Marketing from a pure government entity to a partnership with the ability to forge deeper strategic partners and more effectively promote Maryland’s facilities. This would result in 10 counties partnering in association with TEAM Maryland.
• Since its creation, one billion dollars of economic recruitment had evolved with $350 million of that exclusively secured for Maryland. The Office of Sports Marketing began and ended 2010 on the stage of international soccer. In January, the USA Bid Committee selected 18 cities as potential venues for a future World Cup. The Office of Sports Marketing coordinated bids for both M&T Bank Stadium and FedEx Field and both Maryland venues were among the 18.
• Throughout the year, OSM continued to bolster support for the USA bid while the nation was gripped with World Cup fever, by promoting a large public watch party at the Inner Harbor to facilitate another successful international match at M&T Bank Stadium.
• Although the USA was unsuccessful in its efforts to bring the tournaments here, Maryland benefitted greatly from the international exposure and relationships developed over the 18 month bid process.
• In 2010, the Office of Sports Marketing successfully coordinated bids for a number of future events, including a regional youth soccer tournament in 2013, the 2014 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament, 2014 Navy-Ohio State football game, 2013 USATF Masters Indoor Track Meet in Prince George’s County and the 2012 USATF Junior Olympics Bid at Morgan State University.
• The Office of Sports Marketing website, with its daily update on events, facilities and social media, continued to gain followers and document the dynamic industry that is Maryland sports and recreation. In 2010, it averaged 141,000 hits a month. Along with the following of numerous individuals on our social media and events.
• Terry Hasseltine named Influential Marylander by the Maryland Daily Record.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The Office of Sports Marketing was responsible for orchestrating bids for events that represent in excess of $125 million in additional spending in Maryland. Working with the Baltimore Ravens and City of Baltimore, the Office of Sports Marketing successfully bid to bring the Men’s NCAA Lacrosse Championship back to Baltimore in 2010 and 2011. This Memorial Day Weekend tradition had been held here three times previously, with an estimated $18-22 million economic impact for each championship. OSM also coordinated the partnership for successful bids for the 2014 and 2016 Army-Navy football games. This American classic is estimated to have a $20-25 million economic impact over that designated weekend, creating 425 fulltime equivalent Full-Time Equivalent jobs.
• With the cooperation of the Ravens and the help of local soccer advocates, they were able to secure one of the first-ever World Football Challenge matches, between Chelsea FC and AC Milan, on July 24th. Not only did the 71,000+ capacity stadium sell out on a Friday night, a significant portion of the crowd came from out of state and stayed overnight and longer. The economic impact of that event was calculated at $20 million. OSM developed the bid package for Maryland venues to participate as part of a future FIFA World Cup Soccer series in the U.S. In January 2010, Baltimore was selected as one of 18 sites included in the USA bid.
• With the development of a new website and social media platforms the Here to Play brand was established in furthering sport in the State of Maryland. The creation of multiple partnerships across the state with county tourism marketing officers, local recreation departments, college facilities and programs and state agencies helped keep venues and services related to sport tourism prominent for the years to come. By marketing materials for each jurisdiction a “One State” theme was introduced, this would further relegate communication outlets to build relationships with present and future stakeholders. Furthermore, engaging with rights-holders, event planners, state and local elected officials and department heads sought out new opportunities for OSM to shift into a powerful name for sports in Maryland. Participation at TEAMS conference with partners, and conducting hundreds of interviews with rights holders and event promoters, interested numerous individuals for Maryland as a destination entity.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2008, the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) partnered with the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) (now Commerce) to develop a marketing strategy to attract regional, national and international sporting events to the state for sports and recreational activities. This initiative was prompted by a finding in the Governor’s transition report that Maryland should be more aggressive in pursuing this lucrative industry to better utilize the state’s athletic facilities and natural resources. At the request of Chairman Frederick W. Puddester, the Maryland General Assembly approved, language permitting MSA to fund such a study and recommend how best to achieve these goals.
• The State of Maryland had already invested millions of dollars in sports and recreational facilities, maximizing their use to increase revenues was a good fiscal policy. With the ocean, bay, rivers, mountains, trails, and championship golf courses located in a compact geographic region, Maryland has a wealth of attractions to offer. Marketing our resources enhances the visitor industry, a significant portion of the Maryland economy.
• The initial partnership between the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Department of Business and Economic Development, led to the formation of the Office of Sports Marketing, led by Terry Hasseltine. Its mission is to enhance Maryland’s economy, image and quality of life through the attraction, promotion, retention and development of regional, national and international sporting events. Throughout this effort, the assets and appeal of Maryland as a destination for sports are showcased to millions of spectators and visitors.