Spring training is here and America’s favorite pastime is scoring home runs for Arizona’s economy. The Cactus League Baseball Association released new studies that attribute $632 million to spring training.
Having 15 Major League Baseball teams in the state at the same time for an entire month has always had a huge direct impact on Arizona’s economy. With 25 players on each team comes a following of staff, family and fans by the thousands. The study reported that 1,712,042 people attended spring training games last year. Of the fans in attendance, 58 percent were from out-of-state. Not only did the majority of those visitors stay in hotels and rent vehicles, but the activity they reported doing most besides watching baseball was shopping.
Malls have a major influx of shoppers during the training season. “Spring training is very important to Scottsdale Fashion Square and the entire market,” Steve Helm, assistant vice president of property management for the mall, says.
While at the mall, players and fans can see the one thing MLB teams train to win every year: the World Series Championship Trophy, which is hand-crafted by Tiffany & Co., America’s premier jeweler and silversmith. To celebrate spring training, Tiffany & Co. at Scottsdale Fashion Square will display the Arizona Diamondbacks World Series Trophy during store hours from Friday, March 15 through Monday, March 25. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks won the signature Tiffany trophy, marking a significant milestone for the state because it was the first major championship won by a professional Arizona sports team.
“Spring training and other events and activities help make the shopping traffic in March on par with November. We are excited that Tiffany will have the World Series Trophy on display because that will be an added attraction for baseball fans,” Helm says.
See It Now
Enjoy a rare opportunity to see the Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series Trophy up close. It will be on public view at Tiffany & Co. at Scottsdale Fashion Square, Scottsdale and Camelback roads in Scottsdale, from Friday, March 15 through Monday, March 25 during store hours (Mon. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sun., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
A Closer Look at the World Series Trophy
The master artisans in Tiffany’s New Jersey workshop take great care in creating the World Series Trophy, using the age-old techniques of spinning, silversmithing, chasing, hand engraving, and polishing. The sterling silver trophy weighs approximately 20 pounds and stands 24 inches high with a diameter of 11 inches.
The goal of greatness is crafted into every detail of this revered trophy. The design features 30 pennants representing the teams in the American and National Baseball Leagues. The pennants encircle a dome base, which is etched with longitude and latitude lines symbolizing the globe. It is adorned with 24 karat gold vermeil applied stitches representing those on a baseball. Engraved on the base are the words, “Presented by the Commissioner of Baseball” along with the commissioner’s signature.
Outstanding Tiffany & Co. designs are a lasting tribute to athletes’ dedication and the thrill of victory. In addition to Major League Baseball, Tiffany creates championship trophies for many other sports leagues and organizations, including the NFL, NBA, PGA, U.S. Open (Tennis), NASCAR and others.
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