Why West Michigan?

The perfect setting for your sports event.

West Michigan can’t get enough of sports – and unlike larger regions, our enthusiasm extends far beyond the biggest and most popular. That means your event is sure to receive major-league attention.

As you might expect, we turn out in droves to support our hometown pro teams: the Griffins (hockey), the Rampage (arena football) and the Whitecaps (baseball). But we’re just as excited about our many college teams – including the Grand Valley State University Lakers, four-time national champions in NCAA II football; and the Calvin College Knights, two-time national basketball champions in NCAA III. Even our high school sports venues are filled to capacity on game days.

In addition to supporting pro and amateur sports, many of us take advantage of the natural playground nature has provided:

• Grand Rapids is “America’s Sixth Best Fishing City” according to Field & Stream magazine – and wherever you go in West Michigan, you’re never more than six miles away from a lake, river or stream rich with trout, salmon and steelhead.
• Each May, Grand Rapids hosts the 5/3 River Bank Run, America’s largest 25K road race, which meanders through city streets and lush green parks, out of the shadows of towering office buildings and onto the banks of Michigan’s longest river.
• West Michigan is home to some of the finest golf courses on the planet ¬– and because summer daylight stretches up to 15 hours, there’s plenty of time to play!
• All of this activity pays off – Men’s Health magazine ranked Grand Rapids the fifth healthiest city for men in 2002.

West Michigan’s love of all things sports-related makes it a perfect setting for your event. You can count on community-wide excitement and support!