Hooray for $$$ increase from tourists

WVU sports may have side benefits.

The Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitor’s Bureau reports that tourism spending in Monongalia County is up 65 percent from  2004 to 2012. In the rest of West Virginia, it was up 42 percent. Obviously, have Big 12 fans come to town and spend money in the area is a good deal for Monongalia County.

That brought in $17 million in state and local tax revenues, or about $293 per Monongalia resident.

WVU benefits, too. The Mountaineer athletic department gets $30 million a year from the Big 12, triple the best annual payout from the Big East.