Fukuoka Prefecture predicts an economic impact of ¥40.4 billion in the event that the Pacific League champion SoftBank Hawks win the Nippon Series. The estimate, which was based on actual figures from 2011 (the last time the Hawks went all the way), was arrived at by adding up sales of tickets at Yahuoku Dome, merchandise, hotel rooms and the like, and it includes a ¥25.8 billion uptick in the revenues of local department stores holding victory sales. “When the local baseball team does well, the local economy does well. I want [the Hawks] to do their best,” said Fukuoka Governor Hiroshi Ogawa. In 2011, the Prefecture predicted an economic impact of ¥38.8 billion, and the actual figure reached ¥38 billion. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 10/9
