The 2014 Gay Games is a competition of winners and losers, but apparently, every host city is automatically a winner by just taking part.
Kent State University economic professor, Shawn Rohlin, says the Games provide a boost to northeastern Ohio's economy of approximately $56 million. He says Akron could receive up to one-fourth of those revenues.
"I estimate that boost to be $12 to $14 million," said Rohlin.
An estimated 8,000 athletes are in the area for the week-long competition. With friends and family in town, they're doing more than just competing; they're spending money at almost every turn on hotels, food, retail and entertainment.
The Gay Games have a slogan of Participation and Inclusion. For the cities that participate, they're also included in that multimillion-dollar economy brought by the event.