Growing Global 2023: Sports - Championing St. Louis' Growth 

ONLY ON 4: How sports champions growth, while leveraging St. Louis on global stage

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Leaders of all three major sports teams came together in one room to talk about the St. Louis region’s story and share it with the world.

First Alert 4 talked with the leaders of the St. Louis Cardinals, Blues and CITY SC on Wednesday.

“When you focus on the sports itself, that’s all you need to do,” President of the St. Louis Cardinals William DeWitt III said.,

An effort described as greasing the wheels of international trade and creating a connection.

“There is a much bigger story to tell,” said Carolyn Kindle, CEO of St. Louis CITY SC.

Ingredients that make the recipe that puts the City of St. Louis on the map.

“We are in a fight with other cities trying to do the exact same thing,” President and CEO of the St. Louis Blues Chris Zimmerman said.

“It’s important for St. Louis to play a role in those discussions because great teams with great brands can translate internationally,” said DeWitt.

World Trade Center St. Louis pulled the owners of the three major professional sports organizations in the city into the same space to discuss the global impact their teams have in promoting St. Louis around the world, Wednesday. A sold-out crowd of more than 700 people filled the main ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton.

“St. Louis is a global city,” said Tim Nowak, the executive director of World Trade Center St. Louis

Nowak said the MLB London series between the Cardinals and Cubs is a prime example of St. Louis’ growing international exposure through sports.

“We hosted a number of different meetings with businesses looking at investing in North America,” Nowak said. “Why wouldn’t they pick St. Louis to do business? These are unique opportunities that we need to be leveraging to promote St. Louis on the global scale.”