Savannah Sports Council - Organization, 2023
The winner of this year's M.A. Spellman Award goes to one of the most important organization's in Savannah's sports landscape -- the Savannah Sports Council. Founded in 1977 as a department under the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, today its a division of Visit Savannah. The Sports Council works to bring sports events and conventions to the city to bring tourist spending, while supporting the local sports scene. Among the Council's biggest accomplishments is running the Savannah Hockey Classic, featuring four of the top college programs in the South, for the last 30 years. The Sports Council also owns and operates one of the top running events in the Southeast in the Savannah Bridge Run. The annual race draws thousands each December with proceeds from the even donated to the Lewis Cancer and Research Pavilion at St. Joseph's Hospital. The council was also in charge of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon for a decade and operates the Savannah Women's Half Marathon and 5K, and brought the NAIA Men's and Women's Lacrosse Championships to Savannah, while continuing in its mission to support a multitude of youth sports organizations.