Sports Business Journal ranked the Greenville-Spartanburg region first among the nation’s minor-league sports markets for 2026, ahead of Portland, Maine, and Charleston, South Carolina, according to WSPA 7NEWS. The publication’s evaluation considers population trends, economic growth, venue investment and team performance. Portland led the publication’s 2024 study.
The market includes four teams: the Greenville Drive, the Boston Red Sox’s High-A affiliate; the Hub City Spartanburgers, the Texas Rangers’ High-A affiliate; the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL; and Greenville Triumph SC of USL League One, according to WSPA 7NEWS.
Baseball supplies the market’s longest-running anchor
Fluor Field opened in downtown Greenville in 2006 as a roughly $15 million scaled replica of Boston’s Fenway Park. The Greenville Drive has invested $40 million in upgrades since 2017, according to Sports Business Journal. A separate 2025 study commissioned by VisitGreenvilleSC calculated a $288 million positive economic impact from the ballpark and team over 10 years, reported Greenville Business Magazine.
Fluor Field also forms part of District 356, an entertainment corridor associated with Greenville native Shoeless Joe Jackson. The district includes the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and the .408 Jackson apartment complex, according to Minor League Baseball.
New facilities broaden the footprint
Greenville Triumph SC began playing at GE Vernova Park at BridgeWay Station in Mauldin this summer. The stadium’s public-private financing included $13.5 million from club ownership, $10 million to $12 million in state appropriations and about $4.5 million from Mauldin, according to Sports Business Journal. Before the move, the club had used four temporary venues during its first eight seasons, according to reporting cited by the original article.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits play at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, where a $282 million modernization and expansion remains in the planning and funding process. The Greenville Arena District advanced a framework involving $40 million in bonds backed by arena operating revenue and $100 million in Greenville County hospitality-tax revenue bonds. The county’s 2% hospitality tax applies to prepared food and beverage sales, according to the Greenville Journal.
Hospitality-tax revenue has broader purposes
Greenville County’s proposed budget places the Hospitality Tax Special Revenue Fund at $12,904,744 for fiscal 2026 and $12,991,009 for fiscal 2027, with the money designated for tourism-related capital projects and tourism services, according to the Greenville County proposed budget. The budget provides current forward-looking context: venue-related proposals are considered within a fund that also supports other tourism capital needs and tourism services, rather than being the fund’s sole stated purpose.
The proposed arena work includes improvements to the existing 15,500-seat building and a new outdoor amphitheater planned for 6,500 seats, according to Construction Dive. The project’s approval and construction timing should be treated as subject to the remaining financing and governmental steps.
Spartanburg adds a second county to the picture
Fifth Third Park opened in Spartanburg in 2025 as the home of the Hub City Spartanburgers, the Rangers’ High-A affiliate. The team’s arrival restored affiliated minor-league baseball to the city after a 30-year absence, according to MLB.com.
Viewed together, the four clubs represent activity in Greenville, Mauldin and Spartanburg rather than a single downtown venue. That geographic spread helps explain the regional focus of Sports Business Journal’s designation, while the ranking’s conclusions and several team-provided figures remain dependent on the publication’s reporting and the organizations’ own accounts.
