America's Cup in S.F. a $1.4 billion anchor

Sailing may not be as popular as football in this country, but hosting the world's premier regatta would pack at least three times the economic punch for San Francisco as a Super Bowl.

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Years of benefits

A main economic driver behind hosting the competition for the oldest active trophy in international sports is the several hundred staff members from the various racing teams and their families that generally move to the area, sometimes up to two years before the competition, the new report said.

Those extended crews, along with potentially millions of spectators, would patronize hotels, restaurants and stores, the report said. Piers would be upgraded to host the boats and their crews - infrastructure benefits that would remain with the city for years to come. Piers 30-32 and Pier 50 are the leading sites for a sailing village.

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Races' ripple effects

There would also be economic spillover around the Bay Area, in part because of different vantage points and regional attractions, said Sean Randolph, president of the council's economic institute and co-author of the report.

"There is a great likelihood that people will come and stay longer," Randolph said. "They'll say, 'Oh, we'll go to the race and then we'll spend a day in Napa.' "

The natural amphitheater of the bay also allows for a much greater viewing audience than previous cups held miles offshore, which would only boost interest in a sport that Ellison is keen to promote, Randolph said.

San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, whose northern waterfront district would offer a front-row seat to races between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, said securing the cup, and hosting it for years as other cities have done, would "put San Francisco into a different league as an international city."

"We're already considered a fabulous little jewel," Alioto-Pier said. "This would make San Francisco one of the major cities of the world."