By Lee Davis
For Scott Myers, the idea of bringing the International World Games to Birmingham was an accident.
Myers, executive director of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and David Benck, a prominent local attorney, were invited to attend the 2013 World Games in Cali, Columbia. Their host was Ron Froelich, the honorary lifetime president of the International World Games Association.
As far as Myers was concerned, it was strictly a pleasure trip.
“I love sports of all types so I just wanted to go,” he recalled. “I didn’t know much about some of the sports they featured – like korfball, for example, but from the opening ceremonies to the games themselves, I was impressed with everything I saw.”
After returning, Myers noticed that most of the cities hosting the games were not major urban areas but more often mid-size markets – such as Birmingham.
“I started thinking that if Cali, Columbia could host the World Games, why not Birmingham,” he said. “So I called David (Benck), and he was thinking the same thing.”
So Myers met with city leaders from both the public and private sectors and they began to work on a plan to submit a bid for Birmingham to host the games in 2021.
Myers emphasized that the push to bring the games to Birmingham was a joint effort. “We had unanimous support across the board – from the business and political community to everyone else,” he said. “This was an opportunity for Birmingham to be a showcase for the world.”
The city submitted its bid to the IWGA in July 2014. Two months later, the IWGA announced that Birmingham, along with Lima, Peru, and Ufa, Russia, were the three finalists to host the games.
“It was exciting,” Myers said. “But we had to close the deal.”
The IWGA’s Site Selection Committee visited Birmingham in October and was treated to a trip to the Alabama-Texas A&M game at Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“They were totally blown away by the experience,” Myers said. “We told the committee that these were the type of fans who would be attending the World Games in Birmingham.”
In January, a delegation from Birmingham – including Myers, Benck and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Board Chairman Edgar Welden – went to IWGA headquarters in Switzerland for the finalists’ presentation. United States Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Propst and former World Games Gold Medalist Kristen Allen also made the trip.
Myers said Welden’s involvement was a major positive. “Whenever you have Edgar involved in something, there’s always a greater chance you’ll be successful,” he added.
A short time later, Birmingham was chosen as the host for the 2021 World Games.
“We all felt great relief and excitement. There were so many people who put a lot of work into this,” Myers said. “But then the real work had to begin.”
Myers said the impact of the World Games in Birmingham will be incredible. “There will be more than 4,000 athletes from more than 100 countries coming to town,” he said. “Also there will be more than 900 credentialed media members to cover the games. We think the economic impact will be $250 million.”
And while the World Games are under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, Myers said it was important to understand the differences between the World Games and the Olympics.
“The World Games are not the Olympics, which means we will not need any new venues,” he explained. “We can accommodate everything with the facilities that we already have in the Birmingham area.”
Those would include Legion Field, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Legacy Arena and Exhibit Halls, Barber Motorsports Park, Boutwell Auditorium, the Birmingham Crossplex, Railroad Park, and facilities at UAB, Samford University and Birmingham-Southern College.
“The World Games will allow Birmingham to shine on the world stage like never before,” Myers said.
Just as importantly, Myers wants to get Birmingham metro area residents involved in the games, including some that involve local schools.
Myers will speak about the World Games at a luncheon at the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 13.
Even before Myers became involved in the World Games, the Homewood resident had a full plate. He became executive director of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame following the retirement of Bill Legg in 2009, and he looks forward to celebrating the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2019. He also wants to update the museum itself.
“We’re looking to make it more interactive for the kids,” Myers said.
One of the most successful offshoots of the Hall of Fame is the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship program, which has given nearly $1 million in scholarship money since its inception in 1986.
Another productive program has been the Birmingham Athletic Partnership – Welden’s brainchild – which has helped promote athletics in the Birmingham city school system.
Meyers played football at Samford University in the late 1980s, while graduating with a degree in business administration. “I’ve always had a passion for business and sports,” he said. “So I was always looking for a way to combine my love of both fields.”
His career in sports marketing began with the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football in 1991, and he later spent five years as general manager of the Birmingham Bulls hockey team. Meyers also worked with the Alabama Sports Foundation before coming to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
But now he is busier than ever, adding the World Games to his already full plate.
“We are determined to make the 2021 World Games the best that have ever been held,” Myers said.
And it all began with a pleasure trip to Columbia.
