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The MLB All-Star Game was a success, shining a light on Cleveland's progress since the days the city was the target of jokes about burning rivers and a bad Cleveland Browns team.
Now, Cleveland remains on the upswing with more big events planned in the coming years, including the NFL draft and NBA All-Star Game.
WKYC sat down with the man who has organized and planned many of the city's big events. David Gilbert, President and CEO to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, joined WKYC's Let's Be Clear truck Wednesday.
You can watch the full interview again below:
Obviously, the All-Star Game was a huge topic of discussion. Gilbert was more than pleased not just with the events themselves, but how they enhanced Cleveland's reputation.
"As amazing as All-Star weekend was, seeing the national media write about what a phenomenal host we were really means a lot," he said. "It's affirmation of what an incredible city we are, and also those are the kind of things that help us get the next one, get the next one, and you really build that reputation."
The region has made significant progress over the years when it comes to that reputation. However, even Gilbert admits they still face challenges when it comes to changing the perception of Cleveland to the rest of the country.
"We're battling a 40 or 50-year problem that's not going to change overnight, and it's our job to make sure we change their mind," he said. "Often times, that's just getting them here...Once we get them here, this community really tends to sell itself."
Gilbert believes the "renaissance" truly began with the 2016 Republican National Convention, widely seen as a success (possible politics aside) from the city's standpoint. It showed many that Cleveland was capable of hosting massive events, and few are bigger than a political convention in an election year.
"It was such an enormous, community-wide effort," Gilbert said. "It's not just that we hosted it, it's not just that we...got chosen, it's that it came off so well, and that's been a real calling card. I really believe that there's a good chance we would not have the [2021] NFL Draft here had the Republican Convention not been here and gone as well as it did."
But it's about so much more than just the large and glamorous events; it's about the smaller, more rank-and-file gatherings. While these events may not get the same publicity, Gilbert says they truly are the lifeblood of the commission, and the bigger events would not happen without them.
"If you're in baseball, you get to the World Series by hitting a lot of singles and doubles, and you don't get there by just hitting home runs," he said. "The more we can every day, every week have those wins, that's what's going to keep us going."
GAME CHANGERS | How David Gilbert has forever transformed Cleveland's legacy
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