Sports marketing offers many exciting possibilities for the city of Butler and the rest of Butler County. But while efforts expand in terms of marketing, the city and county, in conjunction with the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, must realize that their job doesn’t end when someone commits to holding a tournament or other sports event here.

Actually, for those three entities, an important, second phase of the job begins when someone agrees to hold an event in this county.

Consider:

Butler County has been playing host to the 73rd annual Pennsylvania State Bowling Association Tournament on weekends since last month. The tournament will continue through June 17.

But if someone were to conduct a random poll of 50 people on Main Street in Butler, asking what event now was happening on weekends locally, only a few, if any, of those people would be able to answer correctly.

Why? Because there’s little if any promotion of the fact that the tournament is going on here — in Butler and Zelienople.

Communities successful at attracting sporting events with the hope that they’ll return — or become an annual fixture — proclaim the events’ presence.

There are welcoming banners related to the event draped across the communities’ main entrances, stores have welcoming posters in their windows, and some merchants even offer event-related discounts.

But this year’s bowling event will conclude in two months with many local people not even realizing that such an event had been held. Unfortunately, that was the case when the tournament last was held here in 2004.

Such an event fills rooms at hotels and motels and is a boon to restaurants and gasoline sales. Stores large and small benefit.

Butler should demonstrate that it appreciates hosting its guests, not sit idly by while the event comes and goes.

Butler’s downtown business district promoters should recognize the opportunities that sporting events provide.

They haven’t demonstrated such recognition up to now.

In a front-page article in Sunday’s Butler Eagle, Ed Codi, chairman of the stadium authority board that governs Pullman Park, said the next step on the local sports marketing front is formation of a Butler County athletic organization.

“That committee would work in conjunction with the tourism bureau and this could really pick up steam,” he said.

But the effort must reach into the halls of government as well and explore ways for the community itself to become involved in the promotional efforts.

“There are all kinds of things out there (for which Butler County could vie),” said Amy Pack, the tourism and convention bureau’s director of tourism development. “We need to be able to sell ourselves, organize and be proactive in this area.”

The goal is to bring more state, regional and national sporting events to the county. However, success won’t be possible without many entities working together to clearly demonstrate to visitors that the county appreciates that they’re here and wants them to return.

Too bad in most cases that hasn’t happened in the past.