IMG brings elite athletes and international attention to the area, but many locals feel the campus exists in its own world with little connection to the surrounding neighborhoods. Is the relationship between IMG and everyday Bradenton residents truly reciprocal?
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Add your commentBorn and raised in Bradenton, lived here 47 years. IMG has always been a bubble, and honestly? Everyone here knows it. You drive past that campus on 63rd and it might as well be a different country. The kids don't shop local, don't go to Manatee High football games, don't eat at the places the rest of us grew up eating at. They have everything on campus. I'm not saying they're bad people, I'm just saying the 'economic benefit to Bradenton' argument has been repeated so many times that people just accept it as fact without actually questioning it.
Genuine question for anyone who's lived here longer than me — has IMG ever done anything substantive for kids in the East Bradenton neighborhoods? Like actual outreach, free clinics, scholarships for local youth athletes, anything? Because I ask this genuinely and I cannot find a single person who can point me to something concrete and sustained. 'They hosted one open day in 2019' doesn't count. I want to be fair to them but the receipts are hard to find.
I moved here from Ohio two years ago specifically because my daughter got into IMG's tennis program. And I'll be honest with you — we do try to engage with the community, we go to the farmers market on Old Main, we attend Manatee County events, but IMG itself doesn't really facilitate that connection. There's zero orientation or encouragement to explore the surrounding area. That feels like a real missed opportunity for the academy to build goodwill. The locals who are suspicious aren't wrong, and I say that as someone who is paying a LOT of money to be here.
Ok but does anyone remember when IMG (back when it was Bollettieri's) literally put Bradenton on the map internationally? My dad used to deliver produce to the campus in the 80s and he said that place brought more outside money into this county than almost anything else at the time. People acting like it's purely extractive are ignoring decades of history here.
They actually get a TON of local tax breaks and incentives from Manatee County so the 'they pay property taxes' argument doesnt fully hold up either. Someone should really look into how much they've received vs how much they contribute. I'd bet the numbers aren't as flattering as people think.
lol the 'economic benefit' is mostly hotels in Lakewood Ranch and restaurants near UTC. bradenton proper sees like none of it
IMG pays property taxes, employs hundreds of Bradenton residents in grounds maintenance, food service, admin, security — these are real jobs for real local families. The idea that they 'give nothing back' is factually wrong and frankly a little entitled. Not every major institution in a city is obligated to throw block parties.
My nephew almost got a partial scholarship there in 2021 for soccer and even that process felt like they were doing us a favor by letting us apply. The culture around that place is very 'we are IMG and you are Bradenton' if you know what I mean. Beautiful facilities though I will give them that absolutely stunning campus.
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