Red, white and blue. Oh, and a whole lot of green, particularly for sports event planners. The Fourth of July has patriotic festivities but there's also a distinct economic impact for those tying their event into the holiday. And statistics show that slice of the All-American apple pie is growing.

The intersection of sports and technology just gets tighter, closer and more essential. As planners embrace the Internet of Things and the connectivity of sports equipment to smartphones, there's less ability to opt out of tech-related issues. Here's a top-10 list of tech trends and how they'll affect planners.

The recent release of a report by The Centers for Disease Control on Zika-caused birth defects and pregnancy losses in the United States has brought up questions about the safety of outdoor events this summer, and sports are at the top of the list.

Midland, Texas is looking for some sport tourism, and the region is taking a first step toward drumming it up: the former Midland Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) is changing its name to VisitMidland and introducing to a new logo to go with the new name.

Casa Grande, Arizona, is getting residents' engines revving for a 2,360-acre motorsports park. Developers say the park will be a magnet for entertainment, as well as an economic engine - and that it has the bonus of being far enough from homes to keep noise pollution to a minimum.

Last year, the FCC put several major hotel chains, sports facilities, convention centers and management companies on notice after consumers complained of hidden charges, known as 'resort fees.' Now, the Federal Trade Commission is getting involved, and it stands to affect the sports travel industry.