Sporting events contributed $4.2 billion in economic impact in the Southern California/Orange County area in 2009 and had a combined attendance of 20.8 million spectators, according to a study of 55 local sports organizations (including USC) released today by the Los Angeles Sports Council and Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

According to the study, two of the three highest paid attendances at single-day sporting events in 2009 were the USC-Penn State Rose Bowl game (tops at 93,293) and the USC-Stanford football game in the Coliseum (third at 90,071).