Trent Loos
Columnist
As much as Nebraskans typically like to joke about chopping Omaha off and dropping it in the Missouri River or seceding it to Iowa, there is at least one time of year that we as Nebraskans couldn’t be more proud of our largest metropolitan city – during the Men’s College World Series (MCWS)! For the 75th consecutive year, the MCWS is being held in Omaha, Nebraska. It is one of the very few NCAA collegiate athletic championships that is continually held in the same location thanks in part to baseball fanatic and Omaha native Johnny Rosenblatt. In 1949, Municipal Stadium in Omaha, renamed Rosenblatt Stadium in 1964, was dedicated following the determination of Rosenblatt to bring a major league team to Omaha. Instead, he got a 3-year contract to host the MCWS by promising that the city would cover any financial losses.
In 2011, the MCWS moved to the newly constructed Charles Schwab Field and memorabilia from Rosenblatt can be found around Omaha including a miniature field at the Omaha Children’s Zoo. The CWS of Omaha is now a non-profit run by the offspring of several of the original founders. Their goal is to bring that same “small-town spirit” to every fan and member of the eight teams that qualify to come to Omaha every summer.
Each team is supplied with a local “host” who does everything possible to help make the trip to Omaha a magical experience. The hosts line up trips to the zoo, the Strategic Air Command or maybe even a fishing trip and they also make sure specially requested items are in team’s dugout from a specific flavor of gum to fruit and drink requests and so much more!
While teams from across the country may set their sights on traveling the “Road to Omaha” from the first fall practice, if they haven’t been there before they have some pretty interesting expectations of the city. Some players that were interviewed expected to be landing on a grass runway at the airport or seeing a ball field surrounded by corn reminiscent of a scene from “A Field of Dreams.” They expected to see cows roaming all over the place, not a hopping city full of shopping, eating and touring adventures that is home to 1million residents.
Economic indicators reported by Visit Omaha suggest that the MCWS generated $115 million in total impact in 2024, supporting more than 22,000 jobs, filling over 75,000 hotel rooms and generating over $3.5 million in local tax revenue. The stadium seats roughly 25,000 ticketed guests but thousands gather outside of the stadium to watch the games on big screens and celebrate the event at local watering holes.
Thankfully for those of us who are not attending the games in-person, there are a myriad of sports channels covering every aspect of each team, player, coach, groundskeeper, parent, umpire and everything in between. Diligent reporters have managed to find the parents of each player in the stands so they can capture the facial expressions and drama as they watch their son at the plate or see him make an impressive play in the field. You could never get all of that if you were in attendance so that is the upside of watching from the comfort of your couch in the air conditioning.
While the cameras capture the jubilation, they also share the heartbreak as only one team will end this trip to Omaha with a trophy – every other team will end their amazing season with a heartbreaking loss. They’ve poured blood, sweat, tears, injuries, ice baths, physical therapy, long hours, long days and long bus rides plus so much more into this dream. They dream of Omaha, taking their team to the top of the heap and winning “the Natty.” Only one team will do that. The rest will fist bump the men who stole their dream in a show of sportsmanship, fill their pocket with a little of the infield from “The Greatest Show on Dirt” and cry as they hug each other in the dugout. They will ponder the “what ifs” and the “if onlys” until its time to play again. For some, this will be their final at bat. For others it is a stepping stone to a career in the big leagues and for the rest it will be the most amazing player inspiration a coach could ever ask for when building for next year and figuring out how to get back on the “Road to Omaha.”
