OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As Omaha prepares to host the College World Series for the 75th time, officials discussed the future of the event in the city.
- Video shows the inside and outside of Charles Schwab Field before games begin Friday.
- The current contract for the CWS in Omaha ends in 2036.
- An NCAA official says other cities want to host the CWS, but none currently have capabilities similar to Omaha.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The 75th College World Series is set to kick off in Downtown Omaha this week.
And a major topic of conversation surrounding the event: Can the city keep it?
The current contract expires in 2036, and Mayor John Ewing, though it's early in his tenure, says he wants Omaha to host for another 75 years.
"One of the things I want to see is more venues for people when they come to Omaha to be able to enjoy," Ewing said. "But also for the people of this community, as well as looking at expanding, as I talked about quite a bit, the urban core further north and south to increase opportunities for businesses there so that people can have a fuller experience when they're here."
"It's the champ, right? Think about a prize fight," the NCAA Vice President of Championships Anthony Holman said in reference to Omaha. "Nobody's even been able to get in the ring with the champ. It'd be hard-pressed for another city to make this type of commitment to build a facility.
"The College World Series is our second-highest grossing—in terms of revenue and attendance—of all of our championships. And that doesn't happen without it being in Omaha. So we're really appreciative of that."
Roger Dixon with MECA says Schwab Field was built specifically for the College World Series, and he announced a major upgrade for next year: a video scoreboard in left field.
