March 13, 2026 • 35 mins
College World Series of Omaha, Inc. Executive Director Amy Hornocker talks about the ups and downs of organizing Omaha's signature event. She also touches on relationships with schools, the help from the city necessary to make the event succeed, and whether or not the CWS could one day leave Omaha.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
It is the Emory Songer Podcast on the free iHeartRadio
app and we are so happy to have you. And
we're recording this on a Friday. It is a great day.
I am super excited for the basketball that's happening. I'm
so fun. I have so much fun on the weekends
just sitting at sports bars and just watching all the
great things that are taking place. The baseball season is
(00:29):
underway at the collegiate level. The World Baseball Classic, which
has been one of my favorite things to watch. The
elimination rounds are here. But living in Omaha, there's nothing
bigger and better than the College World Series. And the
college baseball season is already underway, and I'm sure it
has the attention of my next guest, the executive director
(00:51):
of College World Series of Omaha Incorporated. Her name is
Amy Hornocker and she is joining us here in the studio.
So great to see you, Amy, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
For coming in too, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
So what are you doing this time of the year,
because we'll talk about how you got into this, but
I'm always curious. I talked to by you know, you're
at Iowa Pursue. Yeah, well we talked I would say
fair a lot and ioways stay fair. Those people, like
in January, you would be surprised about how busy they are,
just like getting things ready. You're a few months out
from you know, the big time of the year. You
(01:24):
have to worry about. What's the kind of daily, daily
thing that you got to worry about here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, So before I came, we were just on a
call with our partners at the NCAA. We're working on
some new community initiatives that we're pretty excited about. Stuff
we haven't haven't done before or in a while. So
more there'll be more to come as we get closer
on actually kind of three different things that we are
(01:50):
excited about, uh, to bring into the community. So that's
one thing we just got out of. We meet annually
as part of our contract with the NCAA. So they
were just here pretty exciting because they can't sometimes we
do these virtually, but sometimes they come to town not
really needing a site visit for a you know, a
(02:12):
seventy five year deal. But they we have the new
video boards that were installed at the at Charles werob
Field and so they came in to take a look
at the functionality of those and awesome new lights, So
there's a lot to be seen at I know Creighton
baseball is going to be they're already using them. So
a lot of stuff that we can do with game
(02:33):
presentation that's going to be new. Oh yeah, yeah, that's so.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Exciting you before we get really into the weeds, because
they got a lot of questions.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Okay, yeah, a.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Lot of questions. This is an interesting job that you
have because the College World Series exists in Omaha and
only Omaha. The NCAA basketball tournaments they move around every
year there, you know, they select sites for them tournament
and for the later rounds of the women's tournament, and
(03:03):
it rotates college football playoffs. All the bowl games, like
the bowl games have stadiums, but the championship game is
never going to be in the same spot every year.
The Super Bowl moves around, the Final Four moves around.
All these big events move around. But we have Omaha
and it is synonymous in this sport with the championship.
(03:25):
It's so special. How do you get into this first
off line of work and how did you get lined
up to be the executive director of this group that
really is all about maintaining this status is one of
the premier sporting events in the entire country throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, so yeah, we we are unique. So the NSA
does have a few long term host cities, but we're
unique in the fact that we actually have this local
organizing committee. There's five of us that work on this
year around here in Omaha. So there the others long
term sites don't have that. They have different entities that
(04:06):
work on it together. But I got into it. I
actually was an intern way back when when this was
still at Rosenblat, and so I was I played sports,
wasn't ever really good at it, but I loved it
so much and I loved the team thing. And I
went to college and didn't know what I wanted to
(04:26):
do and had an advisor that was like, well, if
you like sports, we have this sports management degree. And
so I worked in a football at the football office
and aimes worked for coach McCartney and just kind of
just kept in the sports world. And then my sister
was living over here, and so I needed an internship
to graduate, and I actually ended up with the CWS
(04:48):
and the staff here, so I got my first I
was an intern when Nebraska made it and oh wow,
two thousand and five. So that was like chaos, did
you Yeah, so because we still had the GA, which
you know was the open the open seating, and so
we had to like there had to be a policy
in place with when Nebraska made it on like how
(05:09):
to manage the crowds and stuff. And that was like
the Alex Gordon job, a Chamberlayne team that was like
really good. So that through like crazy wrenching things. So
it was a good time to be an intern.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I guess to see, I don't know, could it be
more crazy than that? Like if they made it now,
it I still don't think it would come closer.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I don't think so, yeah, because I don't we don't
have the same GA system. I think the secondary ticket
market might be insane. Sure, but yeah, I don't know.
It was. It was something different. So yeah, and then
I stay you know, I stayed in touch. I went
back home for a little while, and I came back
and I was with the Sports commission here in Omaha.
(05:47):
Had the chance to do a thirty different events, a
bunch of you know, a handful of swind trials.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So so like uh Omah Sports Commission, we talked to
Lindsay Tuston Brown last week on this pipe cast about that,
and I wasn't gonna ask specifically about how related that was,
but it does make sense because just managing events like that,
whether it's as large on an annual basis as the
College World Series or some of the smaller events that
(06:16):
the OSC is working to bring to town, I don't
think people really appreciate the backbone that has to go
in infrastructurally just to have those events go off without
a hitch. And I'm sure you know that's a tough
situation to cut your teeth into as a young professional.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, it's a it's you just there's just so many
moving parts and a lot of people just show up
and they think it just happens. I mean even student athletes.
They just show up and they're like, well, there's this,
like so many moving parts to it all, and yeah,
they've got the iron Man coming up, which is a
huge thing. I don't I don't think it is getting
the credit it deserves for the city or state, but
(06:55):
Ironman being here is a big deal, and it's a
it's a heavy lift up to our organize. So yeah,
it's people don't know. I mean, and we always like
to tell this story because we the the CWOS obviously
takes up a lot of resources within the community. I mean,
we have we have city public works people that like,
(07:16):
there's like sewer perfume, so like somebody's job to like
for when the visitors come to town that that's like
what they do. And so there's just so many small
pieces that this city does so well that that's why
we've been so successful in keeping it and also acquiring
(07:37):
other things. So yeah, it's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Wow, I could go into an entire diet tribe about
sewer perfume. I did not know that was a yes.
Uh wow cool. So uh and you eventually circle back,
how long have you been with the College World Series
this time around?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So it's been about eight years and I've been in
my current role. I just that was my third CWS,
so I just happened to be we had a long
time executive director. I was on staff I say, right place,
right time when she retired.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
So well, and here you are now, and it's been
great to get to know you because our Iowa connection. Yeah,
but also just I find it so fascinating that people
who want to work in sports are able to work
in because I went to school and I got a
sports administration degree. Also, things changed for me in my
professional goals. But I always kind of dreamt about what
(08:30):
it'd be like to be in management, and I really
have a great appreciation for the kind of work that
it takes to make the event what it is. And
it's a lot of grinding, it's a lot of elbow
grease that isn't going to get noticed by the general public.
For people in Omaha as that transition was made, gosh,
(08:50):
what is that fifteen sixteen years ago with the move
to downtown with the new ballpark and how I'll be
honest with you, I didn't. I never made it through
Rosenblack before it moved. But it is such a crazy
fun environment. For anybody who has never been to the
College World Series and calls themselves a sports fan, they
(09:12):
have to put it high on the list. We had
friends from Tennessee that came up this past year and
because they just needed to see it. Yeah, and they
had an amazing time. I think they're going to try
to come every year now. So that's good here, you know.
So the infrastructure, how hands on are you guys with
everything that we see? How much does the NCAA say
about this? How much of it is City of Omaha.
(09:33):
We have that little bar ballpark village area, We got
the bars and restaurants that have a presence. What of
all of that, It kind of falls under your umbrella
when we actually are there for two weeks in June.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, so we are the our entity is actually the
one that has the contract with the NCAA. So we
are i'd, for sake of a better word, the middleman.
So then we also have a mirror agreement with Mecca,
who runs our stadium because we don't have a stadium,
we don't have the stadium staff, and then the City
(10:05):
of Omaha because we don't have police, fire, public works,
those kinds of things. So I would say that's it's
a very unique situation and we all work like incredibly
well together. It's a it's an such an important event
for the city. But but there's also so much pride.
(10:25):
So it's just there's just like again, like I said,
so many moving parts and so many people that play
a role that you would never even think about.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So I love that, you know, uh, synergy, I think
it's like kind of the key word. I think a
lot of people are like the synergy of these organizations. Uh,
it can't be overstated how important that can be for
a community like ours. I'm just gonna come out and
ask the question, is it ever is there ever going
to be a chance that this leaves Omaha? Because there's
(10:57):
a lot of people out there, I think, who or
the big money oil tycoons in Texas, like, how are
we not playing the College World Series in you know, Arlington?
How are we not? How can Florida never get a
hold of this? Why can't we move this thing around?
Because they selfishly want to try to, you know, hoard
all these big events and take them away from maybe
(11:19):
their historic sites. And there are some people I think
that follow this closely hoping that they never have to
hear about what this is, like, like the possibility of
the College World Series leaving Omaha? What like? Has there
been conversations like that? And I'm sure that's part of
your job as well as just to make this a
secure and the stable of an event so it never
(11:40):
does feel like it needs to leave here.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah. Actually a huge part of what we are working
on year round. We our organization did just go undergo
a strategic plan. Our contract with nca is up in
twenty thirty six, but we'd like to start obviously having
the conversations about extension well before that. So like there's
(12:04):
we have identified like several different pillars, but the big
one is like, yes, we do not want every year.
We have to make this thing better. And I think
this community has done it. I mean the stadium was
built for this event and just keeping it fresh, keeping
it never just being content on how this is going,
even though it is is wildly successful. But we have
(12:27):
to make sure that locally everyone still understands that and
we don't we don't take it for granted, and then
just like nationally making sure because what we like to
say and what we kind of continually push in our
message is that you don't ever hear the road to
the NCAA Men's College World Series. Like you go to
(12:49):
LSU and they have an Omaha room, and you go
to like we have pictures of like every top baseball
facility in this country and it's road to Omaha and
they have it on the map on their walls. So
so we take a lot of pride in that and
we just keep working with those relationships with the teams
that are here with our with our major conference commissioners.
(13:10):
We want to make sure that, you know, the landscape
in college sports is crazy right now, so we want
to make sure whatever it is, whatever it looks like,
it's going to always be here. So and that's a
that's a big group of people here in town that
are are working behind the scenes to do that.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So I wonder, you know, we have, like we've had
things in Omaha that just beyond the control of what
you guys could do. And I think like the streetcar
construction potentially be one of those things that you kind
of have to think about. But there's one thing that
Omaha is awesome with right now, and it's the walkability
(13:50):
right downtown. And the scooters also that I think a
lot of people love to use because it's a circus
down there. Driving in and out is not ideal, but
you can like a lot of the hotels the teams
are staying at, the hotels that the fans are trying
to stay at, and all of the restaurants in party
spots that are within a very quick, easy walking distance
(14:13):
of downtown. Has to be a huge asset. Because Omaha
has dedicated its identity in a lot of ways to
this event and what Omaha would become right without this event,
I think would have a lot of people scratching their
head like how did we let that thing go? And again,
I think a lot of this is just manufactured by
the big market people with deep pockets that are like, well,
(14:36):
why can't we just steal this thing from a place
like Omaha? Do you feel that same pressure? Is that
really a narrative that you think is kind of perpetuated
by big market media that maybe we need to move
this type of event out of the Oklahoma cities and
the Omaha's little because the Women's World Series is in
Oklahoma City and put them into places like southern California
(14:59):
and Florida where the market itself is a lot bigger,
even if there's a ton of other things that they
can do.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, it's actually funny because I was just before I
came here, obviously, and I always stayed alone, and we
have all these new teams in the in the Big twelve,
and they're squawking why is this? Why is this in
Kansas City? Exact same why is this not in Las Vegas?
And it's I can't and it's mostly I'd like to
say people that haven't been there, because they do a
(15:25):
phenomenal job. It's a really cool atmosphere down there. But
we never want to say never. But like I I
do think and then we've seen we saw it happen
with the Olympic Trails, right somebody road Tide. I just
feel like those pools can be built like anywhere. It's
very it would be very hard to replicate what we
(15:46):
have with the World Series of stadium that isn't you
know a pro team's not going to go on the
road for essentially two weeks. What's the size? Where is it?
They don't want Like what we've heard over and over
again from the big dogs, we don't want to be
lost in Atlanta. So yeah, we I mean, we're just
(16:10):
gonna keep trying to We just it's I think it
would be very hard to move. I don't want to
say never, but the consensus between the coaches and administrators
and all that is, I mean, it would be crazy
to be anywhere else.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Well, and you mentioned it, you can't get lost in
those bigger markets. So as much as it's like, yeah,
let's move the College World Series to this venue for
two weeks, I mean you can't go to like a
major league facility, right because you're in the middle of
Major League Baseball season. You're gonna send the Texas Rangers
on the road for two weeks so you can play
in their stadium. That's not gonna work, right. So, and
(16:44):
the fact that there's a ton of other things going
on they shut this thing down. This whole town revolves
for two weeks and even more on either end of
that around the College World Series. And when I first
came here, it was before I moved to Omaha, and
I was just like, man, this is an amazing time.
This is just so fun. And you never know what
teams are going to be here, you never know what
kind of environment they will bring, and there's just something
(17:07):
about that. And I think the great thing is the
Olympic Trial that you brought up and how Indianapolis said
we can do that, and we can do it even
bigger and better. We'll put it in the football stadium. Yeah,
it's not the same viewing experience on television. I'm sure
it's not the same experience in the stadium watching this,
(17:29):
because you know, we have a big arena that did
just fine with this, and it was loud it was exciting,
but they basically have to cut that thing in half,
like the you know in Indianapolis, because it's just not
a venue that was designed for something like this. Do
you have a sense that maybe there is some buyer's
(17:49):
remorse either from Indianapolis about the investment that they made
on that, or do you feel like maybe US Swimming
would like a redo on that instead of taking the
biggest you know, check thinking about what that atmosphere is like,
because it has not been feeling the same. It's the
it's a bigger place, but it hasn't felt like a
bigger event since it moved to Indy.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, I think I know they're going back there, but
I don't it ice probably depends on who you talk
to about the experience, because I think they'll tell you
it was amazing, but I I don't know. I didn't
get a chance to go because we were obviously in
we were playing at the same time. Yeah, it'll be interesting.
(18:34):
We we had the luxury of having Michael Phelps when
you know, we were in that era, so we had
that luxury, And I don't know. I it's cool to
see some of these big venues, but then sometimes it's like,
bigger isn't always better, right, just better is better. So
I think that's a when people ask are we going
(18:54):
to add seats, We're always looking at what, you know,
what we can do keep this the top tier facility,
a top tier fan experience at student athlete experience. What
that is is, you know, we obviously identified the video
boards and all that as one and we'll continue to
keep looking at it. But just putting these things in bigger,
(19:17):
bigger buildings, I don't know. In my opinion, I'd rather
just watch it on TV.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
If you're sitting there, you're an Iowa state person, so
it's like you really have an appreciation for like the
magic of Hilton Poseu. Yeah, that is not one of
the largest or the nicest, but there's a charm to
it that I don't think anybody who goes there regularly
would want to change a thing about it. Right. You
can upgrade a few things, and they have over the years,
(19:45):
but there's something about how it feels to sit there
and just feel the noise in that tight space. And
I don't know, it's just money doesn't buy happiness. But
you have also identified something interesting, and that is the
changing landscape of college athletics. Yeah. Yeah, and and the
money that is just generally into conference realignment and television
(20:07):
media deals. Baseball isn't untouched on that. It's not as
effected as football and basketball have been, but it's still
is a thing that you know, the athletes are making
money now and they're trying to make money, and the
transfer portal and everything has been about the almighty dollar
all of a sudden. How has that changed what your
guys' job has been over the last you know, three
(20:29):
four or five years as the transfer portal nil media
rights deals have affected the collegiate athletic landscape.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, I think. I mean we are a little Baseball
is a little bit further removed from you know, the
big revenue sports. But I think, well we're we you know,
we lost a few things. We used to do a
we autograph session, all eight team SAT kids would come down.
It was sponsored. Obviously we can't do that anymore. We
(21:01):
don't know, like we can't make them all sit ye yes,
and when we don't, and everybody has like different rules
around it, so we we kind of lost that. I
think what we've been looking into, like the national Championship.
You see the crown and you see these preseason tournament
basketball tournaments where people are paying writing a check, you
(21:24):
come play in the tournament, you get you walk away
with a million dollars for nil. And so we've been
looking at it has really not made it to the
national championship piece like these kids still like this is
still their pinnacle and it's not necessarily about the bag.
So that isn't something you know, we've we were kind
of staying away from. We've looked at it is is
(21:46):
more like covering expense, travel expenses, something that they would
take as more of a priority than that. I don't know,
but we've been The thing that we worry about is
with the settlement and the revenue, there will be certain
conferences that will have to make hard decisions about baseball
(22:07):
or you know, these Olympic sports and whether or not
they're going to continue to support them in the way
that they have. So that's it's interesting to think about
we have. I mean, we've heard from the SEC Conference
that they're all in on baseball, but what's going to
happen right with the Big Ten? A lot of Northern
schools I don't know, So again, a little insulated on baseball,
(22:29):
But there has to be some guardrails on this, and
I think everybody agrees on that.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, it's a good point about like just geographically, like
the southern schools, you see schools like Dallas Baptists that
are regularly ranked and have a chance to make deep runs,
cal State forts and used to be like that. It's
teams that aren't necessarily super relevant in a lot of
other sports, but every single year have a chance to
compete in baseball and you don't see that as much
(22:54):
with our northern schools. Could that lead to an adjustment
of funding? And I mean because the money these athletic
departments are making, they want to funnel it into the
big cash cows. I mean, and that's just an unfortunate
reality that we're seeing. You know, the rowing team isn't
going to get the same type of you know, funding
(23:16):
or financial support or honestly like department and support as
it may have gotten fifteen years ago when everything was
supposed to be on a level playing field. And you know,
whether or not that touches baseball in a way that
can affect the teams that we would see is interesting
when you talk to the teams, because you know, like,
that's another thing too, is you guys are having to
(23:38):
communicate to the teams that are making it and you
don't know who's making it until like the weekend before.
So how do you monitor that situation? I'm sure when
you have Tennessee and LSU and Texas A and M,
it's like, Okay, we know who we're talking to and
what they generally like. But when you get some of
these newbies that show up kind of randomly, like Coastal
Carolina or Murray State for instance, you know, how how
(24:03):
do you guys go about trying to make their experience
as good as possible when they don't really know what
they're doing either.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Yeah, and that's a been a bit. We of our
i mean our staff here, so we we make in
the NCAA staff make a lot of contact with them,
and we also have a we have this team host groups.
So they're basically service organizations like the Rotary and then
off at Air Force Base, so they're all they're assigned
a team and they're kind of their contact, their OMAHA
(24:31):
contact from the minute they get here to to when
they leave. Some of them have national championship rings, so
they help them kind of navigate all the things and
and I mean we do with some of those new ones.
They're just like deer in the headlights, right. And then
we have recently had a lot of coaching changes. I
(24:51):
mean we had Oregon State here lest year, different coaching staff,
so it's something it's a lot of it can be
a lot of hand holding, but we have a lot
of people around, and we have the luxury of like
repeat hotel sites and bus drivers and like that's like
that is like a really good benefit of this being
here annually. That and then when we host other things.
(25:14):
That's what the NCAA always says, like when we have
like we'll have opening rounds of basketball again next year,
and they they're like, we don't worry about.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Omaha as good a complimation.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yeah, it's I mean it is. It is. And sometimes
we're like, oh, we could use a little more support,
but they're like, no, you got it.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
We have all the faith in the world and you
you guys know what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Uh interesting the facility to itself. You mentioned the upgrades
of the stillity. You guys have to worry about this.
I am completely turning left on this contray that's.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Okay, that's what happens with me usually, well random rounds.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Of But this is why I love you, you know,
like we need to just go grab beers something and
we could just sit with with no microphones, and I'm
sure we would have even crazier stories to share you
in this this field, it's really well located. Yeah, roughly
twenty five thousand people can fit in there. Hurricane Milton
(26:10):
smashed into Tampa in twenty twenty four, and I made
it my own personal efforts. I was gonna like this
was going to be the crusade I was making in
my life that I thought we could get the Tampa
Bay Rays to get bought by Warren Buffett or some
conglomerate including Warren Buffett, pick them up and move them
(26:33):
to a place like Omaha. They're drawing like twenty five
thousand people a game. I was like, well, I know
a place that you can fit twenty five thousand people.
And I get that we have the storm Chasers here.
I get we have a relationship with the Kansas City Royals.
I also understand that bringing a major league baseball team
could complicate the College World Series or complicate you know,
(26:55):
anything that's going on downtown on a nightly basis. I'm
not sure about what infrastructure needs to improve, but blindly
I just was like, is there a way this baseball
crazy city can get a major League baseball team? And
so I'm going to ask you, who knows a lot
more about this facility and the business? Is this that
(27:17):
realistic might not be the right word, but like, was
this something that you think Omaha could handle first and foremost,
you know, like our market size handling a major league team?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, I mean we had major League baseball in here
in twenty nineteen, played a game between Detroit and Kansas
City before our event, and I mean they they said that,
you know, this facility is better than some of our
major league parks. Their security group was like impressed with
how well the local and federal partners work together for
(27:52):
safety and security. They go to a lot of places
and said, sometimes it can be really bad. So I
think we could. I don't know all the details about
I know that, you know, Oakland, when they were looking
for a temporary home, there was some contact here. There
is some stuff that this is the Royals market, and
(28:14):
I don't quite understand all of that, but I think, yeah,
I think we could definitely support it.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
We got a million people or whatever they do the
geographic drawings, and I mean Lincoln's forty five minutes away.
Three hundred thousand people live there. Yeah, God bless Kansas City.
But that's three hour drive, right. So I mean, if
you were to take a team and you wanted to
put it here, whether it's the A's or the Rays
(28:45):
or any team that seems to struggle with getting support
from the market, it was already in. This is a
town that would it's craving it, right. You see some
of these NBA teams like the Blazers in Portland or
the Thunder in Oklahoma City, and they're the only show
in and the town just loves them all the time
and wants to support them and be there for them.
(29:08):
What would it take to have eighty one home games
at a facility like that? Right? Because I mean yeah,
Because I mean, like we're talking about two weeks here
and all the work that you have to do for
two weeks with your team to make this as good
of an environment as possible for eight different teams. You
bring a major league team here, which I still think
we should, by the way, but eighty one home games
(29:30):
and you're now not just thinking about eighteen that lives here,
but you know another probably twenty different teams that are
going to be coming and playing some game here throughout
the season. Do you have any concept of like how, like,
let's pretend you're now the executive director of this facility
in managing this major league baseball team, Like what would
(29:51):
that take? Would it be easier since it's just all
year longer? Would that be harder because there's so many
more games?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't know, it's a question. It might be easier
because it's just like, you know, you just have the
same model every Yeah, I mean everything doesn't pop up
like that's what everything about us is temporary and protected,
and so it might be easier. I don't know. It's
a great question. I think OPD is like if they
(30:20):
were listening to this or like, girl, do not give
us eighty home games to run traffic? That's a good point,
but you know what you we You know, Mecca has
a new leader. He's very he's awesome. He has He's
been a lot of places, seeing a lot of things,
and I think this would be an interesting conversation with him.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Well I get to meet him. Yeah, Now, now see, Unfortunately,
the Rays seem like they've already been bought by guy
who wants to keep him in Tampa, which is like,
come on, man, nobody there cares. Like I went to
the Tampa Zoo. I don't know if you've been to Tampa.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
No.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
I like Tampa. Yeah, Tampa's actually a cool place. And
this is I fell a little gay because we went
to the Tampa Zoo and the they have a ray
tank and it's sponsored by the Tampa Bay Rays, and
I'm like, I feel I would feel really bad for,
you know, any community or entity that is getting funding
from them or working with them in partnership, because that
(31:17):
makes sense, right, Like they got a ray tank and
it's the Rays. It makes sense. But selfishly, I'm just
kind of like, man, they've had that team for like
twenty five years and they're drawing twenty five thousand people
a game in this horrible dome stadium. Like we can't
talk about the idea that Omaha might be a better
spot for them.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Like yeah, yeah, there's a lot to that. I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
So well for you, college World Series calendar were marched.
Now we're three months away from like the nitty gritty
taking place. What's the next big date that you're paying
attention to? Is there you know certain things that you
guys historically do kind of in this March April area
as you kind of prepare for June.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, so we are. We have our advance tickets sell
so it will be our game day day of game
tickets April twenty first, so that will be what that's
what's for sale. Most of those will go quickly. We
have usually those Monday Tuesday afternoons. There's still some sitting
around for those. That's probably our next big milestone of
(32:26):
like things going on. And then everyone the next day,
everyone will have their tickets in their accounts, so then
you'll be able to move them around and the same
with your parking so if you have it. So that's
probably our next big thing. We're obviously watching we have
the rankings that come out every week, and we see
we have a lot of usual suspects at the top.
(32:46):
We have one usual suspect that's and our LSU Tigers
are struggling a little bit. Look great right now, but
otherwise we might see well, I think some really good
teams with the possibility to be here again. So we
didn't have any repeats last year from I before. So
that was wild that that was pretty unheard of.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
That was so fun too because some of them were
like the LSU Tigers in Arkansas and yeah, some of
those teams that you're just like, Okay, they're gonna come
here and they're going to show out. And then you
had some newbies that you're just like, oh, this is
cool to have Coastal Carolina and Murray State here to
kind of represent the smaller guys.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
I think we'll see Coastal more. They are one of
the more mid majors. That's the Baseball's aer thing. So yeah,
they're investing.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Yeah, what was that first time since nineteen fifty eight
or something that it was all new teams.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah, yeah, we felt that a little bit. We felt
that a little bit from the planning perspective, so it
was a lot of more questions, it seemed like.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
But sure, But you know what, when you have a great,
you know, team of people that are on the other
end of that, I think that's really cool. You guys,
you're awesome. I am so happy that we talked like
this about kind of the basics. I think you and
I should do this again. Sometime between now and June
and talk about kind of what things are looking like,
because I'm so fascinated by what you do, and you
(34:09):
guys do an amazing job making sure that everybody from
people like me and the fans, to the school, to
the NC DOUBLEA and everybody feels like it's a success,
even the TV partners that I'm sure are super excited
about all of it.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
It's great. I mean again, so many people play a
role in this thing, and too many to even name,
but yes, and we have really good TV radio partners
and everything.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
So well, that's awesome. Amy Hornocker with the Calle Drold
series we Omaha Incorporated. Always great chatting with you. We
will do this again sometime very soon. Thanks so much
for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Okay, and you're listening to this. We are going to
have more podcasts next week, so make sure that you
subscribe to this on the free iHeartRadio app and we
will be back at your feet on Monday. You have
a great rest of your weekend, and thanks for listening
to the Emery Songer Podcast.
It is the Emory Songer Podcast on the free iHeartRadio
app and we are so happy to have you. And
we're recording this on a Friday. It is a great day.
I am super excited for the basketball that's happening. I'm
so fun. I have so much fun on the weekends
just sitting at sports bars and just watching all the
great things that are taking place. The baseball season is
(00:29):
underway at the collegiate level. The World Baseball Classic, which
has been one of my favorite things to watch. The
elimination rounds are here. But living in Omaha, there's nothing
bigger and better than the College World Series. And the
college baseball season is already underway, and I'm sure it
has the attention of my next guest, the executive director
(00:51):
of College World Series of Omaha Incorporated. Her name is
Amy Hornocker and she is joining us here in the studio.
So great to see you, Amy, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
For coming in too, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
So what are you doing this time of the year,
because we'll talk about how you got into this, but
I'm always curious. I talked to by you know, you're
at Iowa Pursue. Yeah, well we talked I would say
fair a lot and ioways stay fair. Those people, like
in January, you would be surprised about how busy they are,
just like getting things ready. You're a few months out
from you know, the big time of the year. You
(01:24):
have to worry about. What's the kind of daily, daily
thing that you got to worry about here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, So before I came, we were just on a
call with our partners at the NCAA. We're working on
some new community initiatives that we're pretty excited about. Stuff
we haven't haven't done before or in a while. So
more there'll be more to come as we get closer
on actually kind of three different things that we are
(01:50):
excited about, uh, to bring into the community. So that's
one thing we just got out of. We meet annually
as part of our contract with the NCAA. So they
were just here pretty exciting because they can't sometimes we
do these virtually, but sometimes they come to town not
really needing a site visit for a you know, a
(02:12):
seventy five year deal. But they we have the new
video boards that were installed at the at Charles werob
Field and so they came in to take a look
at the functionality of those and awesome new lights, So
there's a lot to be seen at I know Creighton
baseball is going to be they're already using them. So
a lot of stuff that we can do with game
(02:33):
presentation that's going to be new. Oh yeah, yeah, that's so.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Exciting you before we get really into the weeds, because
they got a lot of questions.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Okay, yeah, a.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Lot of questions. This is an interesting job that you
have because the College World Series exists in Omaha and
only Omaha. The NCAA basketball tournaments they move around every
year there, you know, they select sites for them tournament
and for the later rounds of the women's tournament, and
(03:03):
it rotates college football playoffs. All the bowl games, like
the bowl games have stadiums, but the championship game is
never going to be in the same spot every year.
The Super Bowl moves around, the Final Four moves around.
All these big events move around. But we have Omaha
and it is synonymous in this sport with the championship.
(03:25):
It's so special. How do you get into this first
off line of work and how did you get lined
up to be the executive director of this group that
really is all about maintaining this status is one of
the premier sporting events in the entire country throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, so yeah, we we are unique. So the NSA
does have a few long term host cities, but we're
unique in the fact that we actually have this local
organizing committee. There's five of us that work on this
year around here in Omaha. So there the others long
term sites don't have that. They have different entities that
(04:06):
work on it together. But I got into it. I
actually was an intern way back when when this was
still at Rosenblat, and so I was I played sports,
wasn't ever really good at it, but I loved it
so much and I loved the team thing. And I
went to college and didn't know what I wanted to
(04:26):
do and had an advisor that was like, well, if
you like sports, we have this sports management degree. And
so I worked in a football at the football office
and aimes worked for coach McCartney and just kind of
just kept in the sports world. And then my sister
was living over here, and so I needed an internship
to graduate, and I actually ended up with the CWS
(04:48):
and the staff here, so I got my first I
was an intern when Nebraska made it and oh wow,
two thousand and five. So that was like chaos, did
you Yeah, so because we still had the GA, which
you know was the open the open seating, and so
we had to like there had to be a policy
in place with when Nebraska made it on like how
(05:09):
to manage the crowds and stuff. And that was like
the Alex Gordon job, a Chamberlayne team that was like
really good. So that through like crazy wrenching things. So
it was a good time to be an intern.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I guess to see, I don't know, could it be
more crazy than that? Like if they made it now,
it I still don't think it would come closer.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I don't think so, yeah, because I don't we don't
have the same GA system. I think the secondary ticket
market might be insane. Sure, but yeah, I don't know.
It was. It was something different. So yeah, and then
I stay you know, I stayed in touch. I went
back home for a little while, and I came back
and I was with the Sports commission here in Omaha.
(05:47):
Had the chance to do a thirty different events, a
bunch of you know, a handful of swind trials.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So so like uh Omah Sports Commission, we talked to
Lindsay Tuston Brown last week on this pipe cast about that,
and I wasn't gonna ask specifically about how related that was,
but it does make sense because just managing events like that,
whether it's as large on an annual basis as the
College World Series or some of the smaller events that
(06:16):
the OSC is working to bring to town, I don't
think people really appreciate the backbone that has to go
in infrastructurally just to have those events go off without
a hitch. And I'm sure you know that's a tough
situation to cut your teeth into as a young professional.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, it's a it's you just there's just so many
moving parts and a lot of people just show up
and they think it just happens. I mean even student athletes.
They just show up and they're like, well, there's this,
like so many moving parts to it all, and yeah,
they've got the iron Man coming up, which is a
huge thing. I don't I don't think it is getting
the credit it deserves for the city or state, but
(06:55):
Ironman being here is a big deal, and it's a
it's a heavy lift up to our organize. So yeah,
it's people don't know. I mean, and we always like
to tell this story because we the the CWOS obviously
takes up a lot of resources within the community. I mean,
we have we have city public works people that like,
(07:16):
there's like sewer perfume, so like somebody's job to like
for when the visitors come to town that that's like
what they do. And so there's just so many small
pieces that this city does so well that that's why
we've been so successful in keeping it and also acquiring
(07:37):
other things. So yeah, it's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Wow, I could go into an entire diet tribe about
sewer perfume. I did not know that was a yes.
Uh wow cool. So uh and you eventually circle back,
how long have you been with the College World Series
this time around?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So it's been about eight years and I've been in
my current role. I just that was my third CWS,
so I just happened to be we had a long
time executive director. I was on staff I say, right place,
right time when she retired.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
So well, and here you are now, and it's been
great to get to know you because our Iowa connection. Yeah,
but also just I find it so fascinating that people
who want to work in sports are able to work
in because I went to school and I got a
sports administration degree. Also, things changed for me in my
professional goals. But I always kind of dreamt about what
(08:30):
it'd be like to be in management, and I really
have a great appreciation for the kind of work that
it takes to make the event what it is. And
it's a lot of grinding, it's a lot of elbow
grease that isn't going to get noticed by the general public.
For people in Omaha as that transition was made, gosh,
(08:50):
what is that fifteen sixteen years ago with the move
to downtown with the new ballpark and how I'll be
honest with you, I didn't. I never made it through
Rosenblack before it moved. But it is such a crazy
fun environment. For anybody who has never been to the
College World Series and calls themselves a sports fan, they
(09:12):
have to put it high on the list. We had
friends from Tennessee that came up this past year and
because they just needed to see it. Yeah, and they
had an amazing time. I think they're going to try
to come every year now. So that's good here, you know.
So the infrastructure, how hands on are you guys with
everything that we see? How much does the NCAA say
about this? How much of it is City of Omaha.
(09:33):
We have that little bar ballpark village area, We got
the bars and restaurants that have a presence. What of
all of that, It kind of falls under your umbrella
when we actually are there for two weeks in June.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, so we are the our entity is actually the
one that has the contract with the NCAA. So we
are i'd, for sake of a better word, the middleman.
So then we also have a mirror agreement with Mecca,
who runs our stadium because we don't have a stadium,
we don't have the stadium staff, and then the City
(10:05):
of Omaha because we don't have police, fire, public works,
those kinds of things. So I would say that's it's
a very unique situation and we all work like incredibly
well together. It's a it's an such an important event
for the city. But but there's also so much pride.
(10:25):
So it's just there's just like again, like I said,
so many moving parts and so many people that play
a role that you would never even think about.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So I love that, you know, uh, synergy, I think
it's like kind of the key word. I think a
lot of people are like the synergy of these organizations. Uh,
it can't be overstated how important that can be for
a community like ours. I'm just gonna come out and
ask the question, is it ever is there ever going
to be a chance that this leaves Omaha? Because there's
(10:57):
a lot of people out there, I think, who or
the big money oil tycoons in Texas, like, how are
we not playing the College World Series in you know, Arlington?
How are we not? How can Florida never get a
hold of this? Why can't we move this thing around?
Because they selfishly want to try to, you know, hoard
all these big events and take them away from maybe
(11:19):
their historic sites. And there are some people I think
that follow this closely hoping that they never have to
hear about what this is, like, like the possibility of
the College World Series leaving Omaha? What like? Has there
been conversations like that? And I'm sure that's part of
your job as well as just to make this a
secure and the stable of an event so it never
(11:40):
does feel like it needs to leave here.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah. Actually a huge part of what we are working
on year round. We our organization did just go undergo
a strategic plan. Our contract with nca is up in
twenty thirty six, but we'd like to start obviously having
the conversations about extension well before that. So like there's
(12:04):
we have identified like several different pillars, but the big
one is like, yes, we do not want every year.
We have to make this thing better. And I think
this community has done it. I mean the stadium was
built for this event and just keeping it fresh, keeping
it never just being content on how this is going,
even though it is is wildly successful. But we have
(12:27):
to make sure that locally everyone still understands that and
we don't we don't take it for granted, and then
just like nationally making sure because what we like to
say and what we kind of continually push in our
message is that you don't ever hear the road to
the NCAA Men's College World Series. Like you go to
(12:49):
LSU and they have an Omaha room, and you go
to like we have pictures of like every top baseball
facility in this country and it's road to Omaha and
they have it on the map on their walls. So
so we take a lot of pride in that and
we just keep working with those relationships with the teams
that are here with our with our major conference commissioners.
(13:10):
We want to make sure that, you know, the landscape
in college sports is crazy right now, so we want
to make sure whatever it is, whatever it looks like,
it's going to always be here. So and that's a
that's a big group of people here in town that
are are working behind the scenes to do that.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So I wonder, you know, we have, like we've had
things in Omaha that just beyond the control of what
you guys could do. And I think like the streetcar
construction potentially be one of those things that you kind
of have to think about. But there's one thing that
Omaha is awesome with right now, and it's the walkability
(13:50):
right downtown. And the scooters also that I think a
lot of people love to use because it's a circus
down there. Driving in and out is not ideal, but
you can like a lot of the hotels the teams
are staying at, the hotels that the fans are trying
to stay at, and all of the restaurants in party
spots that are within a very quick, easy walking distance
(14:13):
of downtown. Has to be a huge asset. Because Omaha
has dedicated its identity in a lot of ways to
this event and what Omaha would become right without this event,
I think would have a lot of people scratching their
head like how did we let that thing go? And again,
I think a lot of this is just manufactured by
the big market people with deep pockets that are like, well,
(14:36):
why can't we just steal this thing from a place
like Omaha? Do you feel that same pressure? Is that
really a narrative that you think is kind of perpetuated
by big market media that maybe we need to move
this type of event out of the Oklahoma cities and
the Omaha's little because the Women's World Series is in
Oklahoma City and put them into places like southern California
(14:59):
and Florida where the market itself is a lot bigger,
even if there's a ton of other things that they
can do.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, it's actually funny because I was just before I
came here, obviously, and I always stayed alone, and we
have all these new teams in the in the Big twelve,
and they're squawking why is this? Why is this in
Kansas City? Exact same why is this not in Las Vegas?
And it's I can't and it's mostly I'd like to
say people that haven't been there, because they do a
(15:25):
phenomenal job. It's a really cool atmosphere down there. But
we never want to say never. But like I I
do think and then we've seen we saw it happen
with the Olympic Trails, right somebody road Tide. I just
feel like those pools can be built like anywhere. It's
very it would be very hard to replicate what we
(15:46):
have with the World Series of stadium that isn't you
know a pro team's not going to go on the
road for essentially two weeks. What's the size? Where is it?
They don't want Like what we've heard over and over
again from the big dogs, we don't want to be
lost in Atlanta. So yeah, we I mean, we're just
(16:10):
gonna keep trying to We just it's I think it
would be very hard to move. I don't want to
say never, but the consensus between the coaches and administrators
and all that is, I mean, it would be crazy
to be anywhere else.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Well, and you mentioned it, you can't get lost in
those bigger markets. So as much as it's like, yeah,
let's move the College World Series to this venue for
two weeks, I mean you can't go to like a
major league facility, right because you're in the middle of
Major League Baseball season. You're gonna send the Texas Rangers
on the road for two weeks so you can play
in their stadium. That's not gonna work, right. So, and
(16:44):
the fact that there's a ton of other things going
on they shut this thing down. This whole town revolves
for two weeks and even more on either end of
that around the College World Series. And when I first
came here, it was before I moved to Omaha, and
I was just like, man, this is an amazing time.
This is just so fun. And you never know what
teams are going to be here, you never know what
kind of environment they will bring, and there's just something
(17:07):
about that. And I think the great thing is the
Olympic Trial that you brought up and how Indianapolis said
we can do that, and we can do it even
bigger and better. We'll put it in the football stadium. Yeah,
it's not the same viewing experience on television. I'm sure
it's not the same experience in the stadium watching this,
(17:29):
because you know, we have a big arena that did
just fine with this, and it was loud it was exciting,
but they basically have to cut that thing in half,
like the you know in Indianapolis, because it's just not
a venue that was designed for something like this. Do
you have a sense that maybe there is some buyer's
(17:49):
remorse either from Indianapolis about the investment that they made
on that, or do you feel like maybe US Swimming
would like a redo on that instead of taking the
biggest you know, check thinking about what that atmosphere is like,
because it has not been feeling the same. It's the
it's a bigger place, but it hasn't felt like a
bigger event since it moved to Indy.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, I think I know they're going back there, but
I don't it ice probably depends on who you talk
to about the experience, because I think they'll tell you
it was amazing, but I I don't know. I didn't
get a chance to go because we were obviously in
we were playing at the same time. Yeah, it'll be interesting.
(18:34):
We we had the luxury of having Michael Phelps when
you know, we were in that era, so we had
that luxury, And I don't know. I it's cool to
see some of these big venues, but then sometimes it's like,
bigger isn't always better, right, just better is better. So
I think that's a when people ask are we going
(18:54):
to add seats, We're always looking at what, you know,
what we can do keep this the top tier facility,
a top tier fan experience at student athlete experience. What
that is is, you know, we obviously identified the video
boards and all that as one and we'll continue to
keep looking at it. But just putting these things in bigger,
(19:17):
bigger buildings, I don't know. In my opinion, I'd rather
just watch it on TV.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
If you're sitting there, you're an Iowa state person, so
it's like you really have an appreciation for like the
magic of Hilton Poseu. Yeah, that is not one of
the largest or the nicest, but there's a charm to
it that I don't think anybody who goes there regularly
would want to change a thing about it. Right. You
can upgrade a few things, and they have over the years,
(19:45):
but there's something about how it feels to sit there
and just feel the noise in that tight space. And
I don't know, it's just money doesn't buy happiness. But
you have also identified something interesting, and that is the
changing landscape of college athletics. Yeah. Yeah, and and the
money that is just generally into conference realignment and television
(20:07):
media deals. Baseball isn't untouched on that. It's not as
effected as football and basketball have been, but it's still
is a thing that you know, the athletes are making
money now and they're trying to make money, and the
transfer portal and everything has been about the almighty dollar
all of a sudden. How has that changed what your
guys' job has been over the last you know, three
(20:29):
four or five years as the transfer portal nil media
rights deals have affected the collegiate athletic landscape.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, I think. I mean we are a little Baseball
is a little bit further removed from you know, the
big revenue sports. But I think, well we're we you know,
we lost a few things. We used to do a
we autograph session, all eight team SAT kids would come down.
It was sponsored. Obviously we can't do that anymore. We
(21:01):
don't know, like we can't make them all sit ye yes,
and when we don't, and everybody has like different rules
around it, so we we kind of lost that. I
think what we've been looking into, like the national Championship.
You see the crown and you see these preseason tournament
basketball tournaments where people are paying writing a check, you
(21:24):
come play in the tournament, you get you walk away
with a million dollars for nil. And so we've been
looking at it has really not made it to the
national championship piece like these kids still like this is
still their pinnacle and it's not necessarily about the bag.
So that isn't something you know, we've we were kind
of staying away from. We've looked at it is is
(21:46):
more like covering expense, travel expenses, something that they would
take as more of a priority than that. I don't know,
but we've been The thing that we worry about is
with the settlement and the revenue, there will be certain
conferences that will have to make hard decisions about baseball
(22:07):
or you know, these Olympic sports and whether or not
they're going to continue to support them in the way
that they have. So that's it's interesting to think about
we have. I mean, we've heard from the SEC Conference
that they're all in on baseball, but what's going to
happen right with the Big Ten? A lot of Northern
schools I don't know, So again, a little insulated on baseball,
(22:29):
But there has to be some guardrails on this, and
I think everybody agrees on that.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, it's a good point about like just geographically, like
the southern schools, you see schools like Dallas Baptists that
are regularly ranked and have a chance to make deep runs,
cal State forts and used to be like that. It's
teams that aren't necessarily super relevant in a lot of
other sports, but every single year have a chance to
compete in baseball and you don't see that as much
(22:54):
with our northern schools. Could that lead to an adjustment
of funding? And I mean because the money these athletic
departments are making, they want to funnel it into the
big cash cows. I mean, and that's just an unfortunate
reality that we're seeing. You know, the rowing team isn't
going to get the same type of you know, funding
(23:16):
or financial support or honestly like department and support as
it may have gotten fifteen years ago when everything was
supposed to be on a level playing field. And you know,
whether or not that touches baseball in a way that
can affect the teams that we would see is interesting
when you talk to the teams, because you know, like,
that's another thing too, is you guys are having to
(23:38):
communicate to the teams that are making it and you
don't know who's making it until like the weekend before.
So how do you monitor that situation? I'm sure when
you have Tennessee and LSU and Texas A and M,
it's like, Okay, we know who we're talking to and
what they generally like. But when you get some of
these newbies that show up kind of randomly, like Coastal
Carolina or Murray State for instance, you know, how how
(24:03):
do you guys go about trying to make their experience
as good as possible when they don't really know what
they're doing either.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Yeah, and that's a been a bit. We of our
i mean our staff here, so we we make in
the NCAA staff make a lot of contact with them,
and we also have a we have this team host groups.
So they're basically service organizations like the Rotary and then
off at Air Force Base, so they're all they're assigned
a team and they're kind of their contact, their OMAHA
(24:31):
contact from the minute they get here to to when
they leave. Some of them have national championship rings, so
they help them kind of navigate all the things and
and I mean we do with some of those new ones.
They're just like deer in the headlights, right. And then
we have recently had a lot of coaching changes. I
(24:51):
mean we had Oregon State here lest year, different coaching staff,
so it's something it's a lot of it can be
a lot of hand holding, but we have a lot
of people around, and we have the luxury of like
repeat hotel sites and bus drivers and like that's like
that is like a really good benefit of this being
here annually. That and then when we host other things.
(25:14):
That's what the NCAA always says, like when we have
like we'll have opening rounds of basketball again next year,
and they they're like, we don't worry about.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Omaha as good a complimation.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yeah, it's I mean it is. It is. And sometimes
we're like, oh, we could use a little more support,
but they're like, no, you got it.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
We have all the faith in the world and you
you guys know what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Uh interesting the facility to itself. You mentioned the upgrades
of the stillity. You guys have to worry about this.
I am completely turning left on this contray that's.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Okay, that's what happens with me usually, well random rounds.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Of But this is why I love you, you know,
like we need to just go grab beers something and
we could just sit with with no microphones, and I'm
sure we would have even crazier stories to share you
in this this field, it's really well located. Yeah, roughly
twenty five thousand people can fit in there. Hurricane Milton
(26:10):
smashed into Tampa in twenty twenty four, and I made
it my own personal efforts. I was gonna like this
was going to be the crusade I was making in
my life that I thought we could get the Tampa
Bay Rays to get bought by Warren Buffett or some
conglomerate including Warren Buffett, pick them up and move them
(26:33):
to a place like Omaha. They're drawing like twenty five
thousand people a game. I was like, well, I know
a place that you can fit twenty five thousand people.
And I get that we have the storm Chasers here.
I get we have a relationship with the Kansas City Royals.
I also understand that bringing a major league baseball team
could complicate the College World Series or complicate you know,
(26:55):
anything that's going on downtown on a nightly basis. I'm
not sure about what infrastructure needs to improve, but blindly
I just was like, is there a way this baseball
crazy city can get a major League baseball team? And
so I'm going to ask you, who knows a lot
more about this facility and the business? Is this that
(27:17):
realistic might not be the right word, but like, was
this something that you think Omaha could handle first and foremost,
you know, like our market size handling a major league team?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, I mean we had major League baseball in here
in twenty nineteen, played a game between Detroit and Kansas
City before our event, and I mean they they said that,
you know, this facility is better than some of our
major league parks. Their security group was like impressed with
how well the local and federal partners work together for
(27:52):
safety and security. They go to a lot of places
and said, sometimes it can be really bad. So I
think we could. I don't know all the details about
I know that, you know, Oakland, when they were looking
for a temporary home, there was some contact here. There
is some stuff that this is the Royals market, and
(28:14):
I don't quite understand all of that, but I think, yeah,
I think we could definitely support it.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
We got a million people or whatever they do the
geographic drawings, and I mean Lincoln's forty five minutes away.
Three hundred thousand people live there. Yeah, God bless Kansas City.
But that's three hour drive, right. So I mean, if
you were to take a team and you wanted to
put it here, whether it's the A's or the Rays
(28:45):
or any team that seems to struggle with getting support
from the market, it was already in. This is a
town that would it's craving it, right. You see some
of these NBA teams like the Blazers in Portland or
the Thunder in Oklahoma City, and they're the only show
in and the town just loves them all the time
and wants to support them and be there for them.
(29:08):
What would it take to have eighty one home games
at a facility like that? Right? Because I mean yeah,
Because I mean, like we're talking about two weeks here
and all the work that you have to do for
two weeks with your team to make this as good
of an environment as possible for eight different teams. You
bring a major league team here, which I still think
we should, by the way, but eighty one home games
(29:30):
and you're now not just thinking about eighteen that lives here,
but you know another probably twenty different teams that are
going to be coming and playing some game here throughout
the season. Do you have any concept of like how, like,
let's pretend you're now the executive director of this facility
in managing this major league baseball team, Like what would
(29:51):
that take? Would it be easier since it's just all
year longer? Would that be harder because there's so many
more games?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't know, it's a question. It might be easier
because it's just like, you know, you just have the
same model every Yeah, I mean everything doesn't pop up
like that's what everything about us is temporary and protected,
and so it might be easier. I don't know. It's
a great question. I think OPD is like if they
(30:20):
were listening to this or like, girl, do not give
us eighty home games to run traffic? That's a good point,
but you know what you we You know, Mecca has
a new leader. He's very he's awesome. He has He's
been a lot of places, seeing a lot of things,
and I think this would be an interesting conversation with him.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Well I get to meet him. Yeah, Now, now see, Unfortunately,
the Rays seem like they've already been bought by guy
who wants to keep him in Tampa, which is like,
come on, man, nobody there cares. Like I went to
the Tampa Zoo. I don't know if you've been to Tampa.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
No.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
I like Tampa. Yeah, Tampa's actually a cool place. And
this is I fell a little gay because we went
to the Tampa Zoo and the they have a ray
tank and it's sponsored by the Tampa Bay Rays, and
I'm like, I feel I would feel really bad for,
you know, any community or entity that is getting funding
from them or working with them in partnership, because that
(31:17):
makes sense, right, Like they got a ray tank and
it's the Rays. It makes sense. But selfishly, I'm just
kind of like, man, they've had that team for like
twenty five years and they're drawing twenty five thousand people
a game in this horrible dome stadium. Like we can't
talk about the idea that Omaha might be a better
spot for them.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Like yeah, yeah, there's a lot to that. I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
So well for you, college World Series calendar were marched.
Now we're three months away from like the nitty gritty
taking place. What's the next big date that you're paying
attention to? Is there you know certain things that you
guys historically do kind of in this March April area
as you kind of prepare for June.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, so we are. We have our advance tickets sell
so it will be our game day day of game
tickets April twenty first, so that will be what that's
what's for sale. Most of those will go quickly. We
have usually those Monday Tuesday afternoons. There's still some sitting
around for those. That's probably our next big milestone of
(32:26):
like things going on. And then everyone the next day,
everyone will have their tickets in their accounts, so then
you'll be able to move them around and the same
with your parking so if you have it. So that's
probably our next big thing. We're obviously watching we have
the rankings that come out every week, and we see
we have a lot of usual suspects at the top.
(32:46):
We have one usual suspect that's and our LSU Tigers
are struggling a little bit. Look great right now, but
otherwise we might see well, I think some really good
teams with the possibility to be here again. So we
didn't have any repeats last year from I before. So
that was wild that that was pretty unheard of.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
That was so fun too because some of them were
like the LSU Tigers in Arkansas and yeah, some of
those teams that you're just like, Okay, they're gonna come
here and they're going to show out. And then you
had some newbies that you're just like, oh, this is
cool to have Coastal Carolina and Murray State here to
kind of represent the smaller guys.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
I think we'll see Coastal more. They are one of
the more mid majors. That's the Baseball's aer thing. So yeah,
they're investing.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Yeah, what was that first time since nineteen fifty eight
or something that it was all new teams.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah, yeah, we felt that a little bit. We felt
that a little bit from the planning perspective, so it
was a lot of more questions, it seemed like.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
But sure, But you know what, when you have a great,
you know, team of people that are on the other
end of that, I think that's really cool. You guys,
you're awesome. I am so happy that we talked like
this about kind of the basics. I think you and
I should do this again. Sometime between now and June
and talk about kind of what things are looking like,
because I'm so fascinated by what you do, and you
(34:09):
guys do an amazing job making sure that everybody from
people like me and the fans, to the school, to
the NC DOUBLEA and everybody feels like it's a success,
even the TV partners that I'm sure are super excited
about all of it.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
It's great. I mean again, so many people play a
role in this thing, and too many to even name,
but yes, and we have really good TV radio partners
and everything.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
So well, that's awesome. Amy Hornocker with the Calle Drold
series we Omaha Incorporated. Always great chatting with you. We
will do this again sometime very soon. Thanks so much
for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Okay, and you're listening to this. We are going to
have more podcasts next week, so make sure that you
subscribe to this on the free iHeartRadio app and we
will be back at your feet on Monday. You have
a great rest of your weekend, and thanks for listening
to the Emery Songer Podcast.
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