On Monday, Omaha was granted another chance to bask in the spotlight of a national tournament, as the NCAA announced that the 2018 Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest regional finals and semifinals will be hosted
in Omaha.
This announcement was huge for both Creighton and Omaha. For Omaha, the chance to host some Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games brings with it a chance to not only make more money, but a chance to introduce itself to a slew of first-time visitors. For Creighton athletics, the proximity of such a big game brings with it hope that the Jays might be playing in the tournament.
In an article about the announcement from the Omaha World-Herald, David Worlock, an NCAA spokesman, was quoted as saying that “People associate Omaha with college athletics because of the College World Series. That sort of publicity that it gets from a national perspective puts it in everyone’s minds that these people know how to run an event.”
I agree with the latter half of Worlock’s statement — Omaha isn’t a stranger to hosting large-scale athletics events. However, I still don’t know if Omaha can stake the claim to nationally being associated with college athletics.
When it comes to its athletic teams, Creighton still struggles to find a consistent, loyal student fan base.
Worlock also told the World-Herald that “Creighton is up there with the Kentuckys and Louisevilles of the world in people who love their basketball.” And this was very true ast year, when students were clamoring for a seat in the student section during men’s basketball games to watch Creighton’s star, Doug McDermott.
This year, however, Creighton’s student section has whimpered, rather than roared at men’s basketball games. During Sunday’s game against Chicago State, the student section wasn’t even half full.
Considering that this was only the third game of the season, this does not bode well for the rest of Creighton’s season. The CenturyLink Center was lacking the enthusiastic atmosphere that characterized it last year, and after the men’s basketball team lost several key players, it is uncertain if that atmosphere will return during a rebuilding year.
To ensure the same thing didn’t happen again, the Creighton Athletic Department was gung-ho about promoting the Bluejays’ Wednesday game against Oklahoma, getting the word out on Twitter and Facebook. Creighton’s Greek Life even canceled an all-sorority recruitment workshop in order to encourage Greek members to attend the night’s game.
When Omaha’s most well-known college has trouble getting students to attend its sporting events, how can Omaha really be considered a “college sports city?”
If one needs an example of a more consistent college sports city, one needs to look no further than to nearby Lincoln. The comparison isn’t quite a fair one — the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a student population of nearly 25,000, compared with Creighton’s nearly 8,000.
But Creighton could learn a few things from UNL about having a dedicated fanbase. Husker fans wouldn’t be caught dead in a silent stadium or leaving a game early.
With several College World Series, U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, and NCAA Volleyball Final Fours under its belt, Omaha has more than enough experience to successfully host a large-scale tournament.
But this merely proves that Omaha can plan one-time sporting events well, not that Omaha has a long-standing college sports tradition.
Furthermore, Creighton, and the city of Omaha, shouldn’t take a victory lap quite yet for scoring this major event. Both parties also need to look at some of the weaknesses of the current sports culture in Omaha.
Hopefully the Creighton Athletic Department really can use momentum from the 2018 tournament to keep their students excited about basketball and other Creighton sports. In the meantime, Omaha is going to need a lot more enthusiasm from its college students before Omaha can truly be considered a “college sports city.”