Sports in Omaha, Nebraska are supported by a high attendance at events and tax support from the City of Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska is home to several professional sports teams and modern sports venues.
The city has hosted a number of important sporting events. Since 1950 Omaha has hosted the baseball College World Series. The Cox Classic golf tournament was part of the second-level circuit now known as the Korn Ferry Tour from 1996 to 2013. The circuit returned to Omaha in 2017 with the Pinnacle Bank Championship.
Former sports clubs in Omaha include the USL Premier Development League's Flames soccer team; the American Association's Omaha Dodgers; two professional hockey teams, the Omaha Knights and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights; a CBA Basketball Team, the Omaha Racers; and the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks.
Sports Several sports have heritage in Omaha. The American Taekwondo Association was founded by Haeng Ung Lee in Omaha in 1969."About" , American Taekwondo Association. Retrieved 10/08/07. Alois P. Swoboda, the pioneer American physical culture at the turn of the 20th century. His revolutionary course "Conscious Evolution" inspired many American leaders in the fields of government, business, entertainment, law, athletics and medicine.
Basketball In 1972 the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association moved to a new primary home in Kansas City and a secondary home in Omaha, carrying the name Kansas City-Omaha Kings, the only time in the history of Omaha that they were home to a major-league sports team, despite sharing it with Kansas City. The team ceased Omaha operations in 1975 and became known as just the Kansas City Kings.
From 1988 to 1997 the Omaha Racers of the CBA played at Ak-Sar-Ben winning the CBA league championship in 1993. The only number retired by the Racers was Tim Legler's number 23.
Cricket In 1991, the Omaha Cricket Club was formed. N.P. Dodge Park has been home of the Omaha Cricket Club since 2001. It was founded by Jamaican community with help of the Indian Diaspora. In 2010, the Cricket Association of Nebraska, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization was formed with their home ground at historic Freedom Park, Omaha. The Nebraska Cricket Club is the cricket-playing wing of CAN. Owing to the floods in 2012, they got their second field at the Hefflinger Park Cricket Field In 2011, the Simply Play Cricket Club was formed with their home at the Hefflinger Park Cricket Field, the tennis ball cricket enthusiasts now has the largest following in the metro area. In 2013, the University Of Nebraska Omaha Cricket Club was formed by the group of young cricket enthusiasts. The home ground for UNO Cricket club is the UNO Dome facility. The club has a history of representing the UNO at American College Cricket Nationals. As of 2019 July 31 the club is in inactive status.
Football The Omaha Beef indoor football team has played at Ralston Arena since 2013; it previously played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League also began playing in 2010 at Rosenblatt Stadium, and at TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 until the league's folding in 2012. Omaha added a semi-pro team in 2015 named the Omaha Stockmen. The city received a women's team in the Legends Football League named the Omaha Heart in 2013.
Baseball
An early team in Omaha was the Luxus, who played with support from the Krug Brewery, and in 1915 played for the Amateur World Championship.
The Omaha Omahogs was a baseball team started in 1900 as part of the new Western League. Their name changed to the Omaha Indians in 1902. In 1904 the team was fielded as the Omaha Packers, and in 1906 as the Omaha Rourkes. They kept that name until 1921, when the name changed to the Omaha Buffaloes, which stuck until 1928 when it changed to the Omaha Crickets. In 1930 the team changed its name back to the Omaha Packers, and kept that name until 1935, when they moved to Council Bluffs and subsequently folded. A new team called the Omaha Robin Hoods formed in 1936, but moved to Rock Island, Illinois late in the year. The team reformed shortly thereafter as the Omaha Cardinals, remaining as such for several years.
In the 1940s, the African American players of the Omaha Rockets independent baseball team lived in North Omaha. The team played exhibition games against Negro league teams from across the U.S., and was the home of several important players.(n.d.) Mickey Stubblefield Profile(n.d.) Barnstorming & Tournament Ball
The Omaha Storm Chasers are the city's current minor-league baseball team. They are the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
+Baseball teams in Omaha"Omaha, Nebraska Minor League City Encyclopedia" Sports Reference. Retrieved 10/16/09. Years Team name League Notes 1879 Omaha Green Stockings Northwestern League 1888 Omaha Lambs Western Association 1892–1901 Omaha Omahogs Western League 1902–1903 Omaha Indians Western League 1904 Omaha Rangers Western League 1905–1920 Omaha Rourkes Western League 1921–1927 Omaha Buffaloes Western League 1928–1929 Omaha Crickets Western League 1930–1935 Omaha Packers Western League 1936 Omaha Robin Hoods Western League 1947–1959 Omaha Cardinals Western League 1961–62 Omaha Dodgers American Association 1969–1998 Omaha Royals American Association 1999–2001 Omaha Golden Spikes Pacific Coast League 2002–2010 Omaha Royals Pacific Coast League 2011– Omaha Storm Chasers Pacific Coast League
Omaha has served as host city of the College World Series—the final rounds of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, since 1950, initially at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, but now at Charles Schwab Field. In 2008, the NCAA reached a 25-year agreement with the local organizers to continue hosting the College World Series in Omaha through at least 2035.
Soccer On May 1, 2019, the United Soccer League announced that Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings, Omaha had been granted an expansion franchise in USL League One. The team's name was announced as Union Omaha on October 3, 2019. The club played their home games at Werner Park from 2020-2025, and moved to Morrison Stadium starting in 2026. Union Omaha were league champions in 2021 and 2024.
Hockey
Ice hockey is a popular spectator sport in Omaha. One of the current Omaha-area teams is the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. The Lancers started out in 1986 at Hitchcock ice arena before moving the now-demolished Ak-Sar-Ben, moved to Council Bluffs and the Mid-America Center in 2002, and the Omaha Civic Auditorium between the 2009–10 and 2011–12 seasons. Since 2012, the Lancers have played at the Ralston Arena in suburban Ralston.
The University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey team plays their home games at Baxter Arena, which opened for the 2015–16 season. Founded in 1997 and joining the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 2 years later, the Mavericks enjoy a loyal and vocal fan base. They currently play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and made their first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four, the semifinal round of the NCAA Division I hockey tournament, in 2015.
The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. The Knights played their home games at the Civic Auditorium. Following the 2006–07 season the Knights were relocated to the Quad Cities due to mounting losses taken on by the Calgary organization, they were renamed the Quad City Flames and replaced the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League.(2007) Flames announce relocation of American Hockey League franchise to the Quad Cities (Moline, IL). Calgary Flames Franchise website. Retrieved 6/7/07. The franchise's attendance in the Quad Cities was lowerAHL Attendance AHL Website. Retrieved 2/5/09. than it was in Omaha.
On February 9, 2013, at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, two hockey games took place as part of the Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice. In game 1, the Lancers took on the Lincoln Stars, while in game 2, the Mavericks battled the University of North Dakota.
Roller Derby In 2006, Omaha Rollergirls played their first game at a roller rink called Skate Daze in Omaha. The team played there for years with two teams going head-to-head, the Victoria's Secret Service vs the Lowdown Lucys. The team began playing games at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs and was ranked 10th in the WFTDA Regional Ranking at season-end.
In 2012, the team played in the WFTDA "Landlocked Lace-Up" playoffs in Lincoln, NE. The team's two star jammers, Ima Firestarter #53 and Anna Maniac #999 played hard and helped the team to finish in 7th place, not taking them to championships that year.
In 2015, the Omaha Rollergirls hosted a part of WFTDA International Division 1 Playoffs at Ralston Arena, hosting top-level roller derby teams as they fought to qualify for the next round. In 2016, the team celebrated their 10th season. The Omaha Rollergirls began the 2016 season ranked 84th and finished at 74th out of over 400 teams worldwide.
In 2019, the Omaha Rollergirls rebranded to Omaha Roller Derby.
Indoor soccer On August 18, 2010, the MISL announced on August 18, 2010, that it is expanding into Omaha starting with the 2010–11 season. The team, called Omaha Vipers, played at the Civic Auditorium but folded after the season when they were unable to secure an arena lease for the following season.
Omaha City Football Club started in 2016 and continue to compete in the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) the third tier in the Major Arena Soccer League System. They also compete in Major League Futsal (MLF). The Kings now play in the MLIS.
Wrestling Martin Burns operated a successful wrestling school in Omaha in the 1910s."Martin 'Farmer' Burns". International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Retrieved 10/9/07. Joe Stecher, a wrestler from rural Nebraska, won national professional wrestling champion title in Omaha in 1915. The American Wrestling Association's Omaha version of their World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by promoters in and around the city from 1957 through 1964.
Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, an early wrestling great, lived in Omaha until his death in 2013. Other wrestling figures, including Tony Osborne, Ted DiBiase, Paul "The Rapmaster" Neu, Sting and Baron von Raschke are originally from Omaha. The city is also notorious within the wrestling world for other reasons, including Chris Masters' 2005 claim that, "anywhere is better than Omaha, Nebraska", offering of $6000 for a plane ticket to anywhere else in the United States.
Omaha also hosted the WWE Judgment Day Pay-Per-View Event on May 18, 2008, which was held at the then-Qwest Center.
Volleyball Omaha Supernovas LOVB Nebraska (League One Volleyball)
College Sports
Creighton University The Creighton Bluejays compete in a number of NCAA Division I sports. In July 2013, Creighton became an invited member of the Big East Conference after more than 35 years in the Missouri Valley Conference. The men's basketball team plays their home games at the CHI Health Center, while the women's basketball and volleyball teams play on campus at D. J. Sokol Arena. Their men's and women's soccer teams play their home games at Morrison Stadium.
The most popular team of the Creighton University athletic department is their men's basketball program. They have amassed 17 consecutive postseason appearances, including nine appearances in the NCAA tournament during that stretch. Overall, Creighton has 19 NCAA Tournament appearances.
During the 2018–19 season, Creighton ranked 8th in all of NCAA Division I basketball in average home game attendance, averaging 15,980 per game.
University of Nebraska Omaha