STUDY INDICATES MEDIA EXPOSURE FROM OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALS WORTH MORE THAN $97 MILLION

2008 was the year of sports in Omaha, and the direct economic impact to the City of Omaha and State of Nebraska from the three athletic events sponsored by the Omaha Sports Commission (OSC) is estimated at $29,340,000. Two of the state’s leading economists – Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University and Dr. Eric Thompson of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln—conducted a study of the economic impact of the NCAA Men’s Division 1 First and Second Round Basketball Tournament, U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming, and NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championships.

The Olympic Swim Trials also provided the City of Omaha an additional $97 million in national/international media exposure from coverage of the Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha ($23.9 million), and media exposure of Omaha during the Beijing Olympics ($73.8 million).

Key study findings of each sporting event include the following.
Olympic Swim Trials (Eight-Day Event)
• More than 95,000 tickets were sold to out-of-state visitors, who came from an estimated 36 states and seven foreign countries.
• Swim Trials fans spent more than $6.9 million on lodging, food and beverages.
• The Olympic Swim Trials generated more than $1.3 million in state and local tax collections.

NCAA Regional Basketball Tournament (Two-Day Event)
• More than 21,000 tickets were sold to out-of-state visitors.
• Basketball fans spent more than $1.1 million on lodging, food and beverages.
• More than $256,000 was collected in state and local taxes.

NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship (Two-Day Event)
• More than 2,600 tickets were sold to out-of-state visitors.
• Volleyball fans spent nearly $440,000 on lodging, food and beverages.
• Nearly $184,000 was collected in state and local taxes.

Harley Schrager, chairman of the Omaha Sports Commission board of directors, said the economic impact figures demonstrate the important role the OSC plays in supporting Omaha and the State of Nebraska.

“2008 was a great year for sports in Omaha and has elevated our city to a new and higher level of national prominence when it comes to hosting great sporting events,” Schrager said. “The OSC has worked very hard to make Omaha one of America’s leading amateur sports cities, and we are proud of the numerous contributions we have made to the local and state economies.”

“While the direct economic impacts of the amateur sporting events that we examined were quite impressive, the spillover or indirect impacts were even more noteworthy once again putting Omaha in the national spotlight. I expect these impacts to grow in future years as the city’s support businesses expand to meet the rising demand,” Dr. Goss said.
“The surge in spending at area restaurants, stores and hotels during these three events was an important contribution to the local businesses,” Dr. Thompson said.

Harold Cliff, president of the Omaha Sports Commission, said the tremendous media exposure Omaha received in 2008 was almost as valuable as the direct economic benefits to the city and state.

“The Olympic Swim Trials was broadcast live on NBC four nights and the USA Network an additional four nights, and Omaha’s name was prominently mentioned throughout the Beijing Olympic coverage,” Cliff said. “In addition, NCAA basketball games were carried live on CBS and the NCAA volleyball championships were live on ESPN. The national and international media exposure Omaha received in 2008 will pay numerous dividends to our city for years to come.”

Cliff noted the report does not include the economic impact to Omaha of the annual NCAA College World Series. That event is not sponsored by the Omaha Sports Commission.