Canceled College World Series is Absolutely Devastating for Omaha Businesses
By Dylan McCaffrey
The dangerous spread of the coronavirus is not only harming the evolution of sports; it's also beginning to destroy the small businesses that rely on them for their survival.
The NCAA canceled their College World Series in a mass exodus of sporting events last week, and Omaha is going to bear the brunt of the lost income.
Omaha will lose an estimated $70 million in revenue without the College World Series this year.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 20, 2020
One local restaurant makes almost 50 percent of its *yearly* revenue off those two weeks alone.
Plenty of business owners fret the immediate future:https://t.co/or5E0JFlSC
The city of Omaha will always be synonymous with this event, and predictably based much of their 2020 economy on the boom from hosting the nationwide gathering. One business, a local restaurant, reportedly makes 50% of its yearly income from that influx of visiting college baseball fans. Losing that attraction and those customers is something that could put them out of business.
But it isn't just one or two restaurants. The whole city will experience the same kind of difficulty. The city is projected to lose around $70 million this year from the loss of its most profitable attraction.
The global pandemic and the necessary response will do tragic things to businesses all over the country, but this is a prime example on a more concentrated level.
By the time the coronavirus crisis is over, we might emerge from our homes only to find some of our favorite shops, gyms and restaurants permanently shuttered https://t.co/sTDonfewZZ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 20, 2020
This uncertain time will bring uncertain consequences to the American entrepreneurs and workers. While the loss of all these sports will hurt global entertainment, there are much worse consequences to economic interests that might still be on the way.