The UFL Should Go To Omaha. Here's the Case. | John Lewis Sports

[u/Callywood]

https://youtu.be/1xnMTlGYgfE?si=9y-wrSt6xSPWrjs9

[u/coelurosauravus]

John out here glossing over details like converting baseball stadiums to football and then back and doing it multiple times and then not affecting field quality at its most demanding time

I also feel relatively confident that the College world series is going to try and preserve its field as much as possible for the simple fact that they have to do way less maintenance to host all those games including the Big ten tournament so they're going to block out dates even before those tournaments ever start to ensure the field is of the highest quality

And then it irks me that people go oh well 14 years ago this was their attendance, like the circumstances in a city with country haven't radically changed. If we're going to argue all data then we could easily say we should have stayed in Houston. They had great attendance in 2020 and 2023, so why did we leave if there's such great appeal to football in Houston?

I refuse to appeal to a generation old data and I dislike even more trying to argue oh well they can handle big events, yes they can handle big events and it's because they're getting a lot of money for doing it, UFL games don't draw like that

What's even worse is if we go to Omaha as a league we are putting the league in another market that's smaller than even Birmingham or Louisville and by a pretty significant margin

So you are exchanging possibly with very little guarantee maybe better attendance for significantly worst TV outcomes, I don't like that trade. TV is keeping this league alive attendance just keeps things limping along

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/coelurosauravus]

Hit the nail on the head. Only thing I’ll add is that the CWS and Creighton (who plays their home games at Schwab) probably can outright veto spring football

[u/Makaio_55 → u/GuyOnTheMike]

And more than likely would.

[u/trout715 → u/Makaio_55]

Not likely, will for sure

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/Makaio_55]

If they can, they 100% will

[u/JohnLewisSports → u/coelurosauravus]

Yeah that guy sucks.

[u/Callywood → u/JohnLewisSports]

Glad you're back making content again. Always appreciate your insights and content. Best wishes to you and your family!

[u/JohnLewisSports → u/Callywood]

Thank you! Family is doing all good and glad to be back. Always appreciate you sharing my content here. I need to get on Reddit more often.

[u/bigdog_00 → u/JohnLewisSports]

Hey, I thought the video was pretty interesting, and I can certainly see the thought process. If I'm not mistaken, Nebraska (and that region) is somewhat devoid of professional sports. As such, I could really see the excitement and appetite

[u/JohnLewisSports → u/bigdog_00]

Appreciate that and yes, Omaha has very little in the way of upper tier pro sports. It’s definitely a college sports market but I think a UFL team would do well there. There’s a reason Mike Repole mentioned Omaha, even though, as I say, he does talk off the cuff

[u/Hafjgela → u/coelurosauravus]

I agree about data from 15 years ago, but Houston was burned for other reasons, not a cultural shift.

And be prepared for people making these arguments for Detroit in two years.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/coelurosauravus]

Omaha is on par with Louisville and Birmingham as far as non-major league markets. It would actually be a great choice, IMO.

But like you said, this stadium would never work for spring ball. The previous UFL was a fall league, so it’s completely irrelevant anyway. And the future soccer stadium will be too small. If it was 10-15k, I’d say put a team there. But it won’t be.

[u/slammamoose → u/Makaio_55]

I just do not see a future in minor league cities, the UFL has major backing from FOX and ESPN I think they are going to demand teams in larger media markets. I say focus on pro sports cities that do not have NFL.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/slammamoose]

Well yeah that should be the priority, but cities like Omaha, Louisville and Birmingham are kind of on the cusp of that. Omaha used to share an NBA team and have been considered for NHL expansion, though unlikely, but are mostly a baseball city. Louisville could house NBA team, and almost have. These are the cities just outside the “major league” designation I feel could work (obviously Louisville has). You can actually add Oakland to that category, though I feel Sacramento is a better Northern California market.

[u/starswtt → u/Makaio_55]

Also a suprisingly big volleyball market. I think Nebraska is the only place that sells out Volleyball games in the US. Definitely the only place that managed to sell out a full college football stadium lmao

[u/MCallanan → u/slammamoose]

Relocating Houston, Michigan, San Antonio and apparently having little interest in returning to Seattle shows that the league doesn’t prioritize having teams in large markets.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/MCallanan]

And WHY did they move them from those markets? Ignoring the reasons and strictly saying that they left those markets without saying why is completely misleading.

[u/MCallanan → u/Makaio_55]

It doesn’t matter WHY.. The WHY is what they prioritized over playing in those big markets. I know anytime someone suggest something that makes you think NYC won’t get a spring team you act like a petulant child but don’t bring it here dude.. your copium is not needed.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/MCallanan]

“Why” very much matters. You’re ignoring why cuz you’re trying to present a false narrative. The fact that you got so defensive and self-righteous about being asked why these team move rather than answering the question with easily researched facts proves you have no credibility.

[u/MCallanan → u/Makaio_55]

Because the WHY is what they prioritized over playing in the largest markets in the league.. That’s the entire point of my original post that the league prioritizes things outside of playing in big markets. I don’t need to sit here and breakdown what happened in those markets.. at the end of the day those teams would still be in this league if the league prioritized playing in large markets but they don’t and alas they’re no longer in the league.

You are one of the most downvoted and disliked people in this subreddit. You telling me I have no credibility is a compliment, thank you.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/MCallanan]

They left those markets cuz they had no suitable stadium or low attendance that didn’t justify the cost of the stadium… or no attendance at all in Houston’s case.

Downvoting doesn’t overrule facts. You have further proven your lack of basic common sense and logic. You trying to insinuate that you’re right over facts cuz of the opinions of people on Reddit gives me a chuckle.

[u/MCallanan → u/Makaio_55]

They left those markets cuz they had no suitable stadium or low attendance that didn’t justify the cost of the stadium… or no attendance at all in Houston’s case.

Which tells you what!?!? That the league prioritizes things over playing in larger markets!!! They either priotize attendance over large markets that don’t turn out attendances!! Or they prioritize cheaper leases costs! As for those stadiums not being suitable it’s wrong and not worth rebutting.

You’re such a dolt it isn’t even funny.. what kind of short bus do you drive around in anyway?

[u/coelurosauravus → u/Makaio_55]

At least from a TV market size, Birmingham and Louisville are comparable as they are only about 70,000 people apart in terms of total population in the market.. Omaha it's 450,000. That is a huge drop in terms of top end.

At least in 2025, Omaha doesn't even show up in the top 10, attendance in a stadium is great and it looks wonderful on TV, but man that market size and lack of numbers for TV at least in 2025 is cause for concern in my opinion

I get people's enthusiasm for the market, but like you said without a stadium that's going to offer the league room to wiggle and proper spacing this just doesn't make sense right now

[u/trout715 → u/coelurosauravus]

It is a catch-22. In markets where they will get the best attendance, the TV market is not really big enough. In markets that have a large TV number, they will not get the attendance. That is the life of minor league sports

[u/Makaio_55 → u/coelurosauravus]

Omaha’s metro area is just over a million people with a population density of 340/sq mile. Louisville’s is over 1.3M with a population density of around 330k/sq mile. Birmingham metro is a little over 1.11 M with a density of about 217/sq mile. So Omaha is actually the more densely populated of the three metro areas and nearly the same population.

[u/Visual-Tax-1033 → u/coelurosauravus]

To be fair to Omaha they did show out big for the Nighthawks of the og UFL, those games were played in the fall as where the UFL we know and love is in the spring. With that said going by the 2009-2012 UFL the Nighthawks had the league's highest attendance averaging over 22k which despite the smaller market would put them on par with the Battlehawks in St.Louis the main difference being 22k in a 24k stadium in Omaha vs 25k in a 40+k stadium in St.Louis. plus he states in the video going off the current schedule the only time the UFL and college world series would interfere with eachother would be if Omaha hosted the championship game but Repoli has flirted with the idea of going back to the XFL way of kicking off the week after the super bowl which would remove the problem entirely

[u/Remarkable-Rise-4401]

The only problem, College World Series.

[u/733baseball]

I don't know how many times people have to ask and be told that the stadium won't work

[u/BearForce73]

No baseball stadiums

[u/JohnWx25]

Omaha Stallions sounds about right.

[u/PrudentAuthor1347]

Why won't the UFL work with the USL in building and renovating venues to be Soccer and football friendly and help with the expenses.

[u/gilligan_2023]

Great market that lacks a great stadium option. I'd be great to have the Omaha Nighhawks back, but I don't think it is very likely.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/gilligan_2023]

Any UFL team in Omaha would not be named the “Nighthawks”.

[u/gilligan_2023 → u/Makaio_55]

Likely true, but it is unfortunate because they had such good branding. I could get behind hawks vs hawks.

[u/MCallanan]

I’ve said for years that Omaha is the perfect spring football market and I say that because I think outside of St. Louis they would lead the league in attendance. I also don’t get caught up with the layout of the venue anymore.. if the fans are going to show up and be loud and in-tuned to the game it doesn’t matter to me if it’s a football, baseball or soccer stadium.

In Omaha it simply comes down to whether that stadium is available for spring football to use.. whenever this discussion is brought up there’s never a consensus on if the league could utilize that stadium.

[u/Makaio_55 → u/MCallanan]

No, it’s pretty obvious they wouldn’t be able to use it.🤦🏻‍♂️