Average attendance at the College World Series sets new record

This year's College World Series had the highest average attendance per game in history, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, with nearly 24,800 people visiting Charles Schwab Field for each matchup.

Total attendance at the 2024 CWS in Omaha lagged behind the 2023 total, likely because one less “if necessary” game was played this year.

On Monday night, the Tennessee Volunteers toppled the Texas A&M Aggies, 6-5 to win the college baseball national championship.

In the best two out of three final series, the Volunteers forced a winner-take-all game with its win on Sunday.

The extra game helped businesses in the area, according to executive Director of CWS Omaha Amy Hornocker. CWS of Omaha is the event’s organizing committee comprised of 23 businesses in the community.

She said 26,500 people watched the first game of the finals from inside Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha.

“We had standing-room-only tickets for Saturday, and I've never seen a line that long in the time I've been working on this,” Hornocker said.

In 2023, game one of the championship series had 25,300 people in attendance. Typically, the first game of the finals falls on a Saturday night.

With several down-to-the-wire games, Hornocker said interest remained high throughout the eight-team tournament.

Teams like Tennessee and Texas A&M also brought droves of fans to downtown Omaha this year.

Next season, the organization will celebrate 75 years of the event being in Nebraska. Hornocker said it might honor the now-retired Rosenblatt Stadium.

“I think we've really settled into the downtown park now, but definitely, it's still a part of our story,” Hornocker said.

In the coming weeks, CWS of Omaha and Visit Omaha will release an Omaha-area economic impact report and the broadcast ratings from the 2024 College World Series.