There are a variety of sports in Nebraska. Private organizations, colleges and universities, and other clubs across the state that offer sports throughout Nebraska.
The following are professional sports teams that currently play in the state, or have been confirmed as future teams.
Club | Sport | League | Championships | Founded | Started play |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Saltdogs | Baseball | American Association (independent) | 1 (2009) [1] | 2001 | 2001 |
Omaha Supernovas | Indoor volleyball | Pro Volleyball Federation | 1 (2024) | 2023 [2] | 2024 |
Omaha Beef | Indoor football | National Arena League | 3 (2021, 2023, 2024) | 1999 | 2000 |
Omaha Storm Chasers | Baseball | International League (AAA) | 8 (1969, 1970, 1978, 1990, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2024) | 1969 | 1969 |
Omaha Heart | Indoor football | Legends Football League | 0 | 2013 | 2013 |
Nebraska Bugeaters FC | Soccer | United Premier Soccer League | 0 | 2018 | 2018 |
Omaha Kings FC | Indoor soccer | Major League Indoor Soccer | 0 | 2022 | 2023 |
Omaha Queens FC | Indoor soccer | Premier Arena Soccer League | 0 | 2022 | 2023 |
Union Omaha | Soccer | USL League One | 1 (2021) | 2019 | 2020 |
North Platte 80s | Baseball | Pecos League (independent) | 0 | 2023 | 2024 |
There are several semi-professional or club sports in Nebraska.
Lincoln is the capital of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers 100.4 square miles (260.035 km2) and had a population of 294,757 in 2023. It is the state's second-most populous city and the 71st-largest in the United States. Lincoln is considered the economic and cultural anchor of the substantially larger metropolitan area in southeastern Nebraska, the Lincoln Metropolitan and Lincoln-Beatrice Combined Statistical Areas, which is home to 361,921 people, the 104th-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about 10 mi (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 40th-most populous city, Omaha had a population of 486,051 as of the 2020 census. It is the anchor of the eight-county Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which extends into Iowa and is the 58th-largest metro area in the United States, with a population of 967,604. Furthermore, the greater Omaha–Council Bluffs–Fremont combined statistical area had 1,004,771 residents in 2020.
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen member institutions, of which all but one are public schools, are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The MIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Missouri.
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Werner Park, which opened in 2011. The team previously played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium from 1969 to 2010.
The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 season, the Saltdogs have played their home games at Haymarket Park, which they share with the Nebraska Cornhuskers college baseball team.
Hawks Field at Haymarket Park is a baseball stadium in the Haymarket District of Lincoln, Nebraska. It is less than a mile west of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (NU) and is the home venue of the school's baseball team and the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. The thirty-two acre Haymarket Park complex, jointly financed by the city of Lincoln and NU, was completed in 2001 at a cost of $29.53 million. Hawks Field is adjacent to the smaller Bowlin Stadium, which hosts Nebraska's softball team.
Berlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin, sometimes misspelled Guy Chamberlain, was an American professional football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.
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 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and has sold out every home match since 2001. The team has been coached by John Cook since 2000.
The Todd-n-Tyler Radio Empire is a morning radio talk show based out of Omaha, Nebraska. It features Mike Tyler and Todd Brandt. The show is syndicated in various cities across Nebraska, Kansas, and Idaho. It is currently the #1 rated radio morning program in the Omaha market.
Charles Sumner "Cy" Sherman was an American journalist and is known as the "father of the Cornhuskers" after giving the University of Nebraska football team the name "Cornhuskers" in 1899. At his suggestion in 1936, Associated Press (AP) sports editor Alan J. Gould created the first AP Poll for ranking college football teams. Sherman began his career writing at the Nebraska State Journal in Lincoln, spent a short time at the Red Lodge, Montana Pickett before returning to Lincoln and the Lincoln Star where he spent most of his career. At his death he was called by the Star the "Dean of American Sportswriters".
Curt Smith is a Dutch former professional baseball player. He is also a member of the Dutch national team. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 39th round of the 2008 MLB Draft.
The Lincoln Links were an American minor league baseball franchise that represented Lincoln, Nebraska, for 18 seasons over a 23-year period (1917–39) during the 20th century. They played in the Class A Western League, the Class D Nebraska State League and the Class D Western League of 1939–41 (1939).
Holly Renee Magee, also known by her married name Renee Tucker, was an American former competition swimmer who represented the United States in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. In 1976, in Austin, Texas, she set a National High School Record in the 100-yard backstroke. She would later work as a District Attorney and be elected to serve as a Judge in Houston's 337th District Court from 2013-16.
Bill Doleman is a free lance studio analyst.
The 1986 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986, and featured state Treasurer Kay Orr, a Republican, defeating Democratic nominee, former Mayor of Lincoln Helen Boosalis. Incumbent Democratic governor Bob Kerrey did not seek a second term.
Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2020, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1).
The COVID-19 pandemic in Nebraska is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of March 2, 2022, there have been 475,690 confirmed cases and 3,986 deaths.
Cameron Jurgens is an American professional football center for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Omaha Supernovas are a professional indoor volleyball team based in Omaha, Nebraska. The team competes in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). The Supernovas began play in the league's inaugural 2024 season. The team plays their home games at CHI Health Center Omaha.