The groups behind the College World Series and the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials "list some 100 supporting companies and individuals in all, from corporate giants such as AT&T and Coca-Cola to local businesses" as sponsors or contributors for the events, according to Steve Jordon of the OMAHA WORLD-HERALD. Nebraska-based Behlen Manufacturing President Tony Raimondo Jr. said of sponsoring the CWS, "It’s important for companies like us to do what we can to keep it a great event, and we never want it to leave. We need to support it like no other city or state can." Organizing group CWS of Omaha "reported $505,000 in contributions in its last fiscal year." The Omaha Sports Commission, which helps organize the Swim Trials, received $1.14M in contributions in '12, when the Trials were last in Omaha. CWS of Omaha Chair Jack Diesing said the money from 33 local contributors "doesn’t go to the NCAA or to operate CWS Omaha, but rather for other projects, such as commissioning the $200,000 'Road to Omaha' statue that stands outside the ballpark." At TD Ameritrade Park, NCAA sponsors’ names are "prominent, including a pitching game by Buick and a soccer ball challenge by Capital One." The supporters of CWS of Omaha "can’t use the NCAA logo or market their products or services in the ballpark." Their names "appear in only one place: A plaque inside a reception area near the park’s main entrance." Local supporters of the Swim Trials "can’t use the Olympics logo but can display promotional signs, such as a large banner of a swimmer at Mutual of Omaha or the red-white-and-blue 'Swim' sign placed outside Union Pacific’s headquarters" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 6/27).
PLAYING IN THE DIRT: In Omaha, Janice Podsada notes the CWS' slogan, "The Greatest Show on Dirt," has "returned this year after a five-year hiatus." The slogan in '11 "was benched" as the tournament "moved to Omaha’s new TD Ameritrade Park from Rosenblatt Stadium." NCAA Associate Dir of Branding & Fan Experience David Lovell said that the organization "wanted to ensure a seamless transition" to the new location. To accomplish the change-up, the NCAA "developed a three- to five-year campaign around the tag line 'History Happens Here.'" However, Lovell said that “The Greatest Show on Dirt” was "meant to return to the lineup when the history-focused campaign ended." The “dirt” tagline this year has appeared o CWS signs, T-shirts and banners "inside and outside the ballpark." CWS of Omaha commissioned local ad agency Bozell to "produce a local marketing campaign" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 6/27).
