Professional Sports In Vegas
The announcements by major and minor sports leagues that they are heading to Vegas have given Las Vegas sports fans a lot of wonderful news. But sports have always been an important part of Las Vegas history. Want to learn more about sports in Vegas? Check out our special article with fresh information on this kind of entertainment.
Hockey In Vegas: The Golden Knights
The Vegas Hockey team is pretty recent and it has already started with good results. They are managing to keep up a good status.
The NHL owners voted in June 2016 to approve the Golden Knights as an expansion team. There was a draft of unprotected players from other NHL clubs. Then, the Golden Knights’ roster was put together the following year, and they started competing in the 2017–18 campaign.
Even the most optimistic observers were taken aback when the team finished the regular season. They achieved the fifth-best record in the NHL and a division title. After that, Vegas dominated the Western Conference playoffs. They dropped only three games en route and won the conference title. They also secured a spot in the Stanley Cup finals.
The UFC – Taking Over Vegas from Abroad
The UFC we all know today started in 1993 as a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Their promotion company is based in Las Vegas.
A new style of Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) known as Vale Tudo, which translates to “everything goes,” first gained popularity about 80 years ago. After that, the UFC organized, controlled, and turned legal MMA fighting in the United States. Owners Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Frank Fertitta III transformed the UFC brand into a regulated sport in 2001. Nowadays, it plays a big part in the sports in the Vegas scene.
Traditional Sports In Vegas: The Raiders
The Raiders first started in Oakland in 1960 while they were members of the AFL. After that, they continued to do so after the AFL and NFL combined a few years later. However, the squad relocated to Los Angeles in 1982.
After 13 seasons in Los Angeles, the team returned to its Oakland roots. Al Davis, the team’s owner, made this decision after the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum renovations were abandoned. Then, the club spent almost 25 years in Oakland. However, it relocated once more in 2020 now to Las Vegas. Sporting News claims that the Raiders’ most recent move was entirely related to their home stadium.
In 2016 the NFL determined that Oakland Coliseum, home to the Raiders, was “not adequate for NFL football, and must be replaced,” as stated by Sporting News.
Although the NFL first offered Oakland some time to resolve the situation, it later rejected the city’s plan. Then, Las Vegas made a surprise bid to acquire the franchise. Oakland wasn’t as convinced about utilizing public money. However, it appears that the $750 million in public funds offered by Vegas to help build a new stadium were crucial for the agreement.
The Raiders have left Oakland and are competing in the stunning Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Investing in Vegas’ Pro Sports
The new NHL team in Las Vegas is not the only professional sports team that has Sin City in mind. Fast-growing Vegas has a metro population of over 2,15 million and over 55,000 firms. The city has tripled its size since 1990 and there is no shortage of private money. All in all, these factors contribute to the possibility of investing in professional sports.
It’s important to remember that Las Vegas went from having no professional sports teams to hosting home games for the NHL’s Golden Knights, the NFL’s Raiders, and the WNBA’s Aces all within a few miles of one another in just a few short years. Add to it the hard NBA interest in the region, the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball considering relocating there, and reports of a potential Major League Soccer team. Vegas is becoming an area of interest to sports investors.
As Wes Edens has said: “the sky’s the limit for pro sports in Las Vegas” and “I believe all major sports will be in Las Vegas at some point in the future, I really do”. And he finished by saying: ”I think hockey was the most unlikely one to be first. Look out the window in Las Vegas, there’s not a lot of hockey being played right now. The success that it’s had has really opened people’s eyes to it. Football, given its fairly limited home schedule, might have been the most intuitive; they’ve been a huge success.”
He is the co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA’s team), he was also a member of the group that helped the team get a new arena and win their first NBA title since 1974. He is now part of the ownership group that entered into an exclusive negotiation agreement with MLS in hopes of netting an expansion franchise in Las Vegas.
Pro Sports’ Future In Vegas
When looking at each sport individually we will notice the movement of establishing roots in Vegas is already beginning in most cases. David Beckham went to a meeting with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis to discuss the potential for a new MLS franchise in Las Vegas. Right now, it appears as any likelihood depends on the NFL finding a stadium.
About the NFL specifically, Nashville and Buffalo are the only two markets that can support an NHL and NFL club, and both are considerably smaller than Vegas. Although conversations are still ongoing, Raiders owner Mark Davis and Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands have suggested a $1.4 billion dome stadium, of which $750 million would come from hotel taxes.
Concerning the MLB, it may also take into account potential expansion to 32 teams in which league commissioner Rob Manfred has cited Vegas as a possible alternative. However, struggling teams playing in dated venues in Tampa and Oakland may be the next in line to go.
The NBA is the only pro sport that has not made significant progress in possible negotiations. The NBA now appears to be the least interested of all leagues in talking about the prospect of a franchise, despite the fact that the T-Mobile Arena offers a basketball facility.
When in Vegas, don’t forget to watch these sports events and honor them. To go to the stadiums and return home safely, remember to rent chauffeured transportation and ride with all the comfort and luxury you deserve. Get a quote with us.