From desert to world sports capital
In less than a decade, Las Vegas has built a sports ecosystem that includes NFL, NHL, and MLB franchises (coming soon), as well as a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Las Vegas, a city that until not long ago was ostracized by the sporting world due to its deep-seated gambling roots, will host its first Super Bowl on February 11, one of the most significant events in American culture.
Before the 2017 NHL season and the debut of the Golden Knights, Las Vegas had no major professional teams, and its global sports fame was limited to boxing and UFC bouts. Importantly, there were also no stadiums of note.
After long avoiding 'Sin City' to avoid being associated with gambling, the National Football League finally green-lit the historic Raiders' move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2017.
The arrival of the major leagues and the big sports promoters in Las Vegas in recent years coincides with an increase in sports betting in the United States.
The sports renaissance in Las Vegas has had an incredible economic impact on the city. A study published by the University of Las Vegas's Center for Economic and Business Research estimated that sports events generated approximately $1.845 billion in visitor economic activity last year. The projections for the F1 GP and the Super Bowl are expected to match the monetary benefits of 2022.
In fact, the NFL had planned to host the college draft in Las Vegas in 2020, but the offseason's biggest celebration was postponed until April 2022, due to the covid-19 pandemic that forced much of the world into lockdown.
The NFL's frosty stance towards the city definitively melted in December 2021, when, at the quarterly owners' meeting, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Las Vegas as the Super Bowl LVIII host city. It was no longer the 'pariah' city.
Last March, Las Vegas hosted the NCAA men's basketball tournament, also known as 'March Madness', for the first time. The T-Mobile Arena welcomed the college colors of the 'Sweet 16' and 'Elite Eight' matchups.
In November, the Las Vegas Grand Prix was held, the penultimate race of the 2023 Formula 1 season. The innovative street circuit contributed $1.3 billion to the local economy and will remain in place for at least nine more seasons.
Last year, 6% of tourists surveyed in Las Vegas indicated they attended at least one sporting competition during their stay, compared to 3% in 2019, when 'Sin City' only had boxing, UFC, and NHL on offer.
For several years, when visitors to Las Vegas attended a sporting event, it was almost certainly at the Thomas & Mack Center, which is now dusty and filled with cobwebs having been abandoned. Instead, the city now boasts a dozen modern multipurpose buildings like the T-Mobile Arena and the Allegiant Stadium, host of Super Bowl LVIII.
In 2023, Las Vegas celebrated the first titles of its local franchises, when the pioneering Golden Knights lifted the NHL's Stanley Cup, while the Las Vegas Aces dominated the WNBA for the second consecutive year, defeating the New York Liberty.
The Oakland Athletics of the MLB are planned to move to Nevada, where a new stadium should be ready for the Opening Day of the 2028 season. With this, three of the four major American leagues will have established themselves in Las Vegas.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has expressed interest in bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas, as he transitions from player to potential owner. The MLS could also plant its flag in the desert in the near future.
- BY: