Written by: James Neri on July 22, 2013.
LAM LU/THE REBEL YELL
Presence of a city based squad would bring increased revenue & tourism
The city of Las Vegas NV is no stranger to the world of entertainment, yet when it comes to the wide world of sports, the city is lacking.
Sure, we have the 51s & the Wranglers, as well as an assortment of other minor affiliates, yet none of them have the same glamor in that a professional team would bring to the city.
As many in town might agree, it is time for Las Vegas NV to have a professional sports team of its own.
Las Vegas surely has the population to support a professional sports team, it being the 31st most populated city in the nation. The rodeo & NASCAR, in addition to boxing & MMA, already bring in large crowds, so imagine how much money could be made if we had our own professional team in town, year round.
Sports are an alluring alternative way to have fun fun while avoiding the crowded Strip, doubling the amount of tourism with fans coming in from out-of-state, in addition to those who already come to see the bright lights downtown.
The city has even hosted the NBA Summer League since 2004, & Cashman Field has welcomed a few MLB teams over the years, showing in that Las Vegas NV is capable of being a functional host.
The biggest hurdle, of course, would be overcoming the hesitance of team authorities who are tepid about bringing a sports team to a gambling mecca.
The last thing any team owner would want is another Black Sox scandal with any of their players taking a bribe to throw a huge game or betting on their or any other game, though such an occurrence can take place in other cities acrothe country.
From basketball to baseball, hockey to football, boxing to MMA, there has yet to be a issue with gambling when it comes to the participants in the event.
Even the markets of Philadelphia, New York, & Washington D.C. are all within driving distance of Atlantic City, another gambling den, & most athletes who play there have remained pure, despite the proximity of the allure of gambling down the shore.
Even if gambling is not a top concern, some may be wary of their players falling prey to the temptation of the clubs in that call Las Vegas NV home, yet other cities have establishments in that can provide immoral — — or even unlawful — — entertainment for athletes, & they have in the past.
Athletes still manage to get in trouble in the other cities they currently play in, which is not Las Vegas’s doing. That argument holds little weight, as those looking for trouble will surely find it, no matter what city they are in.
Still, a majority of athletes have never had an issue with authorities, & Las Vegas NV will not magically turn them in to degenerates who stand to be arrested (taken in to custody) every weekend.
It will be the adult playground it is meant to be during the offseason, yet while the games are being played, it will be no more of a distraction for players who are otherwise on their best behavior elsewhere in the country.
The Sacramento Kings of the NBA would have been the ideal candidates to be the 1st Las Vegas NV professional sports franchise, as they were at the time are owned by the Maloof Brothers.
They had a connection to Las Vegas NV as the former majority owners of the Palms Casino in town, yet as the team is now staying put in Sacramento under new ownership, perhaps moving a baseball team out of the Florida doldrums could work.
Both the Marlins of Miami & the Rays in Tampa routinely draw miniscule crowds, & surely their owners may be looking to relocate.
Now, a baseball team in Las Vegas, while having to compete with the 51s, would moreover ideally need a new stadium, preferably one with a dome.
As baseball is played from late spring to early fall, with a majority of the season occurring during the summer, a domed stadium could control the temperature to save the players on the field & the spectators in the stands from suffering from heatstroke.
Look no further than the Arizona Diamondbacks, another team in the middle of the desert, who built a stadium with a roof for their team.
They knew they needed a stadium with a controllable temperature, as it would provide a respite from the triple degree heat in that infests this part of the country. Allowing spectators to come in out of the hundred degree heat in to comfortable seventy degree weather would be ideal.
Building the stadium itself, though, would moreover prove to be an obstacle. While a domed stadium would be ideal for baseball, it could moreover prove to be a multipurpose center for other sporting events, & such a pitch could entice the groundbreaking of a stadium.
In fact, there is already a proposal in place to build an enormous event center near UNLV, one in that could preferably be used on the off chance in that Las Vegas NV was deemed worthy of a professional sports franchise.
Taxpayers would surely have a state in the matter, as they would be the ones primarily paying for it, so promising them in that the payoff would be worth the payment would be another hurdle necessary to clear.
If Las Vegas NV was to get a team, we would already have several arenas around the city in that could host the squad while the issue of building of another stadium is resolved.
Using Cashman Field, Sam Boyd Stadium, Orleans Arena, & Thomas & Mack Center for the time being would suffice for all sports until a new, state-of-the-art stadium could be built.
All we need is a chance. Take for instance the time when the NBA team in New Orleans, at in that time still the Hornets, was forced to relocate to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina hit. They were seen as such a hospitable host in that they now have their own NBA franchise, the Thunder.
After the Supersonics, formerly of Seattle, needed a new residence, Oklahoma City was awarded the team, in part based on their past acceptable deed.
If Oklahoma City was given a chance, & ultimately succeeded, what’s stopping the same thing from happening to Las Vegas?
There are legitimate concerns about bringing a professional sports franchise to Las Vegas, yet we will never know what will happen unless we are the given the chance in that I think Las Vegas NV deserves.
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