Arenas proposals (two new ones)

Quote: gambler

The fun part would be naming the team.

I propose the "Las Vegas Gamblers" as a team name!

Hmmmm....



I would propose a name dedicated the people that built an oasis in the dessert:

The Las Vegas Losers!



(I suspect that name won't get far in the selection process.)

Quote: ahiromu

I've heard from various places (might have been here) that because of Vegas being... well... the gambling capitol of North America... that no sports team would ever move or start there. Is this completely false, or is there some merit to it? I'm coming at this with absolutely zero research and asking for opinions for the (older) people who have seen Vegas get passed up over the past 20 years or so for sports teams.

I have heard it, and it seems valid. It's not that a sports team wouldn't want to, it's that the leagues fear the appearance of the gambling connection. If it were up to them, there'd be no sports betting. Look at how much money they spent (NFL/NHL/MLB/NBA/NCAA) to join forces to fight the Delaware proposal. Thanks to their efforts, there are only NFL parlays available in Delaware, and they STILL said that they're taking the state out of contention for NCAA Regionals (it's more than just basketball) and other special events.

Quote:

Also, why would you EVER build an arena for 20k people? I mean if it's going to be used for smaller events I completely understand, but no sports team would be attracted to an arena with only 20k seats.

18-20k is about standard for an NHL/NBA arena.

Quote:

Lastly after reading this forum for the first time, I think people are drastically underestimating the expected value of a sports team. I mean we can all agree that having a sports team is like advertising, you can -never- figure out its real value to a city and the locals... just estimate. Caveat: I am slightly biased, a huge sports fan from Seattle who works in sports (as a hobby/fun job) and just had the Sonics stolen by OKC which also made a friend get let go because his industry was connected to them.

I think the leagues have a unspoken agreement that they won't press the gambling issue if LV doesn't make any serious plays for a pro team. By pro team I mean one of the big four.

Quote: cclub79

18-20k is about standard for an NHL/NBA arena.

The Phoenix suns play in the US Airways Arena that opened on June 1 1992 before the MGM Grand Garden Arena opened on December 31, 1993. The Phoenix arena has seating for 18,422 while the MGM arena has seating for 17,157.

The Sacramento Kings for the NBA play basketball in an ARCO arena with seating for 17,317.

The 2007 NBA All-Stars Game was played in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack center at UNLV.

A Vegas NBA team could play in one of the existing venues for a season while a new arena is being constructed. They are certainly adequate for one season. It seems smarter than spending that kind of money on an arena first, and then trying to attract the team second. If the Wet & Wild site is selected then it would give some time to complete the Fontainbleau.

Kansas City (same size as Vegas) built an arena that was completed 2.5 years ago and is still trying to solicit a team. But the arena cost $276 million (abut 1/3 of the proposed price for the Vegas Silver State arena) and is easier to support without an NBA or NHL team in the interim.

In bar conversations I have found several people who disagree with me. They think that no one will move a franchise to Las Vegas unless there is a completely built brand new arena that is suitable to their needs. They will not tolerate playing one season in an old venue (Thomas & Mack Stadium is 27 years old). Plus most schedules would require at least two seasons until the stadium is built.

Present inventory
Indoor Arenas
1) Thomas and Mack Center 19,354 Sports, Concerts, Family Shows
2) MGM Grand Garden Arena 15,520 Concerts, boxing
3) Mandalay Bay Events Center 12,200 Concerts, boxing
4) Orleans Arena 9,000 Minor League Hockey, Concerts, Family Shows
5) Aladdin Theatre 7,019 Concerts

Outdoor Stadiums/Fields
A) Sam Boyd Stadium 40,000 Football, Motorsports
B) Cashman Field 9,300 Minor League Baseball

The latest report is there is limited support among the Clark County council for the arena proposals. They are much more expensive than the Kansas City arena (KCA). The KCA has failed to attract a team, and there is concern that a Vegas arena will have the same result. The tax proposals are not well received.

A modest proposal
I think that the odd shaped Town of Winchester Nevada should be incorporated with the city of Las Vegas. I call it a modest proposal because the town only includes 4 operating casinos right now (Sahara, Hilton, Circus Circus and Riviera) all of which are hurting at this moment. However the future tax revenue (Fountainbleau, Echelon, future development) is high enough that it might help the City in the long run. Right now proposals (including one arena proposal) for the town of Winchester are viewed as competition to City of Las Vegas proposals. They could concentrate on the most viable area.