Arena: Las Vegas: The Next Major Sports City
Julian Paefgen
The Las Vegas desert proved to be fruitful in 2017. Las Vegas was finally awarded their first professional sports team with the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights. No one knew what to expect from the expansion team and no one could’ve predicted the outcome. In their first season of existence, the Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final. Although they lost in five games to the Washington Capitals, it was a major win for Las Vegas. The public saw how well a professional sports team can perform in Southern Nevada which opened the floodgates for the possibility of more teams. Soon after, the Oakland Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020 wherein their second year they made the playoffs and were one play away from advancing to the second round. As we enter the 2020’s Las Vegas could become the next major sports city in the world with MLB and the NBA being the next leagues to potentially plant their stakes in the desert.
The Oakland A’s could find themselves relocating to Las Vegas just as the Raiders did. Their beloved Oakland Coliseum has been in use since 1966 making it the fifth oldest ballpark in MLB. One could guess that a 50+-year-old building may have a problem or two and the Coliseum is no expectation. One issue is that it’s susceptible to flooding during heavy rain due to the piping layout. In 2013 during a rain delay, sewage flooded into the coaches’ bathroom. It was apparently the third time it happened that season. Fast forward to 2016 sewage flooded the stadium again, this time into fan seating areas and under the stadium where players and staff walk onto the field. The field conditions have also been a problem for the Coliseum. In 2018 both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders commented that the field was slick after a game in which Steelers’ kicker Chris Boswell slipped on a game-tying field goal attempt. Dead mice were reportedly found in a soda machine during the game as well. The Coliseum doesn’t compare to the quality and amenities of Trusit Park or the most recently built Globe Life Field to say the least. With all of the Coliseum’s issues, MLB officials have determined that the park is, “unfit for play.” It’s also worth noting that the A’s lease on the Coliseum expires in 2024.
Ron Schwane
The A’s organization and Oakland city officials are working towards building a new stadium in the Bay. In February, the Oakland City Council approved the certification of an environmental impact report for a proposed $12 billion district that includes a $1 billion ballpark along the waterfront. The plan still needs to undergo further approval from various organizations, but it is necessary in an effort to keep the A’s in Oakland. However, Southern Nevada still hasn’t been ruled out as a possible destination. Athletics President Dave Kaval says the team has made “big huge offers” on four possible sites. Moving to the desert wouldn’t be entirely new territory for the A’s as their affiliate Triple-A team is the Las Vegas Aviators.
Packing up and moving the A’s might not be terrible for the franchise. Relocating to a new city with a rebuild on the way is symbolic of a metamorphosis that needs to take place for the new era Athletics. They traded away All-Stars Matt Chapman and Matt Olson along with starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Chris Bassit in a fire sale during the offseason. Let's also add in that long-time A’s executive, Billy Beane, who has been with the organization for over 20 years, was rumored to be leaving before last season. Ultimately, he remained with the team but it is not known for how much longer. Even though they’ve consistently been a competitive team making the playoffs six times in the past ten years, they have never been good enough to win it at all. Since 2010, the A’s have lost in the Wildcard and Divisional rounds three times each. With off-season trades on the way, it doesn't seem like the A’s will be playing for a playoff spot in the coming years. Maybe Las Vegas could be the fresh start that they need.
Sean Gardner - Getty Images
The NBA has flirted with the idea of a Las Vegas team. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a team in the desert as Las Vegas has been a host city of NBA Summer League since 2004. In addition, the WNBA’s Aces have called Southern Nevada home for four years now. There has been speculation that the Association would pursue an expansion franchise, even more so now to make up for lost revenue during the COVID-19 plagued 2019-2020 season. Las Vegas has been rumored to be a favorite to land the league’s next team, especially when a noteworthy businessman has been involved in conversations with NBA executives.
In 2016, Jim Murren, former CEO of MGM Resorts International, was reportedly, “pursuing an NBA franchise to play at T-Mobile Arena.” The arena is owned by MGM and is home to the Golden Knights. In addition to Murren’s pursuit, commissioner Adam Silver stated that “the NBA enjoys doing business in Las Vegas”, which added more fuel to the fire for an expansion team in the future. The possibility of a Las Vegas team made headlines again in 2020 when Murren stated that he expects an NBA team to be playing in Nevada in the near future.
If expansion doesn’t pan out, the New Orleans Pelicans could be relocated to Las Vegas. New Orleans is in a similar situation with Oakland in that they could be seeing a rebuild or re-tool in the next couple of years. There is fear that their star Zion Williamson might force his way out of the Big Easy. There have been reports that issues between Williamson and the organization arose during Williamson’s first year and since he and his family have become unhappy. In the age of player empowerment, Williamson could be the first young player to be traded from the team that drafted him before signing a second contract. Williamson is still on his rookie contract and the Pels can offer him a super max extension around $200 million after next season. However, given Williamson’s injury history New Orleans may be hesitant to invest so much into a player that’s missed over 100 games since being drafted in 2019.
Another reason for a potential move to Las Vegas surrounds New Orleans itself; it simply isn’t a basketball city. From 2016-2019 the Pelicans have been ranked in the bottom third of the league in fan attendance. In addition, New Orleans is one of the least valued franchises in the NBA, sitting at 29 out of 30. Also, the Pelicans play in the state of Louisiana where football is king. The Saints and the LSU football program are the teams Louisiana cares about most, even during down years both teams are among the populist favorites. The Pelicans will never compete for the number one team in Louisiana, but they can in Las Vegas.
