What springs to mind when you think of Las Vegas, Nevada? The iconic Las Vegas Strip with its iconic casinos and towering hotels? The blistering heat of the summer months or the massive choice of incredible eateries. Do you ever think about professional sports? If not, you should because Las Vegas is becoming a powerhouse of the sporting world, with the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and soon Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises calling the city home.
Vegas Golden Knights
Las Vegas got its first professional sports team in 2017 when the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL joined the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home fixtures in the multi-purpose indoor 17,500-capacity T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Las Vegas, which opened its doors to the public in 2016. The T-Mobile Arena also hosts the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), hosting four events annually.
The Vegas Golden Knights played their first regular season game in the 2017-18 season, and it quickly became apparent they meant business and were not there only to make up the numbers. After winning 2-1 on the road against the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, the Golden Knights made it three wins in a row, defeating the Coyotes in the T-Mobile Arena’s first-ever home NHL game. Such a good start had people flocking to the Bovada app to back the Golden Knights for Stanley Cup glory; those predictions almost came through.
The Vegas Knights finished top of the Pacific Division with a 51-24-7 record and progressed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the first time of asking. They navigated to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost 1-4 to the Washington Capitals.
After finishing third and falling in the conference finals in 2018-19, the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division and reached the Stanley Cup finals again in 2019-20. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas residents lost 1-4 to the Dallas Stars in the final.
Fast-forward to the 2022-23 campaign, the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division again and bulldozed their way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they met the Florida Panthers. It proved a case of third-time lucky because they beat the Panthers 4-1 and became champions for the first time.
If you love the thrill and physicality of hockey and want to watch some superstars on the ice, you could do far worse than checking out a Golden Knights game, a team with three Stanley Cup Finals appearances in their first seven seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are one of the most famous NFL teams, and they have had several homes since their founding in 1960. Initially based in Oakland, California, the team relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, then back to Oakland in 1995, before becoming the Las Vegas Raiders in time for the 2020 NFL regular season.
Head to the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, during the NFL season if you want to catch a Raiders game in the flesh. The Allegiant Stadium is found west of Mandalay Bay and is the second-most expensive stadium in the world, costing an eye-watering $1.9 billion. For that princely sum, visitors are treated to state-of-the-art facilities, including a retractable roof, and the stadium is powered using 100% renewable energy sources from Nevada.
The Raiders have won the Super Bowl three times. John Madden coached the team to glory in 1976, and Tim Flores guided the Raiders to Super Bowl victories in 1980 and 1983. The current Raiders team may not be on par with those Super Bowl-winning sides, but there are few fans as passionate as the Raiders’, so expect plenty of noise when the stadium is packed to its 65,000 NFL game-day capacity.
Major League Baseball is Coming to Sin City
Nevada has had a baseball team since 1983, with the Las Vegas Aviators playing out of the 10,000-capacity Las Vegas Ballpark. However, the Aviators are a Minor League Baseball team, and the state’s baseball-loving fans have been crying out for a Major League Baseball team for several years; they are about to get their wish.
The Oakland Athletics are one of MLB’s eight charter franchises and one of the most successful teams in MLB history. Since 1901, the Athletics have won nine World Series championships, 15 pennants, and seven divisional titles; only the New York Yankees have won more.
Currently, the Athletics play their home games at the Oakland Coliseum in California, but the stadium has received more than its fair share of criticism. In 2017, the New York Times said the Coliseum was a “charmless concrete monstrosity” and also said it is “perhaps America’s most hated sports stadium.” With that in mind, the Athletics senior management team looked at sites for a new stadium but ultimately decided to relocate when a suitable site could not be found.
In stepped Las Vegas to the rescue, offering the Athletics a new home. Rumors were that a new stadium would be built on the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino site, but those plans have since changed. The New Las Vegas Stadium will be built on the former site of the Wild Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue in Paradise.
Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel closed its doors for the final time on September 7, 2022, and is set for demolition in the coming months. Work starts on the New Las Vegas Stadium in April 2025, with the construction of the 33,000-capacity fixed-roof ballpark expected to be completed in time for the 2028 MLB season. The long wait for Major League Baseball in Nevada is almost over.
Conclusion
It is only natural for people to think of Las Vegas only as a party city because that is how it has been billed for decades. However, away from the hustle and bustle of casinos, the sights and smells of Michelin-star restaurants, and epic pool parties is a sports-loving Las Vegas. The NFL’s Raiders and NHL’s Golden Knights call Nevada home, and soon, the MLB’s Athletics will become Vegas residents. It is undoubtedly only a matter of time before “Sin City” gets its own NBA and MLS teams to complete an exciting portfolio and turn Las Vegas into a sporting powerhouse.
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