Las Vegas deserves their own pro sports team. Yes, they have lower level teams such as a Triple A minor league baseball team, but I think it's time that the city gets to take on a top level team. The city has hosted the NBA All-Star game before to test the waters and all went well. The MLB has thrown Las Vegas into the hat of nominees for expansion cities during the nineties. Unfortunately, nothing has quite caught on.
Las Vegas has two million people in the metro area, which is the twenty-eighth largest metro area in the United States. That's not counting the tourist that come there. It's the largest tourist spot in the United States and I'm sure that a few of these people are sports fans. The MLB classified the city as a mid-sized market city at best, but I disagree. With the right marketing to tourists, they could bring in the same amount of fans that a large market team does.
One of the requirements of a city gaining a pro team, is an owner local to the area with a large amount of money to run a franchise. Las Vegas has plenty of people that fit this category. The Maloof family is based out of Las Vegas and currently own the Sacramento Kings. They are looking to move the team out of Sacramento, but have considered Anaheim to be the most likely option. The Kings then would become the Monarchs (the Maloof brothers reportedly copyrighted the name Anaheim Monarchs). Why not move the team to Vegas?
Also Steve Wynn lives in Las Vegas and owns a lot of successful projects out there including many hotels. Why not a pro sports team? Other notables in the Las Vegas area are Benny Binion, Andre Agassi, Larry Ruvo, and even Penn & Teller have mentioned during interviews about possibly investing in a sports teams as partial owners.
I doubt the NFL would be an option unless a team commits to moving to Las Vegas. I also don't believe the NHL would likely move there because of the lack hockey already there, except for a minor league hockey team. This is why I think the NBA or the MLB are the more likely options.
The NBA because of the successful All-Star game already there and the current resident/NBA team owners, the Maloofs already residing there. Another reason is that the NBA seems to be more open to their teams moving with the Sacramento Kings rumors, the Seattle Sonics becoming the Oklahoma Thunder, and the Charlotte Hornets becoming the New Orleans Hornets, all in recent years.
The MLB would be another option with the American League West being short a team compared to the other divisions. Nearby in Phoenix, the Diamondbacks play in a great stadium built for nearly the same weather that Las Vegas has. With a retractable roof, it's great for sunny, nice weather games, but also air conditioned for hotter weather.
I say bring on another expansion. Let me introduce my proposed team, the Las Vegas Outlaws. With red, black, and white colors and a cool logo, I can see their apparel selling to tourists and locals alike. With the right marketing and the right investors, I believe this franchise can be very successful.
Las Vegas has two million people in the metro area, which is the twenty-eighth largest metro area in the United States. That's not counting the tourist that come there. It's the largest tourist spot in the United States and I'm sure that a few of these people are sports fans. The MLB classified the city as a mid-sized market city at best, but I disagree. With the right marketing to tourists, they could bring in the same amount of fans that a large market team does.
One of the requirements of a city gaining a pro team, is an owner local to the area with a large amount of money to run a franchise. Las Vegas has plenty of people that fit this category. The Maloof family is based out of Las Vegas and currently own the Sacramento Kings. They are looking to move the team out of Sacramento, but have considered Anaheim to be the most likely option. The Kings then would become the Monarchs (the Maloof brothers reportedly copyrighted the name Anaheim Monarchs). Why not move the team to Vegas?
Also Steve Wynn lives in Las Vegas and owns a lot of successful projects out there including many hotels. Why not a pro sports team? Other notables in the Las Vegas area are Benny Binion, Andre Agassi, Larry Ruvo, and even Penn & Teller have mentioned during interviews about possibly investing in a sports teams as partial owners.
I doubt the NFL would be an option unless a team commits to moving to Las Vegas. I also don't believe the NHL would likely move there because of the lack hockey already there, except for a minor league hockey team. This is why I think the NBA or the MLB are the more likely options.
The NBA because of the successful All-Star game already there and the current resident/NBA team owners, the Maloofs already residing there. Another reason is that the NBA seems to be more open to their teams moving with the Sacramento Kings rumors, the Seattle Sonics becoming the Oklahoma Thunder, and the Charlotte Hornets becoming the New Orleans Hornets, all in recent years.
The MLB would be another option with the American League West being short a team compared to the other divisions. Nearby in Phoenix, the Diamondbacks play in a great stadium built for nearly the same weather that Las Vegas has. With a retractable roof, it's great for sunny, nice weather games, but also air conditioned for hotter weather.
I say bring on another expansion. Let me introduce my proposed team, the Las Vegas Outlaws. With red, black, and white colors and a cool logo, I can see their apparel selling to tourists and locals alike. With the right marketing and the right investors, I believe this franchise can be very successful.
No comments:
Post a Comment