Fenway Sports Group, LeBron James teaming up for NBA expansion team in Las Vegas UPD Leiweke/OVG proposes another casino/arena location

Bucky_Hoyt

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Dec 11, 2005
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Vegas probably has room for one more sports team. Beyond that is just way too saturated.

Most of these bids are looking solid on paper and each have their merit. But, I imagine all of these bidders know they're in a race against each other even more than they are against other markets.

Each of those leagues wants Vegas, and they're not making it secret. It's the shiny new toy and they probably know whoever gets in next, gets in last. It's just not gonna work with 5 pro teams plus college, regardless of tourists.

NBA would probably be the most successful internationally but not sure if it would be locally. I'm no resident but that's a lot of action Sept - Feb for a market that size. MLB or MLS would help cover the sports landscape year-round locally so one of those may end up being the better option.
 
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LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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Never say never, @Bucky_Hoyt

Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. (They've spent $$$$$$$$$ figuring out how to capture domestic effluence and process it, returning it to the reservoir, so are essentially reusing that water. So water's not as big an issue as it may appear. Now the drought, that is a major concern.) Yes, the valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, but there are a bunch of undeveloped chunks in the interior. And BLM and other agencies that control the fringes may allow for some further development.

Lots of naysayers didn't know that the NHL would be as successful as they were. Home-grown major league team; led region in grief after tragedy before inaugural opening night.

Best (outside) weather is October-November, April-May.

June-September is/can be HOT. And the tourists are not as plentiful. Either MLB or MLS might have issues unless they have an enclosed stadium.
 
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Bucky_Hoyt

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Dec 11, 2005
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Never say never, @Bucky_Hoyt

Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. (They've spent $$$$$$$$$ figuring out how to capture domestic effluence and process it, returning it to the reservoir, so are essentially reusing that water. So water's not as big an issue as it may appear. Now the drought, that is a major concern.) Yes, the valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, but there are a bunch of undeveloped chunks in the interior. And BLM and other agencies that control the fringes may allow for some further development.

Lots of naysayers didn't know that the NHL would be as successful as they were. Home-grown major league team; led region in grief after tragedy before inaugural opening night.

Best (outside) weather is October-November, April-May.

June-September is/can be HOT. And the tourists are not as plentiful. Either MLB or MLS might have issues unless they have an enclosed stadium.

I won't say never but I still think more than 3 is too much and 5 is just silly for a market that size. The Knights are successful and a lot of that has to do with local support. It was the perfect storm of tragedy and triumph in a span of 8 months that solidified their place in that market and bully for them. If they slumped in like Seattle has, not sure how great things would be into year 5 of that.

The NFL is the juggernaut it is so no surprises there that locals will go and people in the neighbouring states will travel to see them in Vegas.

MLB talk for the A's is a retratable roof stadium. Not sure about the MLS bids but could easily do Allegiant lower bowl.
 
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LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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Article looks at the history of large sports venues in LV.

There is no hard/fast rule on venue utilization, in part because in addition to the 2+ million RESIDENTS there are 300k+ VISITORS in town on a daily basis.

Two new facilities might be too much, but if ONE is completed circa 2026, that might work well, about 10 years after T Mobile Arena opened.
 

KevFu

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May 22, 2009
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Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans

Article looks at the history of large sports venues in LV.

There is no hard/fast rule on venue utilization, in part because in addition to the 2+ million RESIDENTS there are 300k+ VISITORS in town on a daily basis.

Two new facilities might be too much, but if ONE is completed circa 2026, that might work well, about 10 years after T Mobile Arena opened.

They said this kind of thing about New York when Barclays and UBS opened. Do you know how many large NON-SPORTS venues there are in Vegas? Or New York. Or anywhere else?
 

LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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Do you know how many large NON-SPORTS venues there are in Vegas?
Define large? Greater capavity than 5k? Theatre seating or conference space?

MSG Sphere (opening 2023) 15k+

Many of the shows in theaters in town seem to be under 2k.
 

KevFu

Registered User
May 22, 2009
9,412
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Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans
Define large? Greater capavity than 5k? Theatre seating or conference space?

MSG Sphere (opening 2023) 15k+

Many of the shows in theaters in town seem to be under 2k.

But that's my point. Limiting the scope of the discussion of "Does this city need ANOTHER venue X big?" is silly when we have no frame of reference or context.

Like, in the Arizona arena thread, the argument is being made that Phoenix won't allow a THIRD venue in the market that will compete for concerts with the Suns arena and Gila River Arena; especially not one in the next town over.

And only two of us know that "the third" venue, the next town over from downtown, has existed this entire time and they're really talking about a fourth.
 

LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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CES takes over Las Vegas in January and has hundreds of thousands in attendance. LVCVA just added a major expansion to the convention center (3.2 million square feet total now), plus the Sands Expo, Ceasars Forum convention space, Mandalay Bay convention space. And large rooms/ballrooms in almost every large hotel in the valley.
 

aqib

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Feb 13, 2012
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Sidenote: the title is a little misleading. LeBron is part owner of Fenway Sports Group. Saying he is teaming up insinuates that he would invest and Fenway would invest.
 

BKIslandersFan

F*** off
Sep 29, 2017
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Brooklyn

Raiders, VGK execs join OVG led group building hotel/casino/arena.
ANOTHER arena???? Unless they are teaming up with FSG for an NBA team this makes no sense.
 

LadyStanley

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Sep 22, 2004
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ANOTHER arena???? Unless they are teaming up with FSG for an NBA team this makes no sense.
There are three potential basketball themed resorts proposed. The OVG seems to have the most momentum (land purchased).

And one with former UNLV player seems to be the odd man out.
 

oknazevad

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Dec 12, 2018
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I guess the question comes down to can Vegas support that many full-size arenas? Between T-Mobile, Thomas & Mack, this place, and (depending on how you define full-size) MGM Grand Garden Arena, that's 4.

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised MGM Grand is still in use. It's never seen a major renovation (not even upgrading the ad boards near the ceiling to LED ribbon boards) and been largely displaced by T-Mobile in terms of the place where MGM Resorts schedules their main bookings.
 

PCSPounder

Stadium Groupie
Apr 12, 2012
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The Outskirts of Nutria Nanny
A Vegas NBA team will have barely any TV territory of its own. I don't see the LA teams giving an inch of California, the Suns giving up an inch of Arizona, or the Jazz giving up an inch of their current territory to a Vegas team and I can see the Kings fighting to keep Reno.

Is it all worth it with a miniscule TV market potential AND having to hinge on tourism to get it to truly work?
Less concern about DMAs with the NBA because the national contract is better than MLB’s.

If there’s anything to recent comments about RSNs, it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the next MLB TV negotiations.
 
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