I figured since it has been a slow sports week I would write about a topic I thought was interesting. That is a possible permanent professional sports team in Las Vegas. It has long been discussed whether or not a pro-sports team could survive there. I personally would love to see a team in Vegas.
There are a few arguments against it. The #1 argument is there is not a possible fan base. I strongly disagree. Las Vegas has the 28th largest population of any city in the United States. That is larger than Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh. All of those cities support multiple top of the line sports franchises. I understand that most of the Las Vegas was not born there so they might not be passionate about the team. I disagree, look at the Oklahoma City Thunder. That team is relatively new to a city that does not have any type of basketball history, yet that is one of the most passionate fan bases in the NBA. I think "Field of Dreams" had it right, "If you build it, they will come." To me no matter where a franchise is located, as long as they are winning, people will support them. If you move the Yankees to Lancaster, PA they would still sell out every game, because they win. Look at Los Angeles. The Clippers stink so they give those tickets away for free. However, it is almost impossible to get Laker's tickets, no matter who you know or how much money you have.
Another issue people have brought up, which makes no sense, is the worry that pro players will "throw" games because they are in the gambling capital of the world. How are teams in Las Vegas any more susceptible to pressure from gangsters to "shave points". I can understand in the days of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, when players and games were not televised or closely followed. In today's sports world if a player has one bad game he is berated by the media and is given less playing time. You would need to be one hell of an actor for people to not notice intentionally losing.
I see no reason not to have a team in Las Vegas. The only question is what sport could survive there? I wouldn't suggest football. It would cost a ton of money to build a stadium there and you would ideally want it near or on the strip. Where there is no land to build on. So for the same reason baseball does not work. Also Vegas is an exciting fast paced environment, baseball is a slow sometimes boring sport. That leaves you with hockey and basketball. I do not believe hockey could survive there. It is a niche sport and so it is very hard to build a strong fan base. Also NHL ticket sales are not strong in warm weather climates. So you are left with basketball. Which is perfect. Everything about NBA basketball games screams Las Vegas. Since the majority of my readers are Pittsburgers I am guessing most have not been to an NBA game, I have. I am not in any way an NBA fan, however going to an Orlando Magic game is one of my fondest sporting event memories. NBA games are fast paced, high flying, and exciting. I would equate an NBA game to a show in Las Vegas. There are exciting pregame and halftime shows filled with pyrotechnics and dancers. Even if the team was bad there would be exciting players constantly coming to town drawing fans. That is the nice thing about basketball, one superstar can take over an entire game and put on a show. Once a week Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, or Kevin Durant would be coming to fabulous Las Vegas. That is the equivalent to big name comedians and singers coming to Vegas to do a performance. So basketball is the perfect sport for Las Vegas.
Now there is the problem with finding an owner and place to play. Well there is no problem finding a place to play. Almost every major casino on the strip has a large enough event center to host NBA games. The MGM Grand Garden Arena would be ideal because it holds just over 17,000 people, same as the Mellon Arena. As far as finding an owner for the team would not be an issue either. Professional sports teams cost nothing compared the casinos on the strip. So I am sure MGM would be very open to owning the team and having the team play in their building(s), considering the MGM group owns 10 casinos in Las Vegas already. Another more likely option would be moving the Sacramento Kings to Las Vegas. Why the Kings? George J. Maloof Jr. is the team's majority owner. Maloof also owns the Palms Resort and Casino in the heart of Las Vegas and is a graduate of UNLV. So he is very tied to the city. I am also sure the NBA would be much more open to moving a team rather than expanding the league. Sacramento is the perfect team to move right now. They are currently struggling but have a bright future with players like Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins. California already has 3 other NBA franchises, Nevada does not have one. Las Vegas also has a much larger population than Sacramento, not including all the tourists, which means potential for a larger fan base.
To me all of these things mean a pro basketball team in Las Vegas could be wildly successful.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar