On Wednesday, it seemed like a certainty that Las Vegas will soon be getting a major professional sports franchise, thanks to two distinct, yet similar, developments.
According to a report from The Province, a National Hockey League team could be coming to Sin City, as the NHL is looking to expand for the first time in 15 years. A separate article from USA Today reported on news that could land a Major League Soccer team in Glitter Gulch.
According to The Province report:
Sources close to the situation have indicated Las Vegas is a done deal, the only thing to be determined being which owner will be entitled to proclaim that he brought the first major league sports franchise to Sin City. […] And given how dead set against a team in the gambling haven [NHL commissioner Gary Bettman] was 10 years ago, this move into another player friendly state-tax-free zone represents a considerable about-face indeed.
According to the USA Today report:
The city of Las Vegas, The Cordish Companies and Findlay Sports & Entertainment issued a press release on Tuesday outlining plans for a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Las Vegas. The plans are contingent on MLS approving a team in the city.
Nevada, one of only four states in the country with legal sports betting and the only one of the four with full fledged sports books, has for decades been off limits to major professional sports franchises (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, MLS) due to the threat of game fixing and other forms of corruption.
Apparently, Las Vegas’ seedy character is slowly dissipating.
What for a long time seemed like an impossibility, now appears to be the start of a potential race between the NHL and MLS to put the first major pro team in Las Vegas.
Professional athletics, of course, already do happen in Las Vegas, as the town hosts boxing and UFC fights, and is home to a minor league baseball franchise.
