Las Vegas Sport & Nevada

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Las Vegas is one of the largest cities in the United States without a major professional sports league team - if it does not get a team before the 2010 U.S. census it will likely be confirmed as the largest metropolitan area without one. There are many sports activities in the area. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas fields Division I athletic teams & the NCAA football Las Vegas Bowl is in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), just north of the city hosts NASCAR & other automotive events. Visitors & residents also have many options for boating, golf, hiking, rock climbing. The city has many parks which offer a wide range of activities.

Ideas for Names of Big League Las Vegas Teams

NFL American Football Las Vegas Bighorns, The Nevada Mountain Lions, The Rockies, The Nevada Cougars,

NHL The Las Vegas Desert Iceman, The Desert Snow, Vegas Tortoise faces,

NBA The Las Vegas Trouts, Vegas Rainbow Trouts,

World Series Baseball Las Vegas Mountain Hitters, Las Vegas Gamblers, Las Vegas Winners, Las Vegas Sponsored by a casino, Las Vegas Big Spenders, Vegas Home Run,

WNBA Las Vegas Amazons,

Soccer Las Vegas Utd, Las Vegas Nevada, Las Vegas Evlis, Viva Las Vegas, Viva Vegas,

Las Vegas hosts several non-major-league sports teams: the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League, the Las Vegas 51s, a Los Angeles Dodgers farm club in the AAA Pacific Coast League, the Las Vegas Stars of the International Basketball League & the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL hockey league. Due in part to the perceived risks of professional sports in a city with legal sports betting, none of the major professional sports leagues have ever had a team in Las Vegas, with the notable exception of the Utah Jazz' half-season schedule at the Thomas & Mack Center in 1983-84. The possibility of relocating a professional major-league team to Las Vegas is an ongoing discussion that city leaders are having with several sports leagues.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels (the name Runnin' Rebels is used only by the men's basketball program) host Mountain West Conference events on the UNLV campus & eight miles (13 km) east, at Sam Boyd Stadium. Indoor sporting events are held at the Thomas & Mack Center complex, both at the main arena & at Cox Pavilion, a smaller arena attached to the complex.

Professional football has been attempted twice in Las Vegas. The XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws & the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Las Vegas Posse. Both teams folded after only 1 season of play. The XFL folded outright, while the Posse were a failure at the box office & part of the CFL's failed U.S expansion attempt. Posse QB Anthony Calvillo went 1st overall in the 1995 dispersion draft of Posse players, & went on to have a stellar career in Canada

The NBA awarded the 2007 NBA All-Star Game to Las Vegas. This was the first all-star game to be played in a non-NBA city. As part of the conditions the NBA set for holding the game in Las Vegas, Nevada sports books agreed not to take bets on the game.

The professional sports league problem
Several reasons have been cited for the lack of a major professional team:

Las Vegas only became a large market very recently.
The perceived stigma of legal sports betting may be seen as being in conflict of interest with any potential pro sports team being located in Las Vegas by the NBA, the NFL, the MLB & the NHL. All four leagues have strong anti-gambling policies, going so far as to prohibit their leagues' personnel from having any involvement in gambling interests. There are currently no laws preventing Nevada sports books from accepting bets on local professional teams, & many casinos have said they would not voluntarily take a local team "off the boards."
Some potential owners believe a professional sports franchise would have serious difficulty competing for an audience in a city with so many entertainment options. Also, Las Vegas is not on a work schedule like most cities. Las Vegas is a true 24/7 city, which results in a smaller potential market for a sports event. An estimated 40 percent of the local population works in 24-hour industries.
Las Vegas is still a relatively small television market, because most of the immediate surrounding area is sparsely populated & the more populous outlying areas were all drawn into the markets of larger cities farther away decades ago. For example, St. George, Utah is now part of the Salt Lake City market, & Bullhead City, Arizona is part of the Phoenix market. Las Vegas' TV market has been ranked as the 51st largest in the US, behind places like Albuquerque, Greensboro, Harrisburg, & Hartford. Furthermore, although Nevada's population is growing rapidly, it still had under two million people in the 2000 census. No other state or province with less than two million people has a major league franchise, & there is only one team (the Utah Jazz) based in a state with a population of less than three million.
Las Vegas lacks a suitable stadium or arena. Sam Boyd Stadium & other outdoor facilities are far too small for MLB or the NFL. The Thomas & Mack Center is almost 25 years old, & the NBA has said unless the city builds a new arena it will not even hold another All-Star Game in the city. The municipal & state governments have said they will not publicly finance a new facility. In August of 2007, however, Harrah's Entertainment & Anschutz Entertainment Group announced plans to build a new arena that would open in 2010

Future major league prospects

MLB
In April 2004, Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig publicly revealed that MLB was considering Las Vegas as a potential future home for the Montreal Expos. However, MLB eventually chose Washington, D.C. as the Expos' new home. Washington won primarily because they agreed to provide a new stadium built entirely with public funding, something Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said that the city will not do for a pro sports franchise.

NBA
Rumors surfaced in 2005 about the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Las Vegas if Sacramento cannot build a new arena for the team. Kings owners Joe & Gavin Maloof have ties to the Las Vegas as co-owners of The Palms Hotel & Casino. In November 2006, California voters rejected a proposal to fund a new arena for the Kings in Sacramento; if the Kings re-locate they will become the first major sports franchise to move four times (having previously represented Rochester, Cincinnati & Kansas City.)

NFL
Publicly, the NFL has expressed strong opposition to sports betting & both the league & current & prospective NFL owners have expressed little public interest among the four leagues with regards to putting a team in Las Vegas. However, some have argued that with only eight home regular season games a season to draw fans away from other entertainment options (and very few playoff games compared to the other leagues), an NFL team would be a better fit for the city compared to the other leagues.

NHL
Film & television producer Jerry Bruckheimer currently does not own a major sports team but he reportedly is an avid hockey fan. He reportedly has had informal talks with the NHL about owning a team in Las Vegas (possibly by means of expansion).

Special sports events
Las Vegas hosts the Las Vegas Bowl, a college bowl game, around Christmas day.

In 2005-06, the city hosted ArenaBowl XIX & ArenaBowl XX at the Thomas & Mack Center. It was the AFL's first-ever neutral-site title game. After two years of underwhelming attendances (neither game was close to a sellout), ArenaBowl XXI will be held in New Orleans in 2007.

Teams
Current professional teams Club League Venue Established Championships
Las Vegas 51s Pacific Coast League Cashman Field 1983 2
Las Vegas Wranglers ECHL Orleans Arena 2003 0
Las Vegas Strikers NPSL Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex 2003 0
Las Vegas Tabagators WPSL Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex 2005 0
Las Vegas Stars International Basketball League Stations Sports Complex 2007 0
Las Vegas PROLYMs American Basketball Association TBD 2007 0
Previous professional teams Club League Venue Established Final Championships
Las Vegas Americans Major Indoor Soccer League Thomas & Mack Center 1984 1985
Las Vegas Bandits International Basketball League Thomas & Mack Center 2000 2001
Las Vegas Cowboys Continental Football League Cashman Field 1968 1969
Las Vegas Coyotes Roller Hockey International Santa Fe Hotel & Casino Ice Arena 1999 1999
Las Vegas Dustdevils Continental Indoor Soccer League MGM Grand Garden Arena
Thomas & Mack Center 1994 1995 1 (1994)
Las Vegas Flash Roller Hockey International Thomas & Mack Center 1994 1994
Las Vegas Gladiators Arena Football League Orleans Arena 2003 2007
Las Vegas Outlaws XFL Sam Boyd Stadium 2001 2001
Las Vegas Posse Canadian Football League Sam Boyd Stadium 1994 1994
Las Vegas Quicksilver North American Soccer League Sam Boyd Stadium 1977 1977
Las Vegas Rattlers American Basketball Association All American Sportspark 2004 2005
Las Vegas Silvers Continental Basketball Association 1982 1983
Las Vegas Silver Bandits International Basketball League Thomas & Mack Center 1999 2000
Las Vegas Slam American Basketball Association Thomas & Mack Center 2001 2002
Las Vegas Sting Arena Football League MGM Grand Garden Arena
Thomas & Mack Center 1994 1995
Las Vegas Thunder International Hockey League Thomas & Mack Center 1993 1999
Las Vegas Venom American Basketball Association 2006 2006
Las Vegas Wranglers various 1947 1952 1 (1949)
Las Vegas Wranglers various 1957 1958

Boxing
Las Vegas is also host to many professional boxing matches & has hosted many heavyweight boxing championship bouts.

Notable bouts
The Battle of the Little Giants (1981)
Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns (1981, 1989)
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney (1982)
The War (boxing) (1985)
Chavez vs Taylor aka Thunder Meet Lightning(1990)
Michael Carbajal vs. Humberto Gonzalez I (1993)
The Bite Fight (1997)
Fight of the Millennium (1999)
Barrera versus Morales trilogy (2000, 2002, 2004)
De La Hoya vs. Mayweather (2007)
Hatton vs. Mayweather (2007)

Golf

Events
Las Vegas hosts these pro tour events:

PGA Las Vegas Invitational
LPGA LPGA Takefuji Classic
PBA Senior Tour Las Vegas Open

Las Vegas Golf Courses
The Las Vegas area is home to over 60 golf courses. These include:

Primm Valley Golf Club
Rio Secco Golf Club
Shadow Creek Golf Club - Private
TPC at The Canyons
TPC at Summerlin - Private
Wynn Golf & Country Club
Rhodes Ranch
Tuscany
Badlands (golf course)

Motor sports
Las Vegas has become an internationally known motor racing locale having hosted the elite Formula One racers at Caesars Palace & the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) for Indy racers in the early "80's. Las Vegas was also the home of the famed "Mint 400" Desert Race from 1968-1987 run in the unforgiving Nevada desert outside Las Vegas. Nearly 100,000 spectators lined the 100 mile (160 km) loop to view the 500 plus off road racing vehicles. Sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel & Casino, the event was the largest & richest event in the sport. The technical & safety inspection was held on famed Fremont Street & became one of the major must attend sporting events in Las Vegas history. The race ended when Del Webb organization sold the Mint Hotel to the adjacent Horseshoe owned by the legendary Binion gaming family.

Over the years, Vegas was the host for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The CanAm races 1966-68 were held at the old Stardust Raceway & were officially called the Stardust Grand Prix.

In July of 2006, the Las Vegas City Council approved a 2.44-mile, 14-turn, counterclockwise street circuit in the downtown area for a Champ Car event slated for April 6-8, 2007.

Events
Las Vegas hosts these motor sports at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
NASCAR Busch Series: Sam's Town 300
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Las Vegas 350
NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals (April)
NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals (November)

Rodeo

Events
Las Vegas hosts these Professional Rodeo events:

BigHorn Rodeo
PBR World Finals -- Built Ford Tough World Finals
National Finals Rodeo -- Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Las Vegas Marathon
Main article: Las Vegas Marathon
The Las Vegas Marathon is one of the oldest marathons in the United States, having been run since 1967. The marathon was organized by Al Boka since 1983, who sold the marathon in 2005 to Devine Racing, a Chicago-based race organization company that is responsible for several other races, including the Los Angeles Marathon. Devine redubbed the race as "The New Las Vegas Marathon", & updated the course to include the Strip. Introduced on December 4, 2005, the new course marks one of the race occasions that the Strip is closed to traffic. Prior to that, the course had run on the old Los Angeles Highway, beginning in the community of Jean, Nevada, & ending inside Las Vegas proper (Sunset Park). Additionally in 2005, the date of the marathon was changed from January to December to help ensure better weather.

Darts
Las Vegas Desert Classic

Roller Derby
Sin City Rollergirls

Tennis
Las Vegas is home to The Tennis Channel Open hosted at The Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center. An international series tournament with a $500,000 prize fund which attracts stars such as Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi & James Blake.

Other events
Vegas is the end point for the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay. This 120 mile long foot race is run in April of each year by law enforcement teams from around the world. The race starts in Baker, California & is run over two days. The 2006 race was the 22nd race & had teams from across the United States & from 4 other countries. This is the largest law enforcement athletic event in the world.

In 2006, the city hosted the USAFL National Championships, the biggest event in the United States for the sport of Australian rules football, with over 2,000 players from the US & Canada including local team Las Vegas Gamblers.

Las Vegas is also home to the professional paint ball team Las Vegas LTZ & amateur team Sin City Paintball.