Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (Nov 27 - Dec 3)

What NASCAR's new television deal means for Las Vegas sports fans, one team planning a mutiny in the locker room, and who Mark Davis might want as head coach. Let's break down last week in Las Vegas sports (Nov 27 - Dec 3).

#5 Las Vegas Golden Knights end their losing streak 


[caption id="attachment_41989" align="alignnone" width="1024"]Las Vegas Golden Knights, Source.Facebook[/caption]

The Golden Knights finally ended their three-game losing streak last week in a 4-1 effort against the Canucks. This victory was critical to keeping them atop the Pacific division and a much-needed boost. Four different goals from four players is also a sign that the offense might improve. 

Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, and William Karlsson all knocked in goals for Las Vegas. Alex Pietrangelo and Jack Eichel also contributed two assists each in the victory. The other key contributors were the goalies, who did amazing.

Logan Thompson allowed one goal to get past him in six shots, while Adin Hill allowed zero in 16. Hill's performance is particularly impressive due to exiting a game a few days earlier with injury concerns. For him to come back and recover that quickly is amazing and a testament to the strength of this goalie rotation.

Their winning streak continued when Las Vegas beat the Capitals 4-1. Jonathon Marchessault knocked in two goals, while Jack Eichel and Mark Stone each contributed a goal as well. Logan Thompson tended the net for the entire game, only allowing one goal. This victory gives the Golden Knights a 2-0 winning streak and is a nice turnaround from their recent performance.

#4 Las Vegas Athletics' future still uncertain 


[caption id="attachment_41990" align="alignnone" width="819"]Las Vegas Athletics, Las Vegas, Source. Facebook[/caption]

Las Vegas is now the home of the Athletics. Maybe. The deal could be dead in the water if funding dries up. The team is being promised $380 million for the stadium, but the construction is estimated at around $1.5 billion.

There are rising questions about owner John Fischer's ability to raise the funds. Another big point of contention is the number of deals that need to be in place for construction to even happen on his new stadium.

"That is the question I have been asking since the [2023] legislature," says Nevada sports and gaming reporter Howard Stutz when discussing funding for the Athletics' new stadium.

"It's very different from the Raiders. We knew what the Raiders would do — they have the $750 million in room tax, which is very different from the tax structure [and] public money coming for the A's. Dave Kaval, the president of the A's, said the Fisher family is going to put in the largest private investment ever put up for a team."

Another issue is the Schools over Stadiums Bill possibly getting on the ballot in 2024 and removing $300 million of the promised funding. This is another crucial hurdle for the Athletics and might be a deal killer. 

#3 Reports say Josh McDaniels refused to draft a possible franchise quarterback


[caption id="attachment_41991" align="alignnone" width="1024"]Las Vegas, Las Vegas Raiders, Source. YouTube[/caption]

Josh McDaniels had a lot of faults, and his biggest was his ego. That's at least what's been going through the rumor mill after his firing just one month ago. A new rumor reported on by Hondo S Carpenter claims McDaniels strong-armed an effort by Dave Ziegler to draft CJ Stroud in 2023.

This marks the second time he has sabotaged the team, which goes to show his personality. He was so sold on Jimmy Garoppolo that he didn't want anyone jeopardizing that spot. General Manager Ziegler even expressed his concerns that Garopppolo was injury-prone, but McDaniels refused to hear any of it.

"'Josh wanted nothing to do with that plan," Carpenter said when discussing McDaniels' desire to take a chance on Stroud. "He was hellbent on Jimmy G, and despite all of the health issues that he had and Dave's incessant warnings that it was a mistake, Josh got his way.'

Related: 5 Las Vegas sports stats you have to see to believe

#2 New NASCAR deal brings good news for Las Vegas fans


[caption id="attachment_41992" align="alignnone" width="816"]Las Vegas, NASCAR Source. Facebook[/caption]

NASCAR signed a $13.8 billion television deal last week to bring portions of their races to four different platforms. The first 14 races, which include Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will be on Fox Sports or Fox. The following five races are broadcast on TNT and HBO Max.

Then, they move to Amazon Prime for five races on the streaming service. The last 14 races will be broadcast on NBC and USA network. (check local listings. This is where the second Las Vegas race will occur, most likely on USA Network.)

The deal is NASCAR's largest TV rights deal ever and is a significant step forward. However, fans aren't happy about the move and claim NASCAR is greedy. The biggest argument is that fans won't be able to pay to watch all the races.

There is likely little chance that the average NASCAR fan in today's economy can shell out money for five different platforms. The first 14 practically acts as an appetizer at this point until the season shifts to their experimental streaming platforms. 

#1 Raiders roster on verge of mutiny over Antonio Pierce


[caption id="attachment_40030" align="alignnone" width="819"]Las Vegas Raiders, Source. Facebook[/caption]

Some sources say the Raiders locker room plans a mutiny if Antonio Pierce doesn't get the head coaching job permanently. The team is 2-2 under his leadership and steadily improving. The locker room is rallying behind him. Despite this, the attention is shifting towards a "big name" like Jim Harbough.

"Davis has incredible respect for Harbaugh, a Raiders assistant from 2002-03," Bonsignore wrote in a Dec 1 column. "Davis considers Harbaugh an undisputed winner. It's difficult to imagine Harbaugh not having success at his next stop..." 

Next: 5 Quarterbacks The Las Vegas Raiders should look at in 2024