5 Long-Term Predictions for Las Vegas Sports
What does the future hold for Las Vegas sports? That's a difficult question to answer with everything going on in Sin City, but here are five predictions!
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Source. Oakland Athletics[/caption]
The Athletics seem to be Las Vegas-bound, and no one looks happy about it.
Why? For one, the Athletics are one of the worst teams in baseball. They finished their 2023 campaign with a 50-122 record, putting them fifth in their division. The year before that, they finished 60-102. The A's owner, John Fischer, is notoriously cheap and doesn't do much to put his organization in a winning position.
He is known to have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball and even trades good players instead of paying them what they deserve. Another controversy with the Athletics is over their supposed new stadium at the site of the old Tropicana. The problem is the Athletics have been slow to release renderings of their new stadium for some reason.
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Source. Kyle Busch[/caption]
There’s no way to describe what Kyle Busch means to the sport of NASCAR. That’s why it will be a very dark day for the sport when the Las Vegas native finally retires. Some even argue that the sport will lose its best personality since Dale Earnhardt Jr when Busch hangs it up.
Unfortunately, that day is getting closer and closer as Busch enters the twilight of his historic Cup series career. Now, he signed a multi-year deal in 2023 with Richard Childress Racing to keep him in the sport, but don’t expect much more. He is already 38 years old and will be 40 by 2026. He also doesn't have a lot left to accomplish.
Combine this with his known leg and foot injuries, and you start to understand just how little time he has left in this sport.
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Source.Vegas Golden Knights[/caption]
Everything seems to go wrong for the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2024, creating serious doubt about their ability to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Las Vegas started the season with a five-game win streak and some of the best numbers in the league but have dragged their feet ever since.
They lost the Pacific Division lead at the end of December and are teetering on not making the playoffs. Las Vegas isn’t leading in points anymore, which is just another sign of how far they have fallen off.
They don’t have a strong goalie rotation due to injury; several players are picking up penalty minutes, and they get destroyed in overtime.
There is not one single thing about this team that makes them seem playoff-worthy in 2024.More: Is the Las Vegas Super Bowl a financial reality?
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Source. Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]
Head coaches aren’t lasting long with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the next one might not be much different. Owner Mark Davis’ rumored list of candidates isn’t exactly encouraging. There are guys like Rich Bissacia, Antonio Pierce, and even Jon Gruden.
Now, Pierce isn’t the worst option by any means, but he is going to pale in comparison to other coaching resumes. He still seems to be finding his way as a head coach. Still, Davis might get sentimental and try to keep Pierce to correct his mistake two years ago with Rich Bisaccia.
And then there’s Jon Gruden, a walking-talking controversy waiting to happen. Despite this dark cloud hanging over him, Davis is supposedly considering the option. That will not be a popular decision with Las Vegas Raiders fans and would prove Davis has learned nothing. He hasn’t made a competent coaching decision choice in a while.
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Source. Las Vegas Aces[/caption]
The Las Vegas Aces are a special group of women. A team so talented at every level that they've dominated the WNBA over the last two years. The squad even finished the 2023 regular season with a 34-6 and went 9-1 in the playoffs. That's why seeing them tie the record for most consecutive championships seems possible.
Unless something unexpected happens to players like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Grey, they will be a dominant force for years. There’s also the fact that they have Becky Hammon as head coach, who just seems to be a genius at strategizing.
There’s not a team in the WNBA right now that can consistently compete with them. The only real thing between them and a third straight championship is the month-long Olympic break.
Next: 5 worst injuries in Las Vegas sports in 2023
#5 The Athletics go down in history as Las Vegas’ worst sports team
[caption id="attachment_44353" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. Oakland Athletics[/caption]The Athletics seem to be Las Vegas-bound, and no one looks happy about it.
Why? For one, the Athletics are one of the worst teams in baseball. They finished their 2023 campaign with a 50-122 record, putting them fifth in their division. The year before that, they finished 60-102. The A's owner, John Fischer, is notoriously cheap and doesn't do much to put his organization in a winning position.
He is known to have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball and even trades good players instead of paying them what they deserve. Another controversy with the Athletics is over their supposed new stadium at the site of the old Tropicana. The problem is the Athletics have been slow to release renderings of their new stadium for some reason.
#4 Kyle Busch retires from full-time competition in 2027
[caption id="attachment_44354" align="alignnone" width="819"]
Source. Kyle Busch[/caption]There’s no way to describe what Kyle Busch means to the sport of NASCAR. That’s why it will be a very dark day for the sport when the Las Vegas native finally retires. Some even argue that the sport will lose its best personality since Dale Earnhardt Jr when Busch hangs it up.
Unfortunately, that day is getting closer and closer as Busch enters the twilight of his historic Cup series career. Now, he signed a multi-year deal in 2023 with Richard Childress Racing to keep him in the sport, but don’t expect much more. He is already 38 years old and will be 40 by 2026. He also doesn't have a lot left to accomplish.
Combine this with his known leg and foot injuries, and you start to understand just how little time he has left in this sport.
#3 Las Vegas Golden Knights will miss the playoffs in 2024
[caption id="attachment_44356" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source.Vegas Golden Knights[/caption]Everything seems to go wrong for the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2024, creating serious doubt about their ability to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Las Vegas started the season with a five-game win streak and some of the best numbers in the league but have dragged their feet ever since.
They lost the Pacific Division lead at the end of December and are teetering on not making the playoffs. Las Vegas isn’t leading in points anymore, which is just another sign of how far they have fallen off.
They don’t have a strong goalie rotation due to injury; several players are picking up penalty minutes, and they get destroyed in overtime.
There is not one single thing about this team that makes them seem playoff-worthy in 2024.More: Is the Las Vegas Super Bowl a financial reality?
#2 Raiders new permanent head coach doesn't last long
[caption id="attachment_44355" align="alignnone" width="819"]
Source. Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]Head coaches aren’t lasting long with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the next one might not be much different. Owner Mark Davis’ rumored list of candidates isn’t exactly encouraging. There are guys like Rich Bissacia, Antonio Pierce, and even Jon Gruden.
Now, Pierce isn’t the worst option by any means, but he is going to pale in comparison to other coaching resumes. He still seems to be finding his way as a head coach. Still, Davis might get sentimental and try to keep Pierce to correct his mistake two years ago with Rich Bisaccia.
And then there’s Jon Gruden, a walking-talking controversy waiting to happen. Despite this dark cloud hanging over him, Davis is supposedly considering the option. That will not be a popular decision with Las Vegas Raiders fans and would prove Davis has learned nothing. He hasn’t made a competent coaching decision choice in a while.
#1 Las Vegas Aces tie the record for most consecutive championship seasons
[caption id="attachment_44352" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. Las Vegas Aces[/caption]The Las Vegas Aces are a special group of women. A team so talented at every level that they've dominated the WNBA over the last two years. The squad even finished the 2023 regular season with a 34-6 and went 9-1 in the playoffs. That's why seeing them tie the record for most consecutive championships seems possible.
Unless something unexpected happens to players like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Grey, they will be a dominant force for years. There’s also the fact that they have Becky Hammon as head coach, who just seems to be a genius at strategizing.
There’s not a team in the WNBA right now that can consistently compete with them. The only real thing between them and a third straight championship is the month-long Olympic break.
Next: 5 worst injuries in Las Vegas sports in 2023