The Las Vegas Aces make history again, the Raiders get criticized, and the Athletics mess up their logo. All this and more last week in Las Vegas sports (May 12 – 19).
#6 Kyle Busch gets into a brawl with Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Tempers flared during the NASCAR All-star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and this time, it was Las Vegas native Kyle Busch getting sucker punched in the face. The incident stemmed from a lap two altercation that saw Busch seemingly ride Ricky Stenhouse Jr into the wall. This put Stenhouse Jr out of the race early, which he couldn’t have been pleased about. Buch and Stenhouse were later seen talking it out near the haulers after the race, and Stenhouse was visibly angry.
Busch kept giving nonchalant answers and shrugging off their incident, making Stenhouse incensed. Stenhouse finally cracked and threw a sucker punch, starting a brawl between the two teams.
#5 Las Vegas Aces improve to 2-0
The Las Vegas Aces are now 2-0 after a back-and-forth matchup against the Sparks on Sunday. Despite being down by two in the first quarter, the Aces came back to outscore the Sparks by 11 in the second. They continued that lead in the third quarter by outsourcing the Sparks again 29-26. The Sparks tried to even things up before the game ended but fell well short of handing the Aces their first loss.
A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young led the way with a combined 44 points, 12 assists, and 16 rebounds. Kelsey Plum contributed 17 points, five assists, and one rebound.
#4 Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason moves ranked among the worst in the NFL
Antonio Pierce promised Las Vegas Raiders fans the greatest show on turf in 2024 but might fall short, given how the preseason has panned out. Things started with the Raiders spending $25 million on Gardner Minshew to compete for the starting job. This includes a $15 million guarantee, which seems like a ridiculous decision for unproven talent.
Las Vegas then drafted Brock Bowers as the 13th overall pick and signed him to a $18.1 million contract. What makes the situation worse is that the Raiders were expected to get a quarterback in the draft but settled for a tight end.
“incumbent Aidan O’Connell—who was thrust into the lineup as a fourth-round rookie last year—and Minshew are now set to compete for the starting job in training camp. That uninspiring battle likely won’t result in many wins regardless of who claims the job,” Alex Kay of Bleacher Report told fans during his show.
#3 Group helping bring the Athletics to Las Vegas make a big mistake
While the Athletics are still years away from Las Vegas, they continue to be a hot-button topic. Last week was no different.
The Southern Nevada Trade Union released a video celebrating the partnership, but one detail stole the show. Unfortunately, that detail was the use of the wrong logo. The promotional video posted on social media shows the Atlanta Braves logo instead of the Athletics’ during a ten-second B-roll spot.
Of course, this isn’t the end of the world, but it is a nice example of the Athletics’ sloppy history.
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#2 Aces become the first team in WNBA history to sell out 15 of 20 home games
The Las Vegas Aces keep breaking barrier after barrier and destroyed another one last week. This time, the Aces have sold out 15 of their 20 home games for the 2024 season, making them the first team to do so. Las Vegas already became the first team to sell out of season tickets last month in what continues to be a boom of interest around the team.
#1 Las Vegas Raiders’ 2024-2025 schedule revealed
A Showdown against the Chargers awaits the Raiders in week one, and it doesn’t get better. This news comes after the NFL released the Raiders’ schedule. For example, week one against the Chargers will be difficult enough with the current quarterback situation, and things only get worse next week when they take on the Ravens in a morning game.
The Raiders then play their first home game against the Panthers. Cleveland is next, followed by a meeting with the Broncos at Mile High. These are going to be challenging games that test this new team. The deck seems stacked against them.
The only positive is their final stretch of the season might help them in a playoff run. They are against some of the lesser teams in the league. This might present the opportunity to make up a few losses and earn a wild card spot.
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