Las Vegas is becoming a prime location for sports teams and events from around the country. It started with the Las Vegas Golden Knights coming as an NHL expansion team, and has cascaded into the Raiders now calling Sin City home. There are also the Las Vegas Aces, who arrived in 2019 and won their first championship in 2022. Fast forward to 2023, however, and the door seems wide open for more!
MLS Team could be far off for Las Vegas
MLS is probably going to be Las Vegas’s biggest long shot in terms of getting a team. That’s mostly due to Sin City recently getting passed up in favor of San Diego. Another big problem is the money it would cost to have an MLS team.
Golden Knights owner Bill Foley considered bringing an MLS team to Vegas but didn’t like the price. In fact, he instead opted to purchase an ownership stake in a foreign soccer team.
Las Vegas Athletics coming in 2024?
The Athletics are officially heading to Las Vegas, bringing another key sport to Sin City. While some details are still being hammered out, they could play in Las Vegas by 2024. Now, that doesn’t mean they will have the stadium built by then, but they could be playing in Sin City.
They are coming with a lot of controversy though, after holding negotiations with Oakland for two years. The organization also leveraged Las Vegas and their former city against each other for a better deal. That’s not exactly a great legacy, but the fans are going to be the ones to decide what to make of the Athletics.
The Formula 1 Street Race coming to Las Vegas this November
Las Vegas has always had a need for speed, and it’s growing. That’s why Formula 1 announced last year they will take to the Las Vegas Strip for a nighttime street race in November. s.
“What we’re excited about is the fact that it wraps itself around some of the most worldwide worldwide-recognized resorts here in our valley,” Terry Miller of Miller Project Management explained.
Fortunately for race fans hoping this will become permanent, Las Vegas has reportedly given Formula 1 permission to run the road course for the next three years.
A NASCAR street race in Las Vegas would be absolutely epic!
Formula 1 isn’t the one thinking about racing on the Strip. In fact, NASCAR is reportedly set to look at the success of the fall F1 race to decide if they should do the same. NASCAR is even trying this experiment out this season with a Chicago Street race in the summer.
The Cup, Xfinity, and Camping World Truck Series have all enhanced their schedules to bring in more road courses. Some racing fans are also calling for more, though, which is why the Vegas street race could be the next logical step.
“I think that would be something that everyone involved would at least have some interest in discussing,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO and President Steve Hill said when asked about the idea.
Related: Why sports teams are coming to Las Vegas in droves
Las Vegas could be home to an NBA team before too long
Las Vegas is an ideal location for an NBA team, and it may be coming soon.
The biggest hope is a $3 billion arena being built by Tim Leiweke. He hopes his new facility is enough to lure an NBA team to Vegas in an expansion move. However, no firm plans are in place. Lebron James could be a driving force in the deal, though. He has already expressed interest in Sin City having a team and could even go for an ownership stake.
“I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing,” James said of Vegas.
Next: 5 harsh realities Las Vegas sports fans should accept.
