Mar 31, 2022 - Sports
Las Vegas rapidly turning into sports hub
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Sin City is rapidly becoming a sports town, with two announcements on Wednesday adding to the momentum.
F1 returns: The Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place on a Saturday night next November, joining Miami and Austin as the third race in the U.S.
- The 3.8-mile track along the Vegas Strip will have three main straights and 14 corners, with top speeds estimated to reach 212+ mph.
- This is the first time Vegas has hosted F1 since 1981 and 1982, when races were held in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
NBA buzz: The Oak View Group has purchased 25 acres just south of the Strip, with plans to build a 20,000-seat arena, hotel and casino and help turn Las Vegas into the "sports capital of the world."
- The NBA is reportedly looking to expand to Sin City, and Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke says the arena "will be NBA-ready."
- Oak View has built state-of-the-art arenas in Seattle (Climate Pledge Arena), New York (UBS Arena) and Austin (Moody Center).
The big picture: In the past five years, Las Vegas has added teams in the NFL (Raiders in 2020), NHL (Golden Knights in 2017) and WNBA (Aces in 2018), and an MLS club is reportedly on the way.
- In February, it became the first city to host two All-Star Games at the same time (NFL and NHL) and is the site for annual events like NBA Summer League.
- The Athletics have flirted with Vegas for a year, while continuing to negotiate for a new waterfront ballpark in Oakland.
