NFR Could Find A Home In Las Vegas A’s Stadium
The Oakland Athletics are moving to Las Vegas. Maybe. If they can get $500,000,000 in public money. After passing up land for $1. But we digress. The big question is whether the Las Vegas A’s new stadium would put enough butts in seats to make financial sense.
According to a new article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a massive yearly event could find a great home inside the yet to be built (or funded) Las Vegas A’s stadium: National Finals Rodeo.
Why do NFR at Las Vegas A’s Stadium? It’s going fine…
We already know by the departure of the Pro Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals event that nothing is forever. The event left Las Vegas due in part to COVID-19 restrictions, and found a good home in Texas.
Why does that matter? The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association who put on the National Finals Rodeo have an agreement to stay in Las Vegas through 2025. At which point, all bets are off. So what could be done to razzle dazzle the NFR into staying? How about a new 35,000 seat venue to replace the Thomas & Mack Center’s 16,672 seats?
The article goes on to say that Las Vegas Events president Tim Keener believes the NFR is happy in Vegas… which is great. But a nearly $200,000,000 economic impact is nothing to gamble with. Vegas wants to make sure to keep the horses in our barn.
All that being said, public financing is still not secured for the Las Vegas A’s new stadium. The former Wild Wild West land at Tropicana and Dean Martin may have a new stadium on it four years from now… or it’ll suffer the same fate as the All Net Arena.
