Thanks to new investments in sports attractions like Allegiant Stadium and our efforts to bring the Raiders and Golden Knights to Nevada, it’s clear the Silver State is now the sports capital of the world.
As we continue building a more resilient economy, we’re ready to leverage every sports opportunity we can to support our efforts — from bringing more events to attracting more teams. We know that over 50% of our visitors will either add or extend a trip because of sporting events — that’s an estimated 23 million people spending more to boost our economy.
We’re moving urgently to seize the moment, because making Nevada the No. 1 destination for sports lovers is a win-win-win — everyone benefits from more teams, events and dollars into our economy.
We’re already ahead of the curve. This weekend alone, Nevada is hosting both the NHL All-Star Game and NFL Pro Bowl. We recently announced that the NFL Draft will be held here in April, and the Super Bowl is coming in February 2024, which makes us the first city ever to secure the draft, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. It’s not just about (American) football: The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final sold out Allegiant Stadium in 90 minutes.
Our progress shows Nevada is already leading the way on sports entertainment, with more room to grow.
Allegiant Stadium has gone above and beyond the expectations set out years ago, despite challenges posed by the pandemic. Since opening its doors, the stadium has hosted 24 events and welcomed more than 400,000 attendees — beating projections by 80%. That’s huge, and when the Super Bowl comes to Las Vegas, it could bring up to $1 billion in revenue to Southern Nevada.
Allegiant Stadium is also supporting our colleges and universities, which helps recruit new students, games and events to Nevada. It also hosted the high school football championship game.
Fans continue to fill T-Mobile Arena to cheer on the Vegas Golden Knights. Teams from Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball have made their interest in Nevada clear.
I’m also all-in on our Las Vegas Aces and had a chance last year to briefly tour Greater Nevada Field — home to our Reno Aces. The Las Vegas Aviators, meanwhile, play in the newest and most impressive venue in Triple-A baseball.
Las Vegas becomes the cowboy capital of the world in December, when the National Finals Rodeo comes to town. The 80,000-seat Las Vegas Speedway has races year-round, highlighted by the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 Weekend in March. Las Vegas also hosts both major golf tours. The PGA’s Shriner’s Children’s Open happens at TPC Summerlin, and the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play is an annual event at Shadow Creek Golf Course. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Formula One leaders about the possibility of hosting events here.
Bringing more sporting events to Nevada is one of my biggest priorities — and it’s not just because I like a good game. These events help keep our economy humming — by filling our hotel rooms, keeping our restaurants full, creating good-paying jobs for Nevadans, and injecting dollars into our economy.
Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena and the Las Vegas Ballpark have all enhanced our sports and entertainment experiences in Southern Nevada. Not only can we host events that we couldn’t before in these beautiful new venues, but we also don’t take a back seat to any other city.
I won’t stop pushing to bring more events — and jobs — to Nevada. If it means we all get to enjoy a great game too, so be it. I’ll always be cheering for the home team.
Steve Sisolak is the 30th governor of the state of Nevada.