Las Vegas is known for its constant changes in hotels, casinos, theaters, and restaurants, but the landscape has shifted even more recently with professional Sports teams joining the city. The Golden Knights of the National Hockey League started in 2017, followed by the Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2018. The National Football League’s Raiders then arrived from Oakland in 2020, and Major League Baseball’s Athletics are moving to Las Vegas. The National Basketball Association also intends to add a team soon.
The expansion into professional sports reflects the influence of tourism and Las Vegas’s dependence on this industry. A coalition led by top resort operators helped secure lucrative subsidies to construct new stadiums with the hope of attracting out-of-town visitors. Economically, the effort is paying off, as evidenced by the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII to be hosted at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders. Not everyone is a fan of this strategy, however, with criticism directed at the state’s funding of social services, especially in the public school system. A group of Nevada teachers have sued the state and the governor in an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of a law that was passed to financially assist Major League Baseball team, the A’s, in building a stadium.
Steve Hill, the president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, has been instrumental in bringing the teams to the city and diversifying the economy. He has faced criticism for potentially using his influence to push through deals that favor the Business community over residents. Despite economists warning that publicly funded stadiums do not pay for themselves, Hill claims that benefits to the stadium are different due to the majority of the subsidies being financed by out-of-towners’ taxes.
The concerns about using public money for stadiums are present in the county and state’s focus on funding other social services, such as education. Nevada is among the nation’s lowest spenders on class size and spending per student, contributing to the widespread teacher vacancies and a shortage of resources in schools. The significant impact of the A’s funding lawsuit remains to be seen, but it sheds light on the ongoing debate about how public money is invested in Las Vegas.
