Las Vegas is now Americas most exciting sport town
Las Vegas, a city once known for its underworld origins, blinding neon signs and 24/7 party vibes has become something else — an unanticipated epicenter of America’s sports world.The arrival of the NFL, Formula 1 racing, the National Hockey League, WNBA and soon, Major League Baseball has helped transform Sin City into Sports City – where fans can now watch the nation’s greatest pro athletes — while still finding time to place a few wagers.While New York City, Boston and Chicago are blessed with legendary sports teams and fan bases, the number of people booking trips to Vegas annually to see a live sporting event has tripled since 2022 to more than 2 million, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
“Fans will come to see their team play and then extend their stay and catch a concert, shop, dine or golf,” notes Steve Hill, the CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).Just last month, Formula 1 took over the Strip for the second edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a Saturday night race won by Mercedes’ George Russell.In February, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in a 25-22 overtime thriller at Allegiant Stadium to capture Super Bowl LVIII.
It was the first time the NFL’s signature game, annually the most watched televised event in the U.S., was held in Las Vegas.The game had an estimated economic impact of $1 billion in the area, according to tourism officials.Ticket resale giant StubHub says last February’s Super Bowl was the bestselling Super Bowl on the site since 2020.
The average ticket price was $8,400, with some seats selling for as much as $22,907.The 2023 Vegas Grand Prix “was StubHub’s bestselling F1 race of [2023] and was among the top 10 highest selling sporting events of the entire year globally in 2023,” says StubHub spokesperson Joseph Bocanegra. Few cities are as ideally suited to host big events like the Super Bowl and F1 like Vegas.
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