When the world’s best Formula One drivers speed down the Strip this weekend, it will mark the latest step in the evolution of Las Vegas as an international sports city.
The transition from a city that no pro leagues would touch to a global sports destination has its roots in the 1950s, when Las Vegas began hosting major boxing matches that attracted fans and media from all over the world. In more recent years, Las Vegas has added NHL and NFL franchises with international appeal and hosted more international competitions, including soccer, rugby and now F1.
‘’Recent years have seen a perception shift from LV being seen as a party and gambling city where anything goes, to a more well-rounded destination,’’ Jason Doyle, sport management discipline advisor at Australia’s Griffith University, said in an email.
‘’It seems this has been a deliberate move and sport has played a central role in that. The entry of the (NHL’s) Golden Knights and later acquisition of the Raiders (of the NFL) have put Vegas on the map in this sense and lent credibility to the city’s new positioning.’’
It’s very clear this is a much different Las Vegas from the one half a century ago that relied almost exclusively on casino revenue and where resort operators offered prime rib at hamburger prices just to get customers in the door to gamble.
The first signs the area could become known for sporting events came in 1955 when boxing champion Archie Moore beat Nino Valdes by decision. The sport began to truly take off in Las Vegas in 1960, and over time the city became known as the Boxing Capital of the World. ‘’I think that was a real starting point for putting Las Vegas on the map,’’ said Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. ‘’It was a place where you could come and not only watch the match, but watch boxers train for a few weeks.
That excitement would build toward the match on the weekend.’’ Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard further helped raise the city’s profile but from a sports perspective it was limited largely to boxing and the UNLV basketball program under Jerry Tarkanian. The Rebels appeared in four Final Fours and won the 1990 national championship.
As the metropolitan population continued to grow, expanding to 1 million in the 1990s to around 2.3 million now, so did the idea of Las Vegas turning into a major sports city.
Now Las Vegas is home to three professional franchises. The Knights and the WNBA’s Aces have won three championships combined in the past 13 months. And on Thursday, Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas.
The arrival of Formula One puts an even bigger international stamp on Las Vegas since the sport is more popular globally, and that ties into the city’s strategy of attracting more visitors from abroad.
The city has nonstop flights to the United Kingdom, Germany and South Korea among other countries, but is constantly looking for ways to become even more attractive to foreign tourists.