Over the summer, I wrote a couple of articles regarding the NFL and the NHL bringing teams to the city of Las Vegas. Since then, several things have taken place in the Sin City including a mass shooting. But I want to revisit the first article because I believe the first team has started to answer some of the questions and reservations I like so many others have about a team being in Vegas. Here’s the text of the article, Sin City:
For years, the professional sports leagues have avoided Las Vegas as a home for any of franchises. Now, the NHL introduced the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The NFL just approved the Oakland Raiders move to Vegas. And earlier today posted on the NBC Sports website was an article regarding a businessman, Dennis Hof, planning to open a brothel in honor of the Raiders.
So, what is the attraction to the golden desert town known as Sin City? Is it the legalized prostitution? Is it the legalized gambling and casinos? Is it the weather? Maybe, the question we should be considering is what are the drawbacks?
Most teams, especially coaches, and agents become concerned over distractions an athlete can face which could hurt their performance and marketability. Las Vegas is a city filled with those distractions . . . restaurants, brothels, casinos, wild parties, organized crime are all natural events in the Vegas.
But so are the opportunities to legitimize Vegas. With the exception of the crime, all of those events are legal in Vegas which allows the athlete the opportunity to avoid criminal activity he could face in other professional sports cities. But they are still distractions. Therefore, it will be up to those teams in Las Vegas to establish strong rules for their players to follow. And more importantly, it will be up to those teams to make sure to enforce those rules or lose control of their franchises quickly.
It may be wise for the Vegas teams to find athletes who are of strong character and even stronger discipline.
While there still are distractions in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights (NHL) has stepped up in many ways. When the city was reeling from the mass shooting, the Golden Knights visited the injured in hospitals, gave the city something to feel proud about and donated money. Speaking of giving the city something to be proud of, the Golden Knights have continued their work within the community with hospitals visits, marching in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade this past Monday, and posting a winning season in their inaugural year.
It is still early, but it looks like Vegas is taking advantage of their city’s positives and putting the distractions in their rightful place.
Source: William Corder #VegasStrong