For those of you in Las Vegas who have wanted a professional sports team for years, you finally got your wish – twice.

That’s right, 2017 will be a historic year for the city in the desert as the NHL announced in 2016 that its newest expansion franchise would set up camp in Las Vegas.
The team, which announced its name, logo, and colors in November, will play in T-Mobile Arena right on the Vegas Strip and be in the Pacific Division in the NHL’s Western Conference starting next season. The team will wear steel grey, gold, red and black and be called the Vegas Golden Knights.
The introduction of the city’s first professional team was met with strong approval by residents and league followers as many feel that it is about time the city, which has grown exponentially over the last 20-plus years, has a team to call its own. However, the Golden Knights, it turns out, won’t be the city’s only professional team, as the NFL announced in March that the Oakland Raiders are expected to move to Las Vegas for the 2019 season.

So why, after all of this time, have two major sports leagues decided that it is time for Las Vegas to have a team? While there are many reasons why professional leagues have avoided Las Vegas – most notably the gambling issue – one other primary reason, according to Greg Depersio’s article “Why Professional Sports Hasn’t Worked in Las Vegas,” is the odd hours that the city keeps. Depersio notes that “the entertainment industry employs a large percentage of workers in Las Vegas, and this translates to a lot of shift work, weekend work and unpredictable hours.” Depersio’s point is that leagues schedule games at optimal times for people who work what many consider “regular” jobs, which is not the norm in Las Vegas.

Depersio also notes that “Las Vegas also features myriad entertainment options that may provide pro teams with too much competition for locals’ leisure time and discretionary spending.” Add to this the fact that the city has casinos, clubs and other significant nightlife, and you understand why the city has not been on the top of the expansion or relocation list of pro leagues.
However, according to experts, times have changed in Las Vegas and the positives now outweigh the negatives. In his article “What’s The Big Deal with a Pro Sports Team in Las Vegas?” Darren Heitner notes that economics are the key to these moves. He writes, “The new arena…says that it would generate $900 million per year for the local economy.” Heitner adds that the city claims to be willing to build a $1.3 billion stadium that will seat around 65,000 people.

So, will pro sports work in Las Vegas? On the pro side of this argument is Austin Jones, whose article “Pros and Cons of Raiders Moving to Las Vegas” details some of the positives of the debate. Jones remarks that, while Vegas is a small media market, it draws millions of tourists monthly. As for the small market and success, Jones notes that there are four markets that are smaller – Green Bay, New Orleans, Buffalo, and Jacksonville – and one of those teams, Green Bay, is a consistent winner. Jones also notes that the athletes themselves are a pro for the city as these are young men in most cases who are making millions of dollars, which they will spend in the city, and increase its profile.

On the negative – con – side of the argument is the most obvious detail and one that has kept Vegas out of professional sports for years: gambling. According Sean Whaley of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in the 2016 fiscal year, the state of Nevada brought in a total of 11.1 billion dollars with Las Vegas accounting for nearly half of that total. This revenue is good for the city and good for teams like the Golden Knights and Raiders, but it leaves players and coaches vulnerable, as gambling is an absolute no-no in professional sports.

The most famous situation with gambling is former baseball great Pete Rose, who was caught gambling on his own team’s games when he was a manager. This gambling cost Rose a spot in the Hall of Fame, though there has been a lot of support for him over the years. The truth is, like with Rose, you gamble on sports as a professional athlete, manager, or coach and you will find yourself out of a job, out of the league, and out of history.

Another issue to think of is that Vegas has a significant nightlife, which means a lot of drinking and partying. Vegas could be a dangerous place if you are a young player for the local team or just a player coming into town on the visiting team. The expression “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” exists for a reason.

Ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons regarding Las Vegas having professional sports teams, as the area’s growth and fiscal support outweigh the negatives that could exist.