LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — From Friday through Sunday, major sporting events have been slated to dominate Las Vegas for yet another weekend, seeing thousands of fans pour into the city still trying to recover from the pandemic's devastating economic effects.
The weekend began with a disappointing finish for the Las Vegas Aces as they were knocked out of the WNBA semi-finals with a loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
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The eyes of the boxing world will turn to T-Mobile Arena Saturday for the trilogy title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
The fight had been delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus, but Wilder will finally get the chance to avenge his only professional loss against Fury.
Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders will have the chance to bounce back from their first loss of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers when they welcome the Chicago Bears to Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill said the sporting events are bringing people to Las Vegas in what has historically been slow tourism periods of the year.
"We, four or five years ago, put together 'Ultimate Sports Weekends,' which this event was a part of," he said. "Now, we don't even have to label every weekend an ultimate sports weekend because every weekend here seems like an ultimate sports weekend. "
The PGA tour is also bringing professional golfers to TPC in Summerlin for the Shriners Children's Open all weekend.
Applied Analysis Principal Analyst Jeremy Aguero said the shift towards sports in Las Vegas could transform the economy post-pandemic.
He said the economy hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, and it would take the full return of large-scale conventions and international travel to bring the economy back to full strength.
