LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas has long been known as the entertainment capital of the world, and soon it may be the sports capital of the world as well. Las Vegas is rounding into a real sports city, after adding multiple major sporting events to the local sports schedule.
Today, the East-West Shrine Game, college football's oldest all-star game, announced it's leaving its longtime home in Florida. Instead, it will be played at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 3, 2022, just three days before the NFL hosts the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas at the same stadium.
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These games join an already long list of major sporting events set to be held at Allegiant Stadium, including WWE SummerSlam, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, and UNLV and Raiders games spanning 16 Saturdays and Sundays during football season.
Other major sporting events at valley venues include big fights, college basketball games, and the PBR World Finals, all taking place at T-Mobile Arena. The WNBA All-Star Game will be played at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay next Wednesday.
And don't forget about the NFL Draft, which is coming to Las Vegas in April, and should draw at least half a million fans to the city.
So, why has Las Vegas become such a hub for major sports events? The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is responsible for recruiting a lot of these events to Las Vegas. They say it's all good for the local economy.
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"There's no less than nine new events on the event calendar, starting in August through April of next year, and they will account for more than a million room nights for the destinations. Why go after sports? To drive the tourism, showcase Las Vegas in an international light, create economic opportunities for the locals for jobs, and for tourists," said Lisa Motley, the Senior Director of Sports Marketing & Special Events at the LVCVA.
The next big event in Las Vegas is UFC 246 this Friday at T-Mobile Arena, featuring a third fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
