Exterior photo of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Home of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Image Credit: Prayitno/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

T-Mobile Arena is a brand new $375 million multi-purpose arena on the Las Vegas Strip. It is also home to the 31st and newest expansion NHL team. If you're like me, you've always been skeptical of the idea that Sin City could lure a professional sports franchise. There's no way team owners and investors will go for it. Too many outside entities would want a piece of the action. The city has too many transplanted residents for there to be loyal and dedicated season ticket base. The city doesn't have the population. You don't want the ugly underbelly of the gambling world to have close access to professional athletes. There were just too many indicators that professional sports in Las Vegas just couldn't work out. It appears I was wrong; at least for now. 

The arena operates under a joint venture between Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and MGM Resorts International. The three entities did not disclose the terms and dollar amounts of the agreement but inside sources indicated that the deal will run for 10 years and in the neighborhood of $6 million per year. Both Harrah's Entertainment and Caesar's Entertainment had expressed an interest in bringing professional sports to Las Vegas in years past as well. The naming rights deal was the first for the cellular communications company. T-Mobile competitor's AT&T, Sprint and Verizon have purchased naming rights to the Sprint Center in Kansas City, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the AT&T Center in San Antonio and the Verizon Center in Washington, DC in years past.

The grand opening of the arena took place on April 6th, 2016. It hosted a boxing match in May, 2016 with the first supreme event coming in July, 2016 for UFC 200. The arena has a capacity of 20,000 for most events but will seat 17,500 for it's NHL games. More than 14,000 season ticket deposits were placed in order to secure regular seating for the 2017 NHL season. All 42 luxury suites at T-Mobile Arena have been purchased by various entities and corporations. Season tickets for the remaining club and private seating are limited. A brand new arena on the Las Vegas strip just makes sense. With all of the mainstream sports, concerts and entertainment that come to Vegas, the city needed a state of the art arena to host it all. The arena will also help bring new businesses to the site via a new development project called "The Park" which will feature retail shops and restaurants. 

What nickname will Las Vegas' NHL team adopt? I must say, the name "Las Vegas Aces" has a nice ring to it. 

 

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