Gallery: The Insane, $1.6 Billion Las Vegas Stadium Plan
01las-vegas-national-sports-center
If one group of deep-pocketed investors has its way, downtown Las Vegas will soon be home to three shiny new stadiums that could accommodate sports ranging from baseball to basketball to hockey. The cost? A mere $1.575 billion. Led by developer Chris Milam, the group is optimistic that, if all the pieces fall into place, it can break ground on the spot — located near where Interstate 15 and US Route 95 meet — sometime this fall. First, however, the investors have to fend off of a competing plan to build a [40,000-seat football stadium](http://www.8newsnow.com/story/13948357/details-of-new-stadium-project-released) to host UNLV sports. The [official proposal](http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/pdfs/blogs/documents/2011/02/07/LVNSC_Regents_Executive_Summary.pdf) (.pdf) for the multi-facility Las Vegas National Sports Center dismisses the proposed [UNLV Now](http://www.unlvnow.com/) stadium as "a single 40,000 fixed seat venue that is appropriate in size only for collegiate football. There is no professional sports franchise which can use a building of this size. Consequently, the UNLV Now building will have little potential to generate meaningful revenue to offset its cost." So a battle looms for Las Vegas stadium supremacy. But what might city residents look forward to if this three-building proposal ever comes to fruition?
02looking-ahead
Looking Ahead ------------- Of course, the construction of three pristine new stadiums would be big news for any major city looking to revitalize its downtown with sweet new digs for professional sports teams. Las Vegas, however, is different for a couple of reasons. First, *it's Las Vegas*. So it's not like the downtown area is exactly clamoring for more economic activity, as long as the slot machine handles don't fall off en masse. Second, Las Vegas *doesn't have any* professional sports teams. So the investors would be building on spec, with no guarantee that teams will come to the city if they do.
03courting-tenants
Courting Tenants ---------------- At this point, the official proposal for the stadium-arena-ballpark trifecta lists prospective tenants as coming from the NBA, Major League Soccer and AAA minor league baseball. (And that $1.575 billion price tag accounts for more than $500 million that would be used to purchase one or more teams.) Attracting an NBA franchise isn't as far-fetched as it sounds, because the league did [host its All-Star Game](http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/) there in 2007, and teams like the New Orleans Hornets are on the [verge of being sold](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-20/nba-completes-purchase-of-new-orleans-hornets-1st-league-owned-franchise.html) to new ownership groups. MLB seems like more of a long shot, as the stadium will be built to accommodate 9,000 fans for minor league games. But it could be expanded to 36,000, if a pro franchise relocates to the city.
04the-football-dream
The Football Dream ------------------ Obviously, above all else, Las Vegas would love to land a professional football team. That's where the biggest revenue stream awaits, but that's (somewhat ironically) what makes the NFL so skittish about coming to Sin City. The Super Bowl, as we just witnessed when the Packers knocked off the Steelers in early February, is huge business for gamblers, and putting an NFL franchise in Las Vegas — or even the Super Bowl itself — could potentially create a host of ethical questions that the NFL would frankly not even consider right now, what with its attention on an impending sport-crippling lockout. As it stands now, a Major League Soccer franchise, for which the stadium could seat 25,000 fans comfortably, is far and away the most likely tenant to play at the stadium.
05not-if-but-when
Not If, But When ---------------- Professional sports won't be able to stay out of Las Vegas forever, and [Mayor Oscar Goodman has expressed his support](http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/apr/08/mayor-new-sports-arena-should-be-downtown-las-vega/) for a downtown stadium to attract some franchise looking for a fresh start. If the three-structure proposal does indeed break ground this fall, the development group thinks it can be finished by October 2013, if there are no further hiccups. Now, all Las Vegas needs is a professional sports team -- or maybe two or three -- and we're good to go.
