It's pool season and everyone is having a good time.
The Golden Knights dipped their, uhhh, skates, in the water and went in first. Then, when the NFL realized that the water was warm enough, they allowed the Raiders to Cannonball right in. Soon after, the 51s decided to get a makeover and bring a bunch of drinks, hotdogs, and new toys to the party. They look great, clearly they've been working out. What's their number?
The Golden Knights are having so much fun that they texted their buddies at Major League Soccer and invited them over as well. And now all the noise is attracting the neighborhood, and we hear that maybe Major League Baseball wants to come play, too.
Las Vegas sure is popular these days.
(Knights fans celebrating. Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Weekly)
There's a problem, though. Las Vegas' pool isn't really that big.
It is certainly great to see Las Vegas take to professional sports in a way that us longtime residents never thought it would. The Golden Knights have been a smashing success both on and off the ice, and nobody thought that would be the case even 10 years ago.
This doesn't mean that we can safely support a team from every sport that exists. Stop pretending that we can.
The NFL barreling into town comes with slightly less hoopla than the Knights did, but they still fit in well. The stadium being built for them is something that the community needed, and in America, football is king. Plus, it's just ten days a year. There's room for them, as long as their notoriously unruly friends/fans don't pee in the pool or something.
But who are we kidding? Sin City is not a five plus team sports town, and pretending that we are could lead to some serious embarrassment.
Let's pump the brakes a bit, shall we? The valley's love for hockey is legit, yes, but we are just two years in, and the Knights are still the shiny new thing in town. What happens when they aren't? If any city should know about shiny new things losing their shine, this is one of them.
It is inevitable that Vegas' beloved hockey squad will go through some rough times. Hopefully this doesn't happen anytime soon, but it will happen. And we know just what it will look like when it does.
When your UNLV Rebels were good, this town had Scarlet & Grey fever. But when they aren't good, they can't draw pictures in their own building. It's one of the reasons Marvin Menzies is out of a job. Vegas couldn't be bothered to Pack the Mack when the Rebel's cards were down this past season. Do you really think the Fortress will be any different? T-Mobile Arena is already a magnet for the opposition's fanbases, which might be fine (sometimes) because of the city we live in. It's concerning nonetheless.
And now you want 81 more baseball games on top of this? And we haven't even yet mentioned the Aces, who couldn't make this party. They had to work. Oh, and don't forget the inevitable clamoring for an NBA team. There were already whispers in New Orleans about a move to our town last season.
Yes, Major League Baseball is potentially interested in future expansion to our fair city. According to the Review-Journal, The City of Henderson tried to woo the Arizona DIamondbacks to town. Some other rumors point to a ballpark built on the land that the Rio currently sits on. Other rumors say we are getting a park near the M Resort. Hell, why not Town Square? Nah, actually, let's put them near Aliante. There's room in that Smith's parking lot. Why not?
Who do we think we are? When the Golden Knights aren't the life of the party anymore, and there's more competition for our love, what will the hunger for sports in Las Vegas look like?
Golden Knights games currently have one of the best atmospheres in hockey. It's who we are. But while those games were going on, the Runnin' Rebels were promptly forgotten about. They were those hot dogs are the pool party that were cooked a few hours ago, and now the flies have gotten to them. That's who we are as well.
At the moment, this party is a blast. Everyone's having a great time, but it seems everyone is also a little drunk at the moment. We can't keep inviting people to the party. Someone will act stupid, we get into trouble, and suddenly we can't have any more parties.
Remember that before we invite more people over.
(EDIT 9/6 - new picture, new title, added links to sources, as well as fixed formatting errors)
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