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Afternoon Edition

December 6, 2024

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How far can Las Vegas push its pro sports ambitions? Two massive projects are about to put that question to the test, and we’re breaking down both.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Las Vegas Doubles Down on Sports With $1.75B Ballpark and NBA Arena [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The pro sports ambitions of Las Vegas, already one of the fastest-growing markets in the industry, took two major steps forward this week with key administrative approvals of both the planned $1.75 billion ballpark for the A’s and a new, NBA-ready arena.

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority, as expected, approved three key agreements related to the A’s stadium along the famed Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, including a 30-year lease, non-agreement pacts, and a separate development covenant. The moves closely followed certifications [[link removed]] from both A’s owner John Fisher and two major financial institutions that nearly $1.4 billion in private funding for the facility will not be a problem, even with increased construction costs, and the ballpark remains on track for a scheduled 2028 opening.

“Today’s a real milestone,” said stadium authority chair Steve Hill. “I think we should recognize and celebrate that.”

Those moves arrived a day after the Clark County (Nev.) Zoning Commission unanimously approved several key components for a project known as LVXP that would include an 18,000-seat, NBA-ready arena, along with a casino and high-rise development with more than 2,300 hotel rooms and about 260 condominiums. The NBA continues to take a methodical approach to potential expansion [[link removed]], but once that happens, as expected, Las Vegas is likely at or near the top of the list of candidates [[link removed]].

LVXP is located at the north end of the Strip, and it is poised to be one of as many as three potential locations for an NBA team in Las Vegas. Oak View Group has also long sought to develop a somewhat similar resort-arena project [[link removed]]. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, meanwhile, has called building a new arena for an NBA team a “waste of time,” [[link removed]] and instead wants to advance a $300 million plan to upgrade T-Mobile Arena, the hockey team’s existing home, for regular basketball use. That venue is already the site [[link removed]] of the semifinals and final of the Emirates NBA Cup.

Bigger Test

Regardless of the final arena location, the forthcoming presence of MLB, and likely the NBA, in Las Vegas presents a new and much larger test of the market’s sports capacity, despite its continued population growth [[link removed]] in recent years to about three million across the metro area.

The team’s existing major pro teams—the NHL’s Golden Knights, NFL’s Raiders, and WNBA’s Aces—each have advantages that likely won’t apply to the baseball and men’s basketball franchises, at least not initially.

The Golden Knights were successful from their inception, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their first year and winning the title in their sixth while featuring an in-game fan experience unlike anything else in the league. The Raiders enjoy heavy attendance from visiting, out-of-town fans, driven in no small part by a schedule concentrated on weekends in a major tourist locale. The Aces have also been a massive hit since relocating from San Antonio in 2018, winning two titles, reaching a third WNBA Finals, and acting as a key business driver across that league.

The A’s, meanwhile, are a long-struggling team [[link removed]], on and off the field, and could still be upon arriving in Las Vegas in three years. The star-driven nature of the NBA also will likely preclude an expansion franchise from being an immediate postseason force.

SPONSORED BY TICKPICK

New Rivalry Has High Stakes—and Price

No. 2 Texas has held its own—and then some—since moving from the Big 12 to the SEC this season. Georgia, which won two of the last three national championships, has looked mortal this season and enters the SEC title game [[link removed]] at No. 5. When they met in Austin in October, the Bulldogs won 30–15. But the Longhorns have their best team in a decade, and are looking to capitalize on Saturday.

According to TickPick [[link removed]], the $700 average purchase price makes Texas-Georgia the most expensive conference championship game of the season and the third-most-expensive SEC championship game on record.

Meanwhile, the current get-in price of $252 is a whopping 1,580% more expensive than the current get-in price of the Big Ten championship [[link removed]] game ($15).

For more ticketing trends and insights, check out our Big Ticket Trend Report [[link removed]], presented by TickPick, and get $15 off your first purchase [[link removed]] of $99+ with code FOS15.

NHL Winter Classic Shifts to New Year’s Eve Seeking Viewership Boost [[link removed]]

NHL

CHICAGO — The NHL’s Winter Classic is returning to Wrigley Field, but this year’s event still features a massive change.

The Winter Classic, an outdoor regular-season hockey game held in baseball or football stadiums, normally takes place on New Year’s Day. The 2024 matchup between the Blackhawks and Blues will be played on Dec. 31 for the first time. The NHL says they made the change due to competition from college football and its expanded Playoff format [[link removed]].

“With so much going on with so many sports, you have to keep an open mind,” NHL president for content and events Steve Mayer told Front Office Sports following a press event in Chicago. “We looked at a bunch of alternatives, but I think we just kept on coming back to New Year’s Eve. … When [the Winter Classic] started out, it was just Bowl games. Then it became the College Football Playoff, which definitely changes your competition. The intention was to do something that was very unique on our day.”

Jan. 1 is traditionally the date of the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. With the new college football quarterfinal debuting this season, New Year’s Day will have three CFP games, including the Peach Bowl. There is one quarterfinal on Dec. 31, but it starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. The late-afternoon time slot is clear for the Winter Classic: The puck drops at 5 p.m. ET.

Last year’s game, which featured the Kraken and Golden Knights—the league’s two newest franchises—averaged 1.1 million viewers on TNT and truTV, an all-time low for the event that started in 2008. NBC, which held the rights until 2022, reached at least two million viewers on NBC every year except 2020—and saw a high of 4.5 million viewers in 2011. But the Winter Classic hasn’t had the same success since its move to cable television, as the event has yet to breach two million viewers since Warner Bros. Discovery acquired the rights.

According to Mayer, the NHL and WBD have been in discussions for several years about the schedule change, and WBD is “thrilled” about the decision to move to New Year’s Eve. He told FOS that both parties will be flexible with changing the date in the future, but it’s likely they’ll stick with Dec. 31 for the foreseeable future.

“I think we’ve always had an open mind to it, but I think we’re probably O.K. with the 31st for a little bit,” Mayer said.

While the date change may bring more eyeballs to the event, there is also a question about whether fans will be interested in watching the matchup between the Blues and Blackhawks. The two teams are currently out of the playoff picture—and Chicago, despite sporting young star Connor Bedard [[link removed]], has the worst record in the NHL.

WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED Not Rollin’ With the Tide

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In Wednesday’s newsletter, we asked readers [[link removed]] to share their thoughts on the latest College Football Playoff rankings, with the best response earning FOS merch [[link removed]] and a shout-out in today’s edition. And we have our winner.

“What an absolute load of CRAP! Alabama getting in with 3 losses. To only score 3 points vs OU, a clearly weak Inferior team this year. NO 3 LOSS TEAMS deserve to be in.

“Miami may have not beat a top ranked opponent but no one expected Fl State, Florida & Louisville on their schedule to be as weak as they were this year. Aren’t these schedules made far in advance? How do you even determine whose is going to be great one year & lousy the next? (Especially now with NIL & players committing back & forth!)

“If BAMA got in with 3 losses & no other team had 3, they’d probably get in with 4! It’s the logo on the helmet & the politicking of former coaches/players working at espn & other sport networks. That & recent prior year performances.”

—Keith Fritch, Ocala, Fla.

ONE BIG FIG Steel City Scores

Jason Bridge-Imagn Images

$3.4 million

The amount for upgrades to Pittsburgh’s Point State Park that’s been authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, with those improvements aimed in large part at the 2026 NFL draft, which is being held in the city [[link removed]]. The park, marking the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers to form the Ohio River, is a focal point in Pittsburgh, and will be a centerpiece for the NFL as the draft has become an even bigger fixture in the football calendar. This year’s event in Detroit drew a record crowd of 775,000 [[link removed]], and a similar turnout is expected in the Steel City, with Steelers owner Art Rooney II projecting it to be the “largest visitor event in the history of Pittsburgh.”

STATUS REPORT One Up, Two Down, One Push

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

LaVar Ball ⬇ Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball told ESPN that the shoes his father made him wear early in his career under Big Baller Brand may have contributed to the serious knee injuries he’s suffered. “They were like kickball shoes,” Ball said [[link removed]]. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft returned to action in October after more than two and a half years sidelined due to a knee injury but has played in only six games.

Red Bull ⬆⬇ Sergio Pérez, the Formula One team’s driver who will reportedly be let go after this season [[link removed]], said the team should bear some of the blame for his performance. “Of course, I take responsibility but also I don’t feel it’s fully all down to one person. I’m obviously part of a big organization, a big team and it’s very unfortunate that we did not fight any harder for the constructors,” Pérez said ahead of Sunday’s race in Abu Dhabi. Pérez trails his teammate Max Verstappen—who clinched the drivers’ championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix—by 277 points, which is why Red Bull will likely finish third in the constructors’ championship.

Chicago sports ⬇ The Blackhawks fired head coach Luke Richardson on Thursday following an 8-16-2 start to the season. Dating back to Oct. 10, 2023, when the NWSL’s Red Stars parted ways with Chris Petrucelli, nearly every major professional sports team in the city has made a head coaching change. The list includes the Cubs (David Ross), White Sox (Pedro Grifol), Fire (Frank Klopas, who moved to the team’s VP of football), Sky (Teresa Weatherspoon), and the Bears (Matt Eberflus). Only Billy Donovan of the 10–13 Bulls has not been axed.

Resilience Capital Partners ⬆ The private equity firm has agreed to buy English soccer club Sheffield United [[link removed]], according to Bloomberg. The club competes in the EFL Championship after being relegated from the Premier League last season. While the financial details were not disclosed, the deal is another sign of the growing interest of U.S. firms [[link removed]] to acquire professional soccer clubs across the pond.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Festive Gifts for Every Sports Fan

The Front Office Sports Holiday Gift Guide [[link removed]] is back, featuring an exclusive lineup of athlete-owned, represented, and partnered brands that sports fans will love.

This year’s guide showcases standout products from icons and innovators [[link removed]] like Suni Lee, Caitlin Clark, Leslie Osborne, Lewis Hamilton, and Ilona Maher, alongside top brands like LoveShackFancy, Wilson, and Maybelline. Whether you’re shopping for your stylish Secret Santa pick, your fitness-loving wellness guru, your corporate athlete colleague, or the ultimate sports enthusiast, we’ve got the perfect picks to make their season.

Win the gifting game and shop [[link removed]] the FOS Holiday Gift Guide now.

Conversation Starters Jimmy Butler’s coffee brand, BigFace, opened its first brick-and-mortar location. Take a look [[link removed]]. ESPN announced Randy Moss will step away from Sunday NFL Countdown to focus on his health. During the Dec. 1 broadcast, he said he and his family are “battling something internally.” [[link removed]] The Dodgers are set to shell out more than $1 billion in deferred money in the coming years. Check out [[link removed]] the list of payouts. Editors’ Picks NBA Set for China Return Five Years After Morey–Hong Kong Fiasco [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Nets and Suns will play two games in Macao in October 2025. Netflix Eyes Drew Brees, Scott Hanson for NFL Christmas Games [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Brees had an unsuccessful NBC broadcast stint, but is attempting a comeback. Unrivaled Gives Flau’jae Johnson Equity in Second College Deal [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The LSU star and rapper joins Paige Bueckers as NIL signings. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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