For decades, Las Vegas has been a city renowned for baseball. The ongoing streak of Las Vegas teams will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2025. Additionally, next year will witness the comeback of Big League Weekend in Vegas.
Big League Weekend in Las Vegas returns
Although Las Vegas is known for its minor league baseball, it has hosted exhibition games known as Big League Weekend featuring major league teams. After a brief hiatus, MLB teams are set to return to Las Vegas for the event in 2025.
Don Logan, the president and COO of the minor league team, Las Vegas Aviators, stated:
We are thrilled to announce the return of Big League Weekend to Las Vegas Ballpark following a three-year hiatus, primarily caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other circumstances.
“We are thrilled to welcome our major league partners, the Oakland Athletics, as they prepare to face off against Cincinnati in a two-game series. Once again, the Las Vegas Ballpark will provide a superb atmosphere for Major League Baseball. This event promises a memorable experience for all fans, whether they are locals or tourists visiting during this period.”
Big League Weekend details
- What is Big League Weekend?
- Teams: Oakland A’s vs. Cincinnati Reds
- The event will commence at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5.
- Location: Las Vegas Ballpark, 1650 S. Pavilion Center Drive
- Pricing for tickets begins at $20. Reservations for seats can be made either by email at [email protected] or by calling 702-943-7200.
The Big League Weekend games used to frequently sell out before the last few years. In 2020, the A’s won against the Cleveland Indians twice, with audiences of 8,159 and 7,521 respectively. The demand might increase next year as eager baseball fans are keen to watch MLB teams. A lot of people in Las Vegas are excited about the A’s, considering the potential of the team relocating to their city.
Las Vegas A’s?
The Oakland A’s have been eager to relocate to a new stadium in Oakland. At present, there’s a significant proposal to potentially construct a Waterfront Ballpark District in Oakland.
A baseball stadium, costing $1 billion and seating 35,000 people, would constitute a minor segment of a larger $12 billion complex that would further encompass:
- Commercial development of up to 1.77 million square feet
- As many as 3,000 residential housing units
- A newly established hotel that has roughly 400 rooms.
- A new performance venue that can accommodate around 3,500 people.
As the team negotiates for this complex with Oakland, the A’s are also contemplating a move to Las Vegas. Should they choose to relocate to Las Vegas, it would involve a stadium on the Vegas Strip.
The A’s are currently considering two land parcels for their potential move to Las Vegas. The team’s leadership has scrutinized numerous possible stadium locations, including the Las Vegas Ballpark where its AAA team competes.
The team limited its choices to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, located across the street from Sahara Hotel and Casino, and a piece of land on the Tropicana site. This is a contributing factor to why Bally’s Corp. has not established a redevelopment plan for the property since it started operations.
The A’s are seeking public funding to help construct a new stadium. However, former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak had no plans to provide public funds for this project. The stance of the current Governor, Joe Lombardo, on this issue is yet to be known. It’s noteworthy that Sisolak was among the officials who backed the financing for Allegiant Stadium, facilitating the Oakland Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas.
Only time will reveal whether the public negotiations between the A’s and MLB will result in the team staying in Oakland or relocating to Las Vegas.
History of Vegas baseball
The Las Vegas Wranglers were the first professional sports team to play in Las Vegas, also known as Sin City.
Las Vegas experienced a lengthy period without baseball following the cessation of the Wranglers’ games in the early 1950s. However, the sport made a professional comeback in the city in 1983 with the advent of the Las Vegas Stars, who began competing in the Pacific Coast League (PCL).
Since the 1980s, the team has been consistently active. However, the minor league franchise has experienced various changes over the years, including different names, owners (such as Derek Stevens from Circa), and MLB affiliations.
The Aviators, who are the Oakland A’s AAA affiliate, currently reside in Sin City. They play their home games at the Las Vegas Ballpark.
It might be time for Las Vegas to get promoted to the majors, similar to how Stars, 51s, and Aviators players have been transferred to various MLB teams over the years.
Las Vegas Aviators’ quiet success story
In 2022, the Aviators topped the PCL in terms of home attendance. They welcomed a whopping 518,221 fans across 75 dates, averaging an attendance of 6,910 per game. Despite nearly every Aviators game being full, only 11 achieved sellout status.
Las Vegas Ballpark has been recognized by Ballpark Digest as the best AAA stadium for three out of the four years since its opening. Quite impressive.
Las Vegas has proven its ability to sustain a minor league baseball team. However, accommodating an MLB team with a larger stadium may be a challenging endeavor, even if the stadium is relatively small.
It is a significantly greater challenge to sell 35,000 tickets or more for 81 games than it is to sell 7,000 cheaper tickets for a smaller number of games.
Residents of Las Vegas are demonstrating significant local backing for the NHL’s Golden Knights. Although there are still fans visiting, it’s not exactly like the attendance at football games. At Raiders games, visiting fans make up anywhere between 30% and 50% of the audience.
Could Las Vegas be a suitable city for baseball? It’s possible.
Mostly local residents would attend Las Vegas A’s games. Although the city might be able to sustain another major league franchise, it would not be as simple as filling a stadium for a series of BTS concerts.
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