News Article: UNLV plans new $800 million stadium

Crimson1967

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UNLV might be going from one of the worst stadium setups in college football to perhaps the best, and that includes a lot of palaces for the sport.
UNLV's stadium proposal includes a 100-yard long video screen (take that, Jerry Jones and your puny 80-yard screen at Cowboys Stadium!) and could run a rumored $800 million, according to a report in the Las Vegas Sun. UNLV's stadium won't have any history when it's built, like some of the other famous stadiums in college football, but it'll be hard to match the glitz of it. It will be a stadium fitting of Las Vegas.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...m-plans-look-jerryworld-210739200--ncaaf.html

So now one of the worst football programs in the country will have the fanciest digs. We'll see if that helps draw bigger crowds.

Obviously, this is designed for more than just UNLV football, but could this be in play for future games in the playoff cycle? There used to be a Las Vegas Bowl, so the NCAA doesn't have a problem with having post season games there, though I think they have a ban on NCAA tournament games in Las Vegas. I doubt the NFL would ever go there.
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...m-plans-look-jerryworld-210739200--ncaaf.html

So now one of the worst football programs in the country will have the fanciest digs. We'll see if that helps draw bigger crowds.

Obviously, this is designed for more than just UNLV football, but could this be in play for future games in the playoff cycle? There used to be a Las Vegas Bowl, so the NCAA doesn't have a problem with having post season games there, though I think they have a ban on NCAA tournament games in Las Vegas. I doubt the NFL would ever go there.
Yeah... they definitely have other things past UNLV football in mind with this one. I can see Vegas bidding for the championship game in the playoff structure with this stadium. The Las Vegas Bowl is one thing, but it's a mere blip on the NCAA's radar. Something as prominent as the championship game, though, is entirely different.

Still... it's not the NCAA making the decision on the location so it'll be an interesting outcome.
 
my first reaction to this news is "Why?"...
As the article mentioned: To host other major events. A stadium like this can host things like major boxing fights. Venues like Cowboys Stadium are getting big fights at the expense of Las Vegas. Even if Mayweather/Pacquiao were to happen, it'd be such a huge fight that they'd have to look outside of Las Vegas to host it because they'd want to set attendance records.

Outside of the casino venues, all Las Vegas has is the outdated Thomas and Mack Center and UNLV's current football stadium.

Basically - a venue like this in a city like Las Vegas would be huge.
 

CrimsonSEC

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Who's paying for it...Steve Wynn?:aiwebs_019:




Yeah... they definitely have other things past UNLV football in mind with this one. I can see Vegas bidding for the championship game in the playoff structure with this stadium. The Las Vegas Bowl is one thing, but it's a mere blip on the NCAA's radar. Something as prominent as the championship game, though, is entirely different.

Still... it's not the NCAA making the decision on the location so it'll be an interesting outcome.
Won't the gambling aspect be a roadblock for large college venues in Vegas?
 

Ole Man Dan

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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...m-plans-look-jerryworld-210739200--ncaaf.html

So now one of the worst football programs in the country will have the fanciest digs. We'll see if that helps draw bigger crowds.

Obviously, this is designed for more than just UNLV football, but could this be in play for future games in the playoff cycle? There used to be a Las Vegas Bowl, so the NCAA doesn't have a problem with having post season games there, though I think they have a ban on NCAA tournament games in Las Vegas. I doubt the NFL would ever go there.
UNLV needs to save a little of that money and hire a top coach, hire top rated assistants, and spend money on recruiting nationwide, then they can fill their fancy stadium. Until football fever takes over, it's just a roll of the dice...
 

KrAzY3

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I think this does pose a kind of interesting question in terms of what direction college football stadiums are going. There's been a trend towards on campus stadiums, but those also move away from the notion of stadiums that can serve a multitude of uses. I remember the South Florida coach stating he didn't want to move to an on campus stadium, that he was happy with sharing stadium with the Bucs, and there's a logic to that. You can have your own nice little stadium, or you can have use of an NFL stadium for a lot less. Their attendance is quite strong for a program of their level (almost 45K), so it kind of flies in the face of a need for an on campus stadium.

This potential UNLV stadium is kind of ridiculous. They average 21,000 per game. Unless they start giving out tickets at the airport, I'm not sure how you would come close to filling that thing up, unless it doesn't have much seating to begin with.

I know there are other factors, but the on campus stadium thing sometimes seems to be driven by ego. For instance, UAB has a proposal for an expensive on campus stadium. Now, their attendance is lousy and I think the proposal should be no football program at all, but if one must be built, why not build it with more than UAB in mind? The city used to host some big football games, if it has a fitting location it should be able to do that again. The same thing came to mind when I heard South Alabama (once again, lousy attendance and probably shouldn't have a football program) is talking about their own on campus stadium as well. You know, because rent free from the city isn't good enough. But, the city hosts a bowl game and the Senior Bowl, why an on campus stadium (not like most students live on campus anyway)?
 
Won't the gambling aspect be a roadblock for large college venues in Vegas?
It'd be a roadblock for NCAA basketball games since the NCAA controls them directly. It'd be a bit different if Las Vegas were to bid on hosting the championship game for the football playoffs, though, since the NCAA doesn't have full control over that.

Again - this venue wouldn't just be for UNLV. As I mentioned, they'd be able to put major boxing and MMA fights in there as well.

In regards to the question about who is paying for it, check this quote from the Las Vegas Sun: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/11/unlv/

Snyder has talked with many of the major casino and hotel executives in town, and said he is confident the hospitality industry will help fund UNLV Now because the stadium would extend their ability to put more "heads in beds."
 
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B1GTide

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They will probably try to land a bowl game and/or one of the playoff games. They would be well attended in Vegas.
 

B1GTide

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The host sites for the semi-finals in the playoffs are basically set. The actual national championship game, though, can be bid on by any city. Las Vegas would jump at the opportunity if they had a suitable venue.
Yep - You would get many fans of teams not in the game to make the trip to Vegas.
 

RedStar

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UNLV needs to save a little of that money and hire a top coach, hire top rated assistants, and spend money on recruiting nationwide, then they can fill their fancy stadium. Until football fever takes over, it's just a roll of the dice...
It's not just UNLV funding this thing. They'll get casinos and other major investors onboard. UNLV stands to benefit in a major way. I see nothing but positives coming out of this.
 

Crimson1967

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While the NCAA doesn't control the new playoff system, they had to approve two teams playing an extra bowl game. So they might put out the word behind the scenes that Vegas need not apply for it.
 

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