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State of Play is a column that focuses on the trending stories in the casino and gambling space with sharp and clever insight from senior staff writer Steve Friess. Over his 25-year career, Friess has contributed to publications such as Newsweek, Time, New York Times and more.
The Las Vegas Athletics are a bad idea. They always have been a bad idea. And now I have proof. They’re called the Las Vegas Raiders.
Have you looked at attendance for the pathetic Raiders lately? I did, by accident, the other day. According to ESPN, the abysmal, last-place franchise draws to Allegiant Stadium the second smallest crowds in the NFL ahead of the equally abysmal, also last-place Chicago Bears.
What’s worse, that Vegas venue is 96% full for its average home game this year. That sounds high except that the Bears are at 100.9% capacity. If the decrepit, nearly century-old, no-dome Soldier Field with that wicked Lake Michigan wind whipping across it all winter had more seats, it would easily surpass Vegas. Plus, this being Vegas, Lady Luck only knows how many of those seats were filled by casino comps.
This should set off alarms for the movement to bring the A’s to Nevada which, evidently, is a fait accompli at this point
