AngelsWin.com Today: It's Time for MLB to Expand to Las Vegas

[AngelsWin.com]

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

In a stunning 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning states from legalizing sports betting. The decision in Murphy v. NCAA clears the way for many states to legalize and regulate the estimated $150 billion annual sports betting industry (including legal and illegal gambling). Many states are expected to rush into the process of legalizing this industry to tax a mostly underground and offshore industry (it is estimated that only about 3% of all sports bets are placed in Las Vegas).

Normally, AngelsWin.com fans would say “great, but why are you talking about this on a baseball website?”. Well, this has everything to do with baseball, and in particular, with the Angels.

Under the current baseball schedule, travel is a major factor and affects teams differently. Some teams, such as the Angels, have years in which they put on close to 50,000 miles in travel to complete the season. Other teams put on less than half of that. The difference in travel has become a factor in how well teams perform, and has led to many changes such as afternoon “getaway” days that affect attendance. Owners and players would rather have a greater chance to win a game and play in front of a smaller crowd than to do the opposite.

This needs to stop. Baseball needs to realign the divisions and teams to remove travel as a competitive advantage for some teams and disadvantage for others. It has become a true disadvantage for teams in the American League West, almost all of whom tend to log the most, or nearly the most miles in a given season. Constantly rushing to and from airports, late night arrivals, hotel transfers, time zone changes, etc. takes a toll on a player. It can and does affect the outcome of games. It can and does affect the overall standings throughout a season.

At the same time, baseball needs to expand to 32 teams to make scheduling far easier and to make an 8-division format equal for all teams. The question, though, has always been where can baseball expand? It’s fairly clear that any realignment and expansion team would have to be located in a western city and state.

For a while, Portland has been long suggested as one destination. But, as a fan, I am very skeptical of how well Portland can sustain a Major League team. And the last thing baseball needs is another struggling or failing team with low attendance.

It’s not as if Portland hasn’t had a a baseball team. Several times, Minor League baseball has expanded to or located a team in Portland during its history. In one of its most recent attempts, the Pacific Coast League allowed a team to relocate to Portland from 2000. It lasted until 2010. During that time, the team typically finished in the bottom half of league attendance and struggled to survive economically. After the 2010 season, the Portland AAA team was sold and relocated.

So, if Portland isn’t the answer, where in the west could MLB expand? My answer is Las Vegas.

Think about it, millions of Americans from all over the country go to Las Vegas every year. There already are plenty of reasons to do so. The city has the hotel and food accommodations to handle any influx of fans. All it needs is an indoor stadium or one with a retractable roof if the owners and fans would prefer. It’s not as if such a stadium hasn’t been built or that it’s too difficult to build a site located near the city.

Imagine for fans, if in addition to all the other fun things to do in Vegas, they could also go to see a series with their favorite baseball team? How much of a draw would that be? Imagine a weekend series with the Angels or Dodgers. How many of us would make that drive or catch that flight in order to watch our team? Las Vegas has often struggled with family friendly events and entertainment ideas, but what is more family friendly than baseball? The advertising and commercials write themselves . . . Come to Vegas to catch a game  with [insert team name] and enjoy so much more.

The argument against putting a Major League team in Las Vegas has always been that the risk of gambling was too great for the players and coaches in Las Vegas to expand there. Baseball does not like gambling, or even the appearance of gambling on the sport, especially by the players. Pete Rose serves as a good reminder about that.

But, that’s where this recent Supreme Court comes into play. If states can (and in all likelihood will) legalize sports betting to increase tax revenue, then how will they be any different than Las Vegas? Again, according to sources, only about $4.8 billion out of an estimated $150 billion in total sports bets were placed legally in Las Vegas (the rest were bet illegally). And, according to sources, as many as 32 states are prepared to legalize sports betting.

With that many states vying to legalize sports betting, it will affect Major League Baseball whether MLB wants it or not. Some of the biggest states, such as New York, California, and Illinois have large budget issues that could be eased by a new source of revenue such as sports gambling. Politically, it’s a lot easier to legalize gambling under the guise of solving the budget crunch rather than raising taxes elsewhere or cutting services.

If states start legalizing sports betting, MLB will have an interesting decision: abandon teams like the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, etc. to maintain the separation between legalized gambling or develop new ways to deal with the perceived threat to their business. My guess is that there is no way that MLB will abandon those franchises, so, it will have to develop a plan and guideline for how to handle the perceived threat of legalized gambling that would deal with it in any state and under any scenario.

So if MLB (along with all the other sports leagues) will have to develop a guideline to handle legalized gambling, shouldn’t that cover them for a team in Las Vegas? It’s not as if Las Vegas has more organized crime than New York or Chicago. And, with only about 3% of all sports bets placed in Las Vegas, it means that 97% is currently happening, and most likely will continue to happen, elsewhere. That means that other players and teams are far more likely to fall pray to the negative influences of gambling in other places than Las Vegas. Why should MLB abandon Las Vegas to the NFL, which is already planning on relocating a team to the region?

In a separate piece, I will outline my ideas on how to radically realign baseball and balance the schedule. But, one big factor in my plan is placing a team in Las Vegas. With the ruling in Murphy v. NCAA, I believe that becomes a far more likely scenario.

Let’s hear from you, the fans. Would you want a team located in Las Vegas? How many of you would plan a trip to Las Vegas to coincide with a homestand with your favorite team playing there?

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[Mark68]

The biggest argument against expansion to Vegas, IMO, is the weather. They'd have to have park with a retractable roof. Those are expensive, and I'm sure Clark County residents (and tourists) would end up paying the bill for such a facility, because that's essentially how these things are built nowadays.

This would not be good for the Vegas economy (which already suffers due to stupid extravagant "resort fees"). Charging tourists even more to stay in Vegas would be a blow to the primary industry there.

[UndertheHalo]

I’d rather see MLB in Portland or back Montreal first.  Obviously, depending on where they put a stadium a baseball team could be a major attraction.  So it’s easy enough to a Vegas team being successful. It just seems less complicated in the previously mentioned markets.  Portland especially I think would quickly and happily embrace an MLB team. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by UndertheHalo

[stormngt]

30 minutes ago, Mark68 said:

The biggest argument against expansion to Vegas, IMO, is the weather. They'd have to have park with a retractable roof. Those are expensive, and I'm sure Clark County residents (and tourists) would end up paying the bill for such a facility, because that's essentially how these things are built nowadays.

This would not be good for the Vegas economy (which already suffers due to stupid extravagant "resort fees"). Charging tourists even more to stay in Vegas would be a blow to the primary industry there.

Clark County is not paying for Raider Stadium (a retractable stadium). The public funds that are going to that stadium come from hotel taxes.....you guys from California are paying for it.

[stormngt]

Anyone want to see how a major sports team would look in Las Vegas let me introduce you to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.  The hockey fans of Los Angeles and San Jose already met them.

Every game not only sold out, but the demand is so great their ticket prices have had the highest during the playoffs than any hockey franchise.

[Lou]

I'd much rather MLB have a team in Vegas than in Portland or Montreal for one simple reason:

I'd go Vegas. 

[Dave Saltzer]

1 hour ago, Mark68 said:

The biggest argument against expansion to Vegas, IMO, is the weather. They'd have to have park with a retractable roof. Those are expensive, and I'm sure Clark County residents (and tourists) would end up paying the bill for such a facility, because that's essentially how these things are built nowadays.

This would not be good for the Vegas economy (which already suffers due to stupid extravagant "resort fees"). Charging tourists even more to stay in Vegas would be a blow to the primary industry there.

I think that Portland would need/want a retractable roof as well as Las Vegas. With their 150 days of rain or so, they'd need at least an indoor stadium, and, they'd need heating for it, which makes the costs similar to cooling for Las Vegas. As I pointed out in the article, Portland hasn't shown a big history of fan support for baseball, so it's hard to imagine another Major League team doing well there. While it would create a "rivalry" with Seattle in the minds of Executives, I don't think it would create a real rivalry with fans like the Angels/Dodgers. So, I'd rather see a team move to or expand to a market where it can thrive and draw good crowds, and that seems to me to be much more likely in Las Vegas over Portland. Any realignment plan needs another team in the West and one in the East, so, Las Vegas is my top choice for the west. Now, at least, the gambling barrier is gone, so it's more likely to happen. 

[Lou]

The notion that MLB would even think of "abandon(ing) teams like the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, etc" is laughable. The legality of the issue isn't what concerns MLB, it's the influence it may have on players, coaches, etc. If a player wants to gamble on games right now, he has the legal right to do so. He doesn't, but it's not because he'd be breaking the law. 

 

[Chuck]

13 minutes ago, Lou said:

I'd much rather MLB have a team in Vegas than in Portland or Montreal for one simple reason:

I'd go Vegas. 

i mean, I live in Seattle and wouldn't drive down to Portland to watch baseball (it's a 3-hour drive). I get 9-12 games up here at Safeco. That's good enough for me. 

That and Portland is filled with hippies, hipsters and antifa. 

I just buy their good beer at BevMo or if it's on tap somewhere. Don't need to drive down to drink it there. 

Baseball in Vegas would be great! 

[CubsFan]

They can have a team in Vegas once Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper's prime years are over.

[CubsFan]

14 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

i mean, I live in Seattle and wouldn't drive down to Portland to watch baseball (it's a 3-hour drive). I get 9-12 games up here at Safeco. That's good enough for me. 

That and Portland is filled with hippies, hipsters and antifa. 

I just buy their good beer at BevMo or if it's on tap somewhere. Don't need to drive down to drink it there. 

Baseball in Vegas would be great! 

Yeah, Portland is kind of plain and a boring drive.  Would rather have at team in Vancouver (Canada, not the other Vancouver next to Portland) than Portland.

[HeavenlyHalos]

Portland is plain? Couldn't disagree more. It's a great and beautiful city with amazing beer and food. It continues to grow as the bay area residents look to move to a less expensive west coast city. I'm not sure if it would support an MLB team as the metro area is ~2.5 million people putting it 25th in the country, which is towards the bottom of metropolitan areas with an MLB franchise. Note: Vegas is 28th but obviously tourism increases the actual number or people there at any given time. The lowest with an MLB team is Milwaukee at 39.

I hope they one day get a team but fully recognize that i'm biased since I love Oregon and think highly of Portland. It's also known for it's pretty awesome strip clubs, so there's that.

[Mark68]

I don't think Portland can support a team either. There is a huge traffic problem and a huge aversion to building any non-bike infrastructure. 

[Lou]

1 hour ago, CubsFan said:

Yeah, Portland is kind of plain and a boring drive.  Would rather have at team in Vancouver (Canada, not the other Vancouver next to Portland) than Portland.

I wouldn't be driving to Portland if I did decide to go to a game, so that wouldn't matter.

[Lou]

1 hour ago, HeavenlyHalos said:

Portland is plain? Couldn't disagree more. It's a great and beautiful city with amazing beer and food. It continues to grow as the bay area residents lo

I agree

still wouldn't go there for a game 

[Tank]

a roof will help some during july and august, but it's still july and august. pass.

[Lou]

1 minute ago, Tank said:

a roof will help some during july and august, but it's still july and august. pass.

They'd need to build an air-conditioned tram from the strip directly to the stadium. 

 

[Dick B Back]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

They'd need to build an air-conditioned tram from the strip directly to the stadium. 

 

Strip, damn I thought you were gonna write something about strippers in cages hanging from the dome.

[Tank]

19 minutes ago, Dick B Back said:

Strip, damn I thought you were gonna write something about strippers in cages hanging from the dome.

go on . . .

[Lou]

29 minutes ago, Dick B Back said:

Strip, damn I thought you were gonna write something about strippers in cages hanging from the dome.

Typical stupid male response.

The strippers would sit next to you and shake their bewbs to cool you off.

You Neanderthal 

[Tank]

34 minutes ago, Lou said:

They'd need to build an air-conditioned tram from the strip directly to the stadium. 

they'd need to build an a/c for each individual seat in order for me to attend a game in the summer.

[Lou]

10 minutes ago, Tank said:

they'd need to build an a/c for each individual seat in order for me to attend a game in the summer.

I wasn't finished. While I haven't hammered out all of the details, I will share the prototype I've developed   

 

 

 

[Adam]

No one would go when the team stinks

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Bring it.

[Inside Pitch]

 

9 hours ago, Dick B Back said:

Strip, damn I thought you were gonna write something about strippers in cages hanging from the dome.

Brings new meaning to the 7th inning stretch, doesn't it?