Bucs vs Raiders At Allegiant Stadium: Stroll Through Haunted Main Concourse With Not A Fan In Sight
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Allegiant Stadium’s main concourse before Sunday’s Raiders vs Bucs game is all quiet. It’s way too quiet for game day when 65,000 fans — many of them typically juiced up from pre-game tailgating — would be ordering beers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches.
But these are the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a virus that spreads easily from human to human and one that has caught the attention of the NFL.
Not a single fan is strolling along this broad concourse, which is lined with Raiders stadium and NFL sponsor signage representing brands like Coca-Cola, Coors and Modelo. There have been lots of photos showing the stadium exterior and the playing field. But not much as been photographed inside the stadium where fans would have walked the concourse if there wasn’t a COVID-19 pandemic.
Stadium sponsors typically pay about $30 million for multi-year deals. The $30 million stadium sponsor deals came out when the Southern Nevada Water Authority contemplated becoming a sponsor. But in the end, the water district said no thanks to the $30 million stadium sponsorship arrangement.
Levy Restaurants is the stadium’s official food concessionaire, completing the grand slam of sports venues in the Las Vegas market. Levy has Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, T-Mobile Arena and Las Vegas Ballpark through its minor league baseball partner. But there are other food and beverage brands on the main concourse that are shut out because Raiders owner Mark Davis said no fans are allowed to attend home games if all fans can’t attend Raiders games at the domed 65,000-seat stadium that included $750 million in public dollars to build.
The Raiders also have their own store, The Raider Image. Even during non-event days, fans can enter the stadium to check out the retail store, which sells licensed Raiders logo gear.
On the main concourse’s east side facing I-15 and the Strip, there’s the Modelo club but no concession stands. Take a look.
For those not wanting to drink beer or soda there’s the water sponsor along the concourse, too.
NFL sponsors also get signage along the main concourse. Consider Microsoft, which you see on NFL TV broadcasts because it’s the league’s technology partner.
There’s even some artwork, too, besides the branded concession stands.
Speaking of culinary, Levy Restaurants broke out a Cuban sandwich and Key Lime pie for the media today. LVSportsBiz.com shared a photo of the Cuban sandwich with Tampa’s leading Cuban sandwich expert, Jeff Houck, who writes about the food industry and food culture of the Tampa Bay and Florida markets. Here’s the photo and Jeff’s responses.
Let’s be polite and say that those pickles did not go over well with Jeff.
Quote 1: “Levy’s been at the craps table too long.”
Quote 2: “The last guy who put dill pickle planks on a Cuban like that with Black Forest ham and no salami wound up in the Everglades as a box lunch for a python.”
Quote 3: “That sandwich in Vegas should stay in Vegas.”
Quote 4: “He needs to get off the Strip, go across town to Cubinidad and get some schooling in Cuban food.”
Whoa nellie, F-U-M-B-L-E by Levy, as the late Keith Jackson would call it.
Today’s Bucs vs Raiders broadcast info.
Carnell “Golden Pipes” Johnson has become a national anthem mainstay at Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena but he was not in action today at the Bucs-Raiders game. So, no “Silver Pipes” quite yet.
