Your LVSportsBiz Holiday Gift: Our Best Photos Since Launching in June

By ALAN SNEL

 

LVSportsBiz.com has carved out a journalism niche in a town exploding with sports-business news, including photography that I have been proud to post from two very talented photographers — Daniel Clark and Erik John Ricardo.

 

I met Daniel at the Las Vegas Review-Journal when Daniel was a freelance photographer. I admired Daniel’s photos and his humble nature. I met Erik only a few months ago when we were bicycling on the Red Rock conservation area loop. Erik was practicing for an upcoming Oregon ride and was carrying two panniers filled with bottles of water. That takes grit and I figured any guy who bikes with that weight has to be a pretty good photographer.

 

LVSportsBiz.com covers the business and politics of sports in Las Vegas, so our photos focused on the people outside the lines and behind the scenes. No sense duplicating what all the other media is covering. Our stories and images will tell stories off the field and off the court and off the rink.

 

LVSportsBiz.com has published nearly 200 stories since we launched in early June and this is your visual holiday gift from a cold, windy Las Vegas on the shortest day of the year.  I’m proud of our news product and if you care to read the story behind the creation of LVSportsBiz.com, it’s the pinned post on LVSportsBiz.com’s Twitter account.

 

Enjoy LVSportsBiz.com’s Dazzling Baker’s Dozen of photos:

 

13. The Golden Knights struck marketing gold when it helped with the adoption launch of 164 abandoned Pomeranians in mid December. Erik caught a great photo of this cutie.

 

 

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12. He’s president of the Vegas Golden Knights and Kerry Bubolz doesn’t mind opponent fans buying tickets at T-Mobile Arena because he’s happy to take their ticket revenue and their team’s two points. Daniel took this photo as I interviewed Bubolz before a Golden Knights home game at the top of the main escalator.

 

 

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11. Erik’s first assignment was in October when he photographed UNLV’s tribute to the Oct. 1 shooting victims and first responders.

 

 

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10. Continuing the Vegas Strong theme, Daniel captured this image at the Golden Knights’ inaugural home game Oct. 10.

 

 

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9. Another haunting photo by Daniel from that opening night.

 

 

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8. Erik took this photo when UNLV played San Diego State. It captured the joy of sports.

 

 

7. There are few more colorful characters on the Las Vegas sports-business scene than Local 872 union leader Tommy White, offering words at a Raiders stadium rally during the summer in a North Las Vegas park.

 

 

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6. This is not the Golden Knights’ mascot but super-fan Shawn Hickey who dresses like this for all the games. He’s typically a gregarious fella who poses with many other fans for photos. But Daniel caught Shawn in a contemplative mood here.

 

 

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5. The Golden Knights fans have been credited for creating one of the best home-ice advantages in the NHL.

 

 

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4. UNLV’s football team got off to a rocky start when it lost to Howard in the home-opener. Daniel caught the team through the haze — a metaphor for how the team played in that national attention-grabbing loss.

 

 

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I have covered lots of team owners and I can’t recall anyone who smiles and laughs more than Bill Foley.

 

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2. The opening ceremony at the Golden Knights’ opening game has set the tone for this dream season so far.

 

Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

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1. My favorite photo

 

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Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com