Friday’s Aviators Game Kickstarts Sports Buffet Weekend in Las Vegas
By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com photo by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Another sellout at the Aviators’ glittering new ballyard Friday led a lineup of diverse weekend sports offerings in Las Vegas, which again shows why this market’s strength is its smorgasbord of sports entertainment.
Even with Las Vegas’ kings of sport — the NHL Golden Knights — out of action after losing a first round playoff series in a painful Game 7 to the San Jose Sharks last week, there’s still a rich menu of sports events in every part of Las Vegas Valley.
The Aviators, which have sold out every home game at its new ballpark in the Downtown Summerlin district, drew 10,171 Friday for its Pacific Coast League game with Fresno in the first game of the season’s longest homestand.
On Saturday, the Las Vegas Lights, which play in the Aviators’ for venue, Cashman Field, will host the Sacramento Republic FC at 7:30 p.m.
There’s another sports event in downtown Las Vegas — the USA 3×3 Nationals basketball tourney at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, owned by The D’s Derek Stevens. The 3-on-3 hoops event is free.
Las Vegas’ boxing reputation comes full force Saturday when Canelo Alvarez and challenger Daniel Jacobs square off on the Strip at T-Mobile Arena. Canelo is a popular attraction for fight fans in Las Vegas.
With baseball in Summerlin, boxing on the Strip and soccer and 3 on 3 hoops in downtown, Sam Boyd Stadium out near the Las Vegas Wash will be hopping with motorcycle race fans with this weekend’s 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Finals. Here’s a look at the set-up via a Twitter photo posted by Sam Boyd Stadium.
There was another packed house at the Aviators ballpark. Some observations about the crowd:
A lot of fans are still exploring the venue and the continuous 360-degree concourse allows them to check out concessions stands, the team store and the bars while stopping to view the baseball action on the diamond from various vantage points.
There’s a youthful tilt to the fans in the new ballpark compared to Cashman Field, where many old baseball fans would hang out. The weather is gorgeous in the evenings now and the Knights are out of the playoffs, so the ballpark is the place to be for the younger demo.
Lots of fans are wearing the ballcap with the “LV” on the front. The caps in dark blue and gray with the LV in front are popular. There’s a few fans roaming the ballpark with old 51s jersey giveaways and Mets caps, but the team has done a solid job selling the new Aviators branded logo gear. Sometimes, they hand out the Aviators gear for free, like a free ballcap for the ballpark’s inaugural game or a free T-shirt Friday evening.
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