Sports-Business Roundup: Arenas, Stadiums and Graduations Amid COVID-19
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s been a tough weekend for parents with kids who graduated school during the COVID-19 pandemic. No official ceremonies and no official events. So, people improvised, like how Faith Lutheran held its high school graduation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday evening.
On Saturday afternoon, I bicycled the Strip and went off-Strip to see T-Mobile Arena, which I liked to call The Big Ice House by the Strip. Around 4:30 p.m., I stopped in front of the arena and few moments later a Lexus SUV pulled up and stopped. A woman emerged and a little kid who looked four or so.
Of all the places where you can take a photo of your kid in a graduation gown, this lady chose T-Mobile Arena on this quiet day and instructed her small tyke to pose on the plaza with the venue serving as the backdrop. She said her son is moving from pre-kindergarten or kindergarten. He put on a pint-sized blue cap and gown.
And after a few photos, mom and son were back in the SUV and off they went.
The arena. Even during a pandemic with no sports, it still draws people to the building.
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Speaking of building, more than 1,500 construction workers are working every day to get the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium ready to be completed by July 31.
After I made a pit stop at the T-Mobile Arena, I pedaled a couple of miles to the domed stadium under construction and took a few photos.
LVSportsBiz.com reported recently that the Southern Nevada Health District administered 847 novel coronavirus tests, but it was unknown how many tested positive. There was no info on that issue at Thursday’s Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting.
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Assuming the Raiders stadium is ready by July 31, it’s highly doubtful fans will be allowed to attend events in the venue in August when a Garth Brooks concert, Raiders preseason game and UNLV football home-opener are all scheduled.
A tip of the pen to the Wall Street Journal for this eight-minute video on how stadiums are incubators for the spread of the coronavirus. The graphics are excellent and it’s clear that it will be a while before fans can pack arenas and stadiums.
Another excellent link is this Bloomberg business news piece that included an interview of Los Angeles-based Tim Leiweke, a veteran sports industry executive. He explained how COVID-19 will change everything about fans attending sports events in venues, from air circulation systems to self-wrap grab-and-go food items.
My new book is coming out in a few weeks and I am accepting pre-orders for Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys. Buy this book by emailing me at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com
