By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
You know it’s going to be a big event when the friendly Channel 8 anchorwoman on Sunday informed viewers to not stop driving around the Raiders’ new stadium when it hosts its first NFL game Monday because — listen carefully now — no part of the game will be able to be seen from outside the building.
Domed stadiums are like that. You have to be inside the structure to see what’s going on.
And the $2 billion project, which included $750 million in public money for construction, will finally host an event.
Sadly, a novel coronavirus pandemic prompted Raiders owner Mark Davis to not allow fans to attend any of the eight regular-season home games in the 65,000-seat venue that cost $1.4 billion to build as part of the overall $2 billion project budget.
LVSportsBiz.com hears Davis himself will not be attending the Raiders’ inaugural game in Allegiant Stadium.
The pandemic has been brutal on the Las Vegas economy, with no fans at Raiders games cutting deeply into tourism revenue dollars because LVSportsBiz.com expected at least 40-50 percent of the fans to be out-of towners.
The hotel occupancy rate along the Strip is only 42 percent because of the pandemic when just a year ago it was more than 90 percent.
It’s also cutting into the value of Summerlin-based Allegiant Air, which cut a 30-year stadium naming rights deal with the Raiders last year.
LVSportsBiz.com ran this story this week explaining the Thunderbirds will do a flyover over the stadium during the national anthem, The Killers will perform the halftime show from Caesars hotel-casino roof and playing field is ready to be rolled into the stadium.
And even Frankie Bulldog is ready for Monday Night Football.
LVSportsBiz.com expects to be in the stadium press box Monday so please look for our coverage tomorrow.