By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
After leading all minor league teams in attendance in 2019 only to have their 2020 season wiped out by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Las Vegas Aviators have April 15 as their scheduled home-opener at the fancy ballpark in Downtown Summerlin.
The Aviators, the Oakland Athletics’ Triple A affiliate, can try and have 20 percent of capacity at the 10,000-fan ballpark, which cost $150 million to build in 2019. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) gave the stadium and team owners — Summerlin master developer Howard Hughes Corporation — $80 million for a naming rights deal. The ballpark in Las Vegas is called Las Vegas Ballpark.
The Aviators, the former Las Vegas 51s, are scheduled to open their 38th season April 8 at Round Rock, Texas. A week later, the scheduled home-opener brings the Reno Aces to town.
The Aviators have not announced how many fans will be allowed in the ballpark. If the team gets the full 20 percent of capacity, the number of fans would be capped at about 2,000 or so.