By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The new professional lacrosse team in Las Vegas has some heavy hitters in its ownership group — hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, PGA star Dustin Johnson, NBA New Jersey Nets coach Steve Nash and Nets owner Joe Tsai.
The co-owners are launching the 15th franchise of the National Lacrosse League. The team will play at MGM Resorts International’s Michelob ULTRA Arena inside the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino beginning in the 2022-23 season. The arena also hosts the WNBA Las Vegas Aces.
Many of the National Lacrosse League teams are owned by NBA and NHL team owners, which use the lacrosse the teams to generate revenues in arenas they also control.
Mark Fine will be the Las Vegas team’s chief executive officer.
The team’s name, logo, and colors of the new Las Vegas team will be unveiled at a later date
National Lacrosse League Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz’s prepared statement: “It all started two years ago with a meeting and an idea and here we are today. When our industry looks back years from now on the growth of box lacrosse as a sport and Las Vegas as a home of a first-class franchise, we believe this will be one of the seminal days in NLL history. The people in this community are going to be in for a treat both on the floor and in the community.”
Gretzky played lacrosse as a kid in Canada, while Tsai played lacrosse in high school at Lawrenceville and in college at Yale. Tsai is also the owner of the WNBA New York Liberty and the San Diego Seals of the NLL. Tsai is one of the co-founders of Alibaba Group, a global Internet technology company based in China.
Team ownership statement: “Even though the team won’t start playing until late 2022, we want to involve the folks in Las Vegas from the very start as far as how we launch and grow our franchise, including in the selection of our team name. On the business side and across our franchise generally, we will also be forward-thinking and innovative, embracing best practices in analytics and technology across everything we do – and all while staying true to the fast-paced and exciting nature of both box lacrosse and the city of Las Vegas. We can’t wait to get started.”
Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA.
The League is comprised of 15 franchises across the United States and Canada: Albany FireWolves, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, New York Riptide, Panther City Lacrosse Club (Fort Worth, TX), Las Vegas NLL, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors.
For more information on the NLL, visit www.nll.com. You can also find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@NLL).