NFR Returns To Las Vegas After Year Away In Texas Because Of COVID; Crews Convert Thomas & Mack From UNLV Basketball To Rodeo Sunday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
They’re back.
The cowboys, horses, country music and the more than 300,000 National Finals Rodeo fans and visitors who are expected to transplant America’s western and country culture into Las Vegas for 10 days during the Super Bowl of rodeos.
As soon as Saturday’s UCLA vs UNLV basketball game ended at about 4 PM, the arena conversion crew at Thomas & Mack Center sprung into action like bucking horses to transform the all-purpose venue into one where the dirt will fly and the horses will gallop.
NFR is a big deal this year because the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the sanctioning body of the 10-day rodeo event, moved the NFR from Las Vegas to Texas in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols in place in Nevada and Las Vegas.
This year it’s back in Las Vegas, though one wonders whether the rodeo fans will comply with the state’s indoor mask mandate. There’s still a healthy streak of cowboy independence that runs through the veins of these country lifestyle residents from California to Montana to Texas.
“We will take all precautions to alert attendees that a mask mandate is in effect, both at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Thomas & Mack Center,” said Michael Mack, a spokesman for Las Vegas Events, the non-profit arm of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Las Vegas Events partners with the PRCA to stage the 10-day event.
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The construction equipment is on site at Thomas & Mack Center The dirt is stored on site behind the Thomas & Mack Center. It takes more than two tons of dirt to cover the arena and all the stalls. Inside the arena, the dirt is a foot to 15 inches deep. The arena is being prepared for the world’s top rodeo contestants in these categories after nearly 170,000 people attended the 10 days of competition in 2019.
- Bareback Riding
- Steer Wrestling
- Team Roping
- Saddle Bronc Riding
- Tie-Down Roping
- Barrel Racing
- Bull Riding
The NFR has been staged in December to bring tourists to Las Vegas in that period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas since 1985. Not only do the tourists help the hotels’ revenues, there is also a purse of $10.257 million up for grabs.
The PRCA deal with Las Vegas Events is through 2025.
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