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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
You may have not heard of any of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs professional lacrosse players.
But you may know the owners of Las Vegas’ newest pro major league team — Wayne Gretzky, NHL’s Great One. Joe Tsai , who owns the NBA Brooklyn Nets. Gretzky’s son-in-law, prominent pro golfer Dustin Johnson. And Steve Nash, Tsai’s former Nets coach and a former two-time NBA MVP.
On Friday, the Desert Dogs play their franchise’s inaugural home game at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena where the team welcomed their season ticket holders Thursday to meet the famous owners, check out the arena playing surface and munch on sliders and drink beers. The Las Vegas team lost in Texas last week in its first ever game.
Tsai, Gretzky and Nash all played box lacrosse as kids, with Tsai contacting Gretzky and Nash about forming the 15th franchise in the National Lacrosse League. Five of the 15 teams are owned by NHL team owners, while there are other independent owners who love box lacrosse.
“You don’t turn down an opportunity to work with Joe Tsai,” Gretzky said of the billionaire entrepreneur.
Tsai was cut from his school’s baseball team, so he played lacrosse as a kid. He played lacrosse again during drills with kids in metro Las Vegas as the Desert Dogs tried to plant roots in this very competitive sports market by making contact with lacrosse-playing youths. Tsai also owns another team in the National Lacrosse League — the San Diego Seals.
Tsai told LVSportsBiz.com that he has talked with Raiders/Aces owner Mark Davis about the Las Vegas sports market. Tsai’s Desert Dogs and Davis’ Aces both play in the Michelob Ultra Arena.
“I chatted with Mark. I kinda look up to him,” Tsai said.
Much like Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley enlisting some of his VGK staffers to help launch the Henderson Silver Knights minor league hockey and Vegas Knight Hawks indoor football teams, some of Tsai’s Nets staffers are pitching in to help Tsai launch the Desert Dogs. (Speaking of the Golden Knights, they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1, Thursday night.)
In a Q and A with LVSportsBiz.com last week, Desert Dogs CEO Mark Fine said most of the tickets will cost between $25-$99.
Indoor lacrosse looks like it plays in a hockey rink, but it has offensive moves that remind you of basketball with the big hits and collisions of football, said Shawn Williams, the team’s general manager and coach who assembled the roster of 26 players. During a game, there are 17 players plus two goalies who wear giant protective gear to protect themselves from 50 to 60 shots a game.
Williams said the rookies make $12,000 during the 18-game schedule, while he noted the maximum salary is in the $40,000s.
The lacrosse team will appeal to a demo in the Las Vegas suburbs like Summerlin and Henderson and mirror the Golden Knights’ fan profile, Fine said.
The Desert Dogs are playing their nine home games on the Strip instead of a suburban arena like The Dollar Loan Center arena in Henderson because the Strip is more suited for the owners, Williams pointed out. (Speaking of The DLC, the Canadian national women’s hockey team defeated the U.S. women’s team, 3-2, at the arena in Henderson Thursday night.)
After losing, 13-11, to Panther City in Fort Worth, Texas last week, the Desert Dogs will host Panther City Friday at 7:30 PM at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Desert Dogs management recommend fans get in their seats by 7:10 PM for a pregame presentation.
Buy Alan Snel’s new book, Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys, by emailing ASnel@LVSportsBiz.com