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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
The Las Vegas market and Allegiant Stadium were built for just this: hosting any potential NFL American Football Conference championship game.
When the NFL Thursday scrubbed the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game after Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during Monday’s Bills-Bengals, the league began thinking about having any AFC title game that involved Buffalo or Cincinnati at a neutral site stadium. That’s because the Bills and Bengals will finish with 16 games, while the rest of the AFC teams will play 17.
The AFC championship game is set for Jan. 29.
The Raiders’ home stadium has hosted a college bowl game, the Pac-12 title game and even a Notre Dame vs Brigham Young University college football game — so the stadium’s operators know all about staging neutral site games. The Raiders run the stadium, but the team will not be in the playoffs.
The Colts stadium in Indianapolis would also work. Both stadiums in Las Vegas and Indianapolis are indoor venues, so late January weather would not be a factor on the AFC title game.
But Allegiant Stadium/Raiders/LVCVA should talk to the NFL about hosting the AFC championship game because it can be a small practice for hosting a tiny Super Bowl because Las Vegas will be hosting Super Bowl 58 in February 2024.
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Speaking of stadiums, look for Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, who now owns the Premier League’s AFC Bournemouth soccer club, to work on expanding the stadium that serves as the home for the Bournemouth team.
The stadium that holds about 11,000 fans will be expanded to accommodate 22,000-25,000 people.
VGK communications head Nate Ewell recently visited the Bournemouth venue and posted this picture on Twitter.
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Major League Baseball is coming to Summerlin in March for four spring training games. Two Big League Weekends will have the Reds and Athletics play two spring training games, while the Rockies and Royals will play two preseason games at Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin, too.
The Reds and Athletics games are March 4 and 5.’
The Rockies and Royals games are two weeks later for March 18 and 19.
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