Bellying Up To Public Trough: Both F1, Athletics Shared Limelight This Week With High-Profile Requests For Public Money For Neighboring Sports Projects On Strip

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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer

The public cost of underwriting Las Vegas’ thirst for major league sports was never more obvious this week.

The promoter of November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix told Clark County commissioners Tuesday that Formula One wants $40 million from the county to pay for road paving costs for the car race course just a mere day before the Oakland Athletics Wednesday tried to convince the Nevada Senate to approve a bill authorizing $380 million in state and county assistance to help build an A’s baseball stadium on the Strip.

The county commission gave in to the F1/grand prix request, voting, 4-3. to negotiate a payment deal.

This convergence of Clark County being asked to use public dollars for the roadwork of the F1 race that includes a chunk of the Strip and the Nevada Legislature being asked to approve Senate Bill 1 to contribute $380 million in government aid for an Athletics baseball park at the Tropicana hotel site is more than just about timing.

Both the F1 and MLB stadium projects are geographically very close on the Strip.

LVSportsBiz.com checked out the sites to see how close they are.

At the Tropicana hotel-casino site, there’s no signs that the A’s want to build a ballpark on nine of the site’s 35 acres. When bicycling around the hotel site, it’s hard to imagine a 30,000-seat ballpark with a partial retractable roof being shoehorned onto a mere nine acres when there are also stadium-related needs like parking and retail.

While there’s no indication that the Tropicana hotel site has been tabbed as a future MLB ballpark site, there is traffic, orange cones and irritated motorists along Harmon Avenue, which is a segment of the 3.8-mile grand prix circuit.

The construction site of F1’s paddock building is clearly seen at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane.

We used a bicycle to navigate the traffic-choked road.

Here’s my short video of biking along the Harmon segment:

Here’s what it’s hyped to look like:

What ties these two diverse sports projects is the fact that the organizers — Las Vegas Grand Prix/F1 and Oakland Athletics — want public money while offering so very little information about the government assistance directly to the public.

While F1 organizers have linked arms with Clark County government on a ten-year deal to stage the race, the rhetoric has focused on rich international visitors spending lavishly in the Las Vegas area economy.

But the truth is that the high-priced tickets are far beyond the reach of many locals. Tickets are in the thousands of dollars — even reaching seven figures in ticket deals at Wynn and Caesars.

Meanwhile, the Athletics owner and team president have not spoken to Las Vegas locals at public forums.

Owner John Fisher and A’s team president Dave Kaval have leaned on LVCVA public tourism chief Steve Hill and sidekick consultant/Las Vegas sports hype man Jeremy Aguero to ask the state Senate to approve S.B. 1 that designates $380 million worth of public assistance for a ballpark the A’s claim will draw 27,000 fans a game.

The A’s have failed to share a traffic report prepared by Las Vegas firm Kimley-Horn with the public. The report talks about widening pedestrian bridges and improving local streets at the baseball park site at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. Even Clark County failed to provide the traffic report to the public.

The Senate adjourned Thursday and is scheduled to discuss the A’s stadium subsidy bill — perhaps with new amendments — at a meeting Monday.

For decades, metro Las Vegas and Clark County held back from spending big public money on big league sports.

Now, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. Major sports organizers perceive Southern Nevada’s political and tourism leaders as easy marks to massage public dollars out of public agencies and governments.

Las Vegas, you want so badly to be in the Big Leagues.

Now, you’re expected to pay up.

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