Ask a random person off the street to tell you the first thing that pops into their mind when you ask them about Las Vegas. You can bet your bottom dollar that most of the responses will revolve around the iconic casinos, gambling, and the incredible nightlife, with the occasional mention of the fantastic eateries dotted around “Sin City.” However, Las Vegas is now a haven for professional sports, with Vegas-based teams competing in the National Football League (NFL) and National Hockey League (NHL). Vegas will soon be home to a Major League Baseball team, too. Las Vegas is the place to be if you love filling your weekend with top-tier sporting action.

The Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas gained its first football team, the Las Vegas Raiders, in time for the start of the 2020 NFL season. The Raiders had previously played out of Oakland (twice) and Los Angeles, but Vegas is their new home. The team is one of the more popular franchises in the NFL, with a large fanbase outside the United States. The Las Vegas Raiders play out of the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, a 65,000-capacity venue that cost $1.9 billion to construct. The Raiders tend to be the favorite for victory with sites you read about in an impartial online sportsbook review when they are on home soil.

Playing as the Oakland Raiders, the team won the Super Bowl thrice between 1976 and 1983. They reached the Super Bowl again in 2002 but returned home as the losing side. Sadly, for Raiders fans, that was the last time they saw their team playing in football’s biggest game, and it marked the end of an era. Since then, the Raiders have only reached the playoffs twice and busted in the Wild Card round both times. Raiders fans are hopeful that the good times will return soon.

Although the Las Vegas Raiders are unlikely to feature in the Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, the game is being played in their Allegiant Arena home.

The Vegas Golden Knights

Hockey fans must head to the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise and soak up the atmosphere of a Vegas Golden Knights game. The Vegas Golden Knights were only formed in 2017 but have caused a major splash during the franchise’s short history.

Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division during their debut season before progressing to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, they fell 1-4 to the Washington Capitals. A disappointing regular season followed before the Golden Knights returned to winning ways in 2019-20, again topping the Pacific Division and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost 1-4 to the Dallas Stars.

The team reached the Stanley Cup Semifinals in 2020-21 but failed to qualify for the playoffs the following year. The 2022-23 season will be fondly remembered forever because the Golden Knights bulldozed their way to Stanley Cup glory, brushing aside the Florida Panthers 4-1 to become hockey’s champions. Unsurprisingly, the Golden Knights are among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.

Baseball Is Coming to Sin City!

Baseball is finally coming to Las Vegas, with the Oakland Athletics relocating after the completion of the 2024 season. There were rumors that the Athletics’ new ballpark would be built on the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino site on Flamingo, but that is not the case. The team will call a yet-to-be-built 33,000-capacity stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, which will not be completed until 2028. The New Las Vegas Stadium is set to be built on the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas.

With the Athletics keen to relocate to Vegas as early as 2025, three years before the new stadium will be finished, the Las Vegas Ballpark will likely be their home for a few years. The Athletics will share the ballpark with the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League, so there will be plenty of baseball to enjoy in Nevada in the coming months.

Formula One Racing is set For the Las Vegas Strip in November 2023

Las Vegas-based motorsport fans usually travel to Clark County and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to get their racing fix, but in November 2023, Formula One heads to the Las Vegas Strip. Part of the Formula One World Championship, the Grand Prix Las Vegas takes place on a temporary street circuit, including the famous Las Vegas Strip.

Watching Formula One cars travel at breakneck speeds down Las Vegas Boulevard will be a sight to behold. While construction of the circuit has left many Vegas residents pulling out their hair in frustration, F1 fans cannot wait for what should be one of the most iconic Grand Prix in the sport’s 74-year history.

Conclusion

It is usually sports betting and not watching professional sports that springs to mind when one thinks about Las Vegas. The city billed as the world’s entertainment capital is precisely that. Although casinos and everything associated with them serve as Vegas’ foundations, the city is determined to become an all-around entertainment venue for everyone.

The Golden Knights are one of the best hockey teams in the NHL, and while the Las Vegas Raiders are not the team they once were, they are still famous worldwide. Vegas natives have waited a long time for an MLB franchise to head to their world-famous city, and that wait is almost over, with the Oakland Athletics relocating as early as 2025.

It is not only the sports mentioned in this article that locals and visitors enjoy while in Las Vegas because a plethora of sporting activities occur throughout the year. Vegas is famous for hosting some of the biggest boxing matches, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has a purpose-built venue in Enterprise, Nevada.

Then there is the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, the Las Vegas Lights soccer team, who compete in the USL, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs lacrosse team, and the Henderson Silver Knights American Hockey League team. If it is live sport that you want, Vegas has it all and more.