Five Reasons Las Vegas Is a Sports Hub

Medieval knights brandishing swords and pounding on drums, exuberant cheerleaders, and copious amounts of dry ice create a fast-paced, glitzy atmosphere for the 18,000-plus hockey fans that regularly pack the 2016-opened T-Mobile Arena. The Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL's newest active expansion franchise, have a special bond with local citizens. The players lifted everyone's spirits on their stunning march to the Stanley Cup final in 2017-18, their inaugural season.

The over-the-top pre-game show and intermission entertainment aren't all that delights casual and serious hockey fans alike. In the 44 luxury suites, you can feast on dishes like blackened Pacific Grouper with pineapple pico de gallo and Thai vegetable spring rolls with sweet chili sauce. Sip Shock Top wheat ale or Goose Island IPA while enjoying the live action. On the concourse, check out the Foley Family Winery Tasting Salon near Section 17.

Party at the 18,000-square-foot, Miami-style Hyde Lounge on T-Mobile Arena's Tower Level, which has fabulous views of the Las Vegas Strip. Keep your eyes peeled for celebrities who frequently attend Knights games, like Shaquille O'Neal, David Copperfield, and Carrot Top. Outside, giant video screens and three stages keep the festivities going on Toshiba Plaza. It connects to The Park, the new entertainment district, and signature Vegas hotels like Park MGM and New York New York.

Las Vegas boasts a long history of high-profile boxing matches, including Tyson Fury's heavyweight victory over Deontay Wilder in February. Today, UFC features even more prominently on the calendar in Sin City, which is home to the UFC Performance Institute.

The $14-million, 30,000-square-foot venue offers state-of-the-art training facilities for UFC fighters, along with nutritional consulting, injury rehabilitation, and equipment including cryotherapy chambers, nap pods, hot and cold tubs, and much more. The institute isn't open to the public, but you can watch elite martial artists at upcoming events such as UFC 248 (T-Mobile Arena, March 7).

UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin told TravelPulse Canada about his love of Las Vegas: "It's the home of the UFC. It's the fight capital of the world. More than that, it's going to be like the sports capital of the world here shortly. Think of all the teams you've got here."

Out with the old, in with the new. The Las Vegas Aviators got their new name and a beautiful new ballpark in 2019. Currently the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, the Aviators welcome baseball fans to the Las Vegas Ballpark, a half-hour drive from the Strip in downtown Summerlin.

The venue, which attracted 650,934 fans last year (the highest attendance in minor-league baseball), is pure fun and relaxation. "This is one of the greatest places in America," said Aviators COO and president Don Logan. "Vegas has a feel to it that you just don't see anywhere else."

Next to the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon, spectators can stay cool with big fans or rent the 3.5-foot-deep, 14-seat swimming pool past the center-field wall. To quench your thirst, $2 Beer Nights are a regular promotion. Enjoy concessions from signature hot dogs and garlic truffle fries to delicious tacos and burritos. The outfield video screen is minor-league baseball's biggest at 3,930 square feet. The two mascots, Spruce and Aviator, provide endless fun photo-ops.

For assistant GM Christine Monjer of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, it's no surprise that women's basketball is thriving in this city.

"If you go back to the excitement of the early 1990's with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, we've had AAU basketball, we've had Summer League, and we've had NBA teams out here," Monjer said. "It was only natural that basketball would really make itself at home here. This city is hungry for basketball, and our fans are just so passionate and committed to helping the WNBA move forward."

The Aces, coached by two-time NBA champ Bill Laimbeer, got raves for their splashy hosting of the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game. Catch their home games, featuring stars like A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Scheduled for completion in July 2020, the spectacular $1.9-billion Allegiant Stadium will be the home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders. Unsurprisingly, the football franchise, always aggressive and controversial in its previous Oakland and Los Angeles incarnations, embraces the comparisons to the Death Star in Star Wars that the glistening 65,000-capacity stadium is already earning.

Special features abound. Allegiant Stadium will have a 19 million-pound field tray that slides into the venue to enable the Raiders to compete on natural grass, similar to Arizona's State Farm Stadium. "We want the grass in pristine condition," said Raiders spokesperson Chris Sotiropulos. "It was important to preserve that tradition. It's what our players prefer."

An 85-foot-tall torch - the world's largest printed 3D structure - celebrates the words of late Raiders owner Al Davis: "The fire that burns brightest in the Raiders organization is the will to win." Adjacent to the torch, surrounded by a circular bar, massive steel-and-glass Lanai doors will open, weather permitting, for a glorious view of the Strip to the northeast. The stadium's 128 luxury suites have already sold out. Other high-profile events are rumoured to be in store, such as an "El Clasico" soccer game between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.