Hey, Vegas Golden Knights fans! Did you know the F1 Grand Prix happened on Saturday? Did you know Max Verstappen won his fourth F1 title, despite Great Britain's George Russell winning the race?
No? No takers?
Well, it won't matter much to Golden Knights fans unless their favorite hockey team is playing at T-Mobile Arena. That's what happens when you make two Stanley Cup Final appearances and bring the hardware home once (2023). Fans will grow attached to the organization, especially when you make the Stanley Cup playoffs in all but one season.
That's why F1 racing hasn't grown onto the local populace. It feels like a sell-out product without a soul. Sure, you have the mass appeal of bringing a global sport to Sin City. However, the locals aren't fond of having to reroute their daily commutes for an event that costs $2,000 to attend. Of course, other problems persisted, including this.
This was the line for the monorail at the Harrah's/Linq station after the F1 race ended last night. People were waiting 90+ minutes. pic.twitter.com/E0xmYYi0k2
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) November 24, 2024
Waiting 90 minutes to get to the monorail? Golden Knights fans leave T-Mobile Arena in five minutes (or less). That's part of what made the event less than appealing to regular citizens. People love having things right at their fingertips and ready, whether it's transportation or hockey tickets. It also proves that homegrown products will prevail over global spectacles in certain cases.
The moral of the story? Build it and they will come
Another shining example of the effectiveness of growing a local product for fans are the Athletics. Originally, they tried moving to San Jose or Fremont to escape the aging Oakland Coliseum. However, those deals fell through, whether it was an unmotivated John Fisher or the San Francisco Giants stepping in.
Now? The A's are heading to Las Vegas, where they'll play at the old Tropicana hotel. At least, that's the game plan.
Fans are skeptical about the team's ability to deliver on their promises. Fisher did this with the proposed site near the Howard Terminal, which would've cost $12 billion. What makes you think they'll do anything different with Las Vegas, even if Rob Manfred tries to push it through?
That's why Bill Foley and company are revered throughout the Las Vegas community. Sure, Gary Bettman gave the city a platform to thrive, including an All-Star Game, an Expansion Draft, and the most recent NHL Draft at the Sphere. However, it's getting the right head coach (Bruce Cassidy), picking up the right people (Marc-Andre Fleury and Jack Eichel), and hiring the right front office people (general managers Kelly McCrimmon and George McPhee).
When you build a winning product and arena that doesn't fall on the backs of the taxpayers, you earn the trust of local residents. It doesn't matter if it comes at a hefty price tag like the F1 Grand Prix or a storied franchise mismanaged by a bad owner. Building a reputable team by making the correct moves will always bring people to your side.
Yes, there have been unpopular moves such as trading Fleury without telling him (the goaltender eventually found out on Twitter). From a glance, Jonathan Marchessault falls under that same realm. However, seeing Pavel Dorofeyev thrive (10 goals) while the former Conn Smythe winner (three goals) falls is proof that you can't question what the organization does. After all, the Golden Knights won't make you rethink your entire daily commute for a month.