Another great year is coming to an end as Las Vegas continues to expand its footprint as a global sports destination.
It’s still far-fetched to think the Super Bowl will be held at Allegiant Stadium this year, but 10 years ago it was foolish to even dream of it.
But that’s just the beginning.
With the Final Four, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and even Frozen 4 scheduled in the next few years, our F1 race continues to have disappointing results.
And of course, there’s no doubt that another Super Bowl will be announced in the near future.
That’s just the big picture.
There have also been plenty of stories told locally, from the success of the Golden Knights to the struggles of the Raiders, the end of the Aces’ WNBA reign and the Lights of the United Soccer League’s first playoff appearance.
The UNLV football team had enough storylines to make a movie, as they somehow survived the high drama of the NIL, conference realignment, and hard work from the coaching staff to put together perhaps the best season in school history .
Trying to predict what will happen next seems like a fool’s errand, but that doesn’t stop us from trying.
Here are some predictions for the calendar heading into 2025.
1. NBA finally makes it official
Las Vegas has always been a basketball city, and the moment the Knights became a huge success at the box office from day one, it went from a possibility to an inevitability for the NBA to bring an expansion team here.
It’s going to happen, and this year seems like the year it will finally be announced.
The only question that remains is which of the competing projects and ownership groups will be chosen for a franchise that is sure to succeed.
One problem was that the league insisted on a new media rights deal before considering expansion. These were completed last year, so we should be working hard on them now.
There are a lot of details to iron out regarding the Las Vegas franchise, and perhaps 2025 will be the year they all come out.
The NBA may even appear at the same time as baseball.
2. A’s move to Las Vegas will be delayed.
Look, the Athletics are coming.
There are probably many people, including the ones typing these words, who are privately and publicly hoping that this deal falls through and Las Vegas gets baseball without John Fisher.
But the stadium will be built and the Athletics will come to Las Vegas because the deal is too attractive for MLB to turn away, and the local powers are behind it.
Even if it doesn’t happen in 2028 as planned.
At some point in the coming months, the target date will be adjusted to 2029, the opening day, as a series of small obstacles add up to make the current timeline unworkable.
3. Raiders will catch them.
A late-season win over the Jaguars may have kept the Raiders from acquiring the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and the Giants would probably end up taking Colorado QB Shedule Sanders. Still, they need a QB.
They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. General manager Tom Telesco, not known for big trades that move him up in the first round, will orchestrate a trade to move into the top three and likely pick a second quarterback off the board. That would probably be Cam Ward.
No team currently expected to pick behind the Giants is likely in the market for a quarterback, so they should be open to business. Still, a win against the Jaguars could haunt them.
4. Deep Knights’ run fell short
This is starting to feel a lot more like the Stanley Cup champion Knights team than the team that exited early last season.
This is a great roster that has all the pieces to make the playoffs, and they will.
But the Knights will likely never hoist the Cup again. They would lose in the Stanley Cup Finals in six games to the Capitals, the team that beat them in Las Vegas’ first year.
Still, it’s shaping up to be another great season for one of the most successful expansion franchises in major sports history.
5. One lap
UFC President Dana White said this year’s event at the Sphere will be a one-off due to the huge production costs.
But there’s no way he can stick to it. There are contractual issues between the UFC and MGM that need to be resolved, which will be a bigger hurdle to revenue than costs.
But White always finds a way. He will announce his return.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
