Sports in the Las Vegas metropolitan area

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There are many sports activities in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, most of which actually take place in unincorporated communities within the metropolitan area. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, located just off the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, fields Division I athletic teams. Sam Boyd Stadium, located in Whitney, hosts UNLV football; the Las Vegas Bowl, an annual NCAA bowl game; and the USA Sevens, the largest rugby tournament in North America.[1] The Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) just north of the city hosts NASCAR and other automotive events. The National Finals Rodeo is held annually at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus. Visitors and residents also have many options for boating, golf, hiking, rock climbing. The city has many parks which offer a wide range of activities.

Las Vegas is one of the largest cities in the United States without a major league sports team. Las Vegas is home to two minor league sports teams: the Las Vegas 51s of the AAA Pacific Coast League (baseball), and the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL (hockey). The Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League played in the league's first three championship games, winning the first two in 2009 and 2010. The only team to actually play in the City of Las Vegas is the 51s. Due in part to perceived risks with legal sports betting, no major professional sports league has ever had a team in Las Vegas, with the exception of the Utah Jazz's half-season at the Thomas & Mack Center in 1983–84. The placement of a major-league team in Las Vegas is an ongoing topic of discussion between city leaders and the professional sports leagues.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels (the name Runnin' Rebels is used only by the men's basketball team) host Mountain West Conference events on the UNLV campus and eight miles (13 km) east, at Sam Boyd Stadium. Indoor sporting events are held at the Thomas & Mack Center complex, both at the main arena and at Cox Pavilion, a smaller arena attached to the complex.

Professional outdoor football has been attempted three times in Las Vegas. The first two attempts, the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws and the Canadian Football League's Las Vegas Posse, were unsuccessful, with both teams folding after only one season of play. The XFL folded outright, while the Posse were a failure at the box office, part of the CFL's failed U.S. expansion attempt. A third attempt at professional football was begun in the fall of 2009 with the United Football League's Las Vegas Locomotives.

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Issues with major league sports [edit]

The most prominent issue is the perceived problem of legal sports betting. All four major professional sports leagues have strong anti-gambling policies, prohibiting their personnel from having any involvement in gambling. The NFL has taken the toughest stance, even refusing to accept Las Vegas tourism advertising for Super Bowl telecasts and threatening to file suit against any local hotels holding Super Bowl parties. In recent years hotels have gotten around the legal threat by referring to the Super Bowl as "The Big Game" rather than its actual name in advertising.

Some potential owners believe a professional sports franchise would have difficulty gaining an audience, given Las Vegas' numerous entertainment options. Las Vegas also has a high percentage of residents working in 24-hour occupations, many of whom work nights and weekends when most games would be played. These issues are not seen as problems by everyone in professional sports, however. Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria described Las Vegas as "a potential gold mine" for a professional sports team owner. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has also been quoted as saying that Las Vegas would be a good professional sports town.

A huge obstacle is the lack of suitable facilities. Cashman Field, Sam Boyd Stadium, the Thomas & Mack Center, MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Mandalay Bay Events Center are all inadequate to host a professional sports franchise due to capacity, age or design. Harrah's Entertainment and the Anschutz Entertainment Group committed to building a new arena on a parcel of land behind Harrah's Paris and Bally's off the Strip, to be built to NHL and NBA standards. The arena was expected to open in the fall of 2010, but construction has not begun. Harrah's Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman said in a June, 2009 article in Las Vegas Business Press that his company is still committed to building the arena, but it has been delayed by a lack of financing. He said that the arena will probably be completed in 2012 or 2013.[2] There have been no announced plans to replace Sam Boyd Stadium or Cashman Field.[3][4][5] On April 6, 2010 the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that three proposals have been made to build an arena of approximately 20,000 seats on or near the Strip to host professional basketball and hockey, rodeo, concerts and other events. All three proposals called for public money to be used for a portion of the construction cost.[6] Given the city's economic problems at the time of the proposals, it remains to be seen what can be worked out regarding funding.

For years Las Vegas has depended upon UNLV and Strip hotels to provide venues for sporting events. This approach has brought downsides with it. The first indication of trouble occurred in 1999, when UNLV officials refused to discuss a new agreement with the owners of the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League to play at the Thomas & Mack Center. Hotels with facilities suitable for the Thunder would not commit to an entire hockey season, as this would have seriously restricted the dates available for concerts and other events. This left the Thunder without a place to play. The team was disbanded, and the city lost hockey for four years. Only the opening of a new arena (considerably smaller than the Thomas & Mack) at the off-Strip Orleans Hotel allowed for the return of hockey with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. The ECHL is considered two steps below the NHL, or the equivalent of the 'AA' level in minor league baseball. The Thunder was one step above that.

The lack of a baseball park that could be quickly reconfigured for major league baseball cost the city any chance of landing the relocating Montreal Expos in 2004. Since Cashman Field (the only sports facility the city owns) opened in 1988, all but three other cities in AAA baseball (Pawtucket, Tacoma and Portland) have opened new ballparks.[7] Little has been done to improve Cashman since it opened. Because it lags so far behind most other facilities in AAA baseball there is also a danger that Las Vegas will lose its place in minor league baseball's top tier (which happened to Portland after the 2010 season, after plans for a new park fell through). Dissatisfaction with the facilities, along with the total lack of a plan to improve the situation, was cited as a major reason the Los Angeles Dodgers did not renew their working agreement with the Las Vegas 51s after it expired in 2008. The Dodgers resumed what had been a long-term affiliation with Albuquerque, where a new ballpark opened in 2003.

Future major league prospects [edit]

MLB [edit]

In 2003 and 2004, the Major League Baseball Players Association held batting contests at Cashman Field. The contests, held just before spring training, consisted of eight-man elimination tournaments televised on ESPN. Instead of nine innings as in the original, contests lasted for only five innings. José Canseco won the first of the events. Low ratings led to the demise of the competition.

In April 2004, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig publicly revealed that MLB was considering Las Vegas as a potential home for the Montreal Expos. MLB eventually chose Washington, D.C., primarily because the city agreed to provide a new stadium built entirely with public funding.[8] There have also been contacts between city officials and several Major League Baseball owners regarding relocation; the ownership of the then-Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) held a widely-publicized meeting with Mayor Oscar Goodman in the winter of 2004. In 2012 the Marlins moved into the newly-constructed Marlins Park on the site of the demolished Orange Bowl in Miami.

The Oakland Athletics, who played six home games in Las Vegas in 1996 because the Oakland Coliseum wasn't ready for the beginning of the season, have reemerged as a possible relocation candidate. The team submitted a formal proposal for a new stadium in nearby Fremont, but their plans fell through in February 2009 due to local opposition. It now appears that the A's may be heading for a new ballpark to be constructed in San Jose.

Major League Baseball held their 2008 Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. While Mayor Oscar Goodman made an appearance, there was no announcement regarding the city's place in MLB's future plans.

A news item on a local television station dated August 26, 2010 reported that Mayor Oscar Goodman is still actively pursuing an MLB franchise for the city. He was reportedly rebuffed by the owner of an unnamed MLB team due to the small size of the market and the weak local economy.[9]

NBA [edit]

Rumors surfaced in 2005 about the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Las Vegas. In November 2006 California voters rejected a proposal to fund a new arena in Sacramento, considered to be a condition of the team remaining there. Another possible factor was that the owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, also owned the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The Maloofs told ESPN on February 10, 2009 that they had no intention of selling the Kings or moving the team to another city. Changes in the owners' financial situation led to a decision to sell the club to a Seattle group who intend to move the club to their city to replace the departed SuperSonics. A group hoping to keep the team in Sacramento is trying to win the right to match the Seattle group's offer.[10]

The Milwaukee Bucks have also been mentioned as possible candidates for relocation to Las Vegas, as were the Seattle SuperSonics before their relocation to Oklahoma City.[11][12]

Las Vegas hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, the only time the event has been held in a non-NBA city as of 2012. As part of the conditions the NBA set for holding the game in Las Vegas, sports books agreed not to take bets on the game. The NBA Summer League is currently held in Paradise, Nevada, with the 2008 and 2012 United States men's Olympic basketball teams trained in Las Vegas and played a game at the Thomas and Mack Center vs the Dominican Republic.

NHL [edit]

Film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer is an avid hockey fan. He reportedly has had informal talks with the NHL about owning a team in Las Vegas, possibly by means of expansion.[13][14]

Mayor Oscar Goodman mentioned in 2004 that he was contacted by the owner of an NHL team about moving to the city, but he did not identify the team. An article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on January 16, 2009 quoted a league source as saying that Las Vegas is under consideration for a game in the NHL's series of outdoor games. The same source said that the league has had inquiries about placing a team in Las Vegas, but that nothing will move forward until an arena is built.

The 2009 NHL Awards were held in Las Vegas at the Palms Hotel, the first of three ceremonies that will be held in the city, and Las Vegas was a candidate for the relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes.

MLS [edit]

The local media reported in the summer of 2008 that Las Vegas was on the short list of Major League Soccer for an expansion franchise in the near future.

UFL [edit]

The Las Vegas Locomotives began play in October 2009 in the inaugural season of the United Football League. The Locos have played in the first three UFL championship games, winning the first[15] two[16] against the Florida Tuskers, while losing the 2011 edition to the relocated Tuskers, then the Virginia Destroyers.[17] The head coach is Jim Fassel, former head coach of the NFL's New York Giants. The team played home games at UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium. However, the league suspended operations in the middle of the 2012 season.[18] The league's future is uncertain.

Special sports events [edit]

Las Vegas hosts the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, a college bowl game, around Christmas Day. The game generally pairs a Pac-12 team and a Mountain West Conference team.

In 2005–06, the city hosted ArenaBowl XIX and ArenaBowl XX at the Thomas & Mack Center, the AFL's first neutral-site title games. After two years of disappointing attendance the game was moved.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has drawn up to 165,000 fans. Las Vegas also hosts a significant number of professional fights. Many of these fights (such as those in MMA's UFC) take place near downtown or on the Strip in one of the major resort/hotel/casino event centers. Mandalay Bay is frequently a top contender as a venue for the UFC. The National Finals Rodeo has drawn thousands of fans to the city since 1985, and a contract extension was signed in 2005 keeping the event in Las Vegas through 2014. The Professional Bull Riders circuit also holds its world finals in Las Vegas.

Af2, a second-tier arena football league, announced on June 24 that the ArenaCup, the league championship game, would be played in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena on August 22, 2009.[19] Af2 President Jerry Kurs stated that the league had serious plans to put a team in Las Vegas to play at the Orleans Arena.[20] He said that he had "no qualms" about this even given the problems that the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League had in the city. This turned out to be the last season of af2 due to the demise of its parent league, the original Arena Football League.

The city has become a regional hub for college basketball conference tournaments. The Mountain West Conference holds their annual tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. Las Vegas hosted the tournament for the first seven years of the conference's existence, then the tournament returned to Las Vegas in 2009 after three years in Denver. In 2009 the West Coast Conference, which does not have a team in Nevada, moved their tournament to the Orleans Arena. The Western Athletic Conference moved their tournament to Las Vegas in 2011. The WAC also plays at the Orleans Arena. On March 14, 2012 the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Pacific-12 Conference is moving their conference tournament to Las Vegas in 2013, to be played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.[21]

In July 2009, it was announced that the USA Sevens, at the time one of the eight stops (now nine) in the annual IRB Sevens World Series rugby sevens circuit, would move to Sam Boyd Stadium from its former home of San Diego effective in 2010.[1] Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union that features seven players per side instead of the normal 15, and 7-minute halves (10 minutes in competition finals) instead of the normal 40 minutes. The IRB Sevens World Series is an annual series of tournaments for national sevens teams, with most of the events featuring 16 teams competing for four distinct trophies.

Las Vegas submitted a bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, but did so without United States Olympic Committee (USOC) consent. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires that a national Olympic committee nominates a city within their country followed by the submission of the bid to the IOC. The USOC stated that they would not submit a 2020 bid. Las Vegas proceeded without USOC support. The IOC reportedly rejected the bid.[22] The day after the September 1, 2011 deadline for bidding, the IOC revealed the six applicant cities and Las Vegas was not one of them.[23]

Teams [edit]

Current professional teams
Club Sport League Venue Established Championships
Las Vegas 51s baseball Pacific Coast League Cashman Field 1983 2
Las Vegas Wranglers hockey ECHL Orleans Arena 2003 0
Las Vegas Locomotives American football United Football League Sam Boyd Stadium 2009 2
Las Vegas Sin Indoor football Legends Football League Orleans Arena 2011 0
Las Vegas Legends Indoor Soccer Professional Arena Soccer League Orleans Arena 2012 0
Las Vegas Knights Indoor Soccer Premier Arena Soccer League Las Vegas Sports Park 2006 1
Previous professional teams
Club League Venue Established Final Championships
Las Vegas Americans Major Indoor Soccer League Thomas & Mack Center 1984 1985
Las Vegas Bandits International Basketball League Thomas & Mack Center 2000 2001
Las Vegas Cowboys Continental Football League Cashman Field 1968 1969
Las Vegas Coyotes Roller Hockey International Santa Fe Hotel & Casino Ice Arena 1999 1999
Las Vegas Dustdevils Continental Indoor Soccer League MGM Grand Garden Arena
Thomas & Mack Center		 1994 1995 1 (1994)
Las Vegas Flash Roller Hockey International Thomas & Mack Center 1994 1994
Las Vegas Gladiators Arena Football League Thomas & Mack Center
Orleans Arena		 2003 2007
Las Vegas Outlaws XFL Sam Boyd Stadium 2001 2001
Las Vegas Posse Canadian Football League Sam Boyd Stadium 1994 1994
Las Vegas Quicksilvers North American Soccer League Sam Boyd Stadium 1977 1977
Las Vegas PROLYMs American Basketball Association 2006 2007
Las Vegas Rattlers American Basketball Association All American Sportspark 2004 2005
Las Vegas Silvers Continental Basketball Association 1982 1983
Las Vegas Silver Bandits International Basketball League Thomas & Mack Center 1999 2000
Las Vegas Slam American Basketball Association Thomas & Mack Center 2001 2002
Las Vegas Stars International Basketball League Stations Sports Complex 2007 2008
Las Vegas Strikers NPSL Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex 2003 2008
Las Vegas Sting Arena Football League MGM Grand Garden Arena
Thomas & Mack Center		 1994 1995
Las Vegas Tabagators WPSL Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex 2005 2006
Las Vegas Thunder International Hockey League Thomas & Mack Center 1993 1999
Las Vegas Venom American Basketball Association 2006 2006
Las Vegas Wranglers various 1947 1952 1 (1949)
Las Vegas Wranglers various 1957 1958

Boxing [edit]

Las Vegas is also host to many professional boxing matches and has hosted many heavyweight boxing championship bouts.

Notable bouts [edit]

Darts [edit]

Golf [edit]

Las Vegas hosts three pro tour events:

Mixed martial arts [edit]

Along with significant rises in popularity in mixed martial arts (MMA), a number of fight leagues such as the UFC have taken interest in Las Vegas as a primary event location due to the number of suitable host venues. The Mandalay Bay Events Center and MGM Grand Garden Arena are among some of the more popular venues for fighting events such as MMA and have hosted several UFC and other MMA title fights.

Motor sports [edit]

Las Vegas has become an internationally known motor racing locale having hosted the elite Formula One racers at Caesars Palace and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) for Indy racers in the early 1980s. Las Vegas was also the home of the famed "Mint 400" Desert Race from 1968–1987 run in the unforgiving Nevada desert outside Las Vegas. Nearly 100,000 spectators lined the 100 mile (160 km) loop to view the 500 plus off road racing vehicles. Sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino, the event was the largest and richest event in the sport. The technical and safety inspection was held on famed Fremont Street and became one of the major must attend sporting events in Las Vegas history. The race ended when Del Webb organization sold the Mint Hotel to the adjacent Horseshoe owned by the legendary Binion gaming family.

Over the years, Vegas was the host for the Caesars Palace Grand Prix.

The CanAm races 1966–68 were held at the old Stardust Raceway and were officially called the Stardust Grand Prix.

In July 2006, the Las Vegas City Council approved a 2.44-mile, 14-turn, counterclockwise street circuit in the downtown area for a Champ Car event slated for April 6–8, 2007.[24]

Events [edit]

Las Vegas hosts these motor sports at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Professional wrestling [edit]

Over the years, Las Vegas has housed many wrestling events for WWE such as WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace, No Way Out (2001) housed at the Thomas & Mack Center, Vengeance (2005), Monday Night Raw, and No Way Out (2008). Las Vegas also hosted World Championship Wrestling's 1999 Halloween Havoc and TNA Wrestling's TNA Impact!

Rodeo [edit]

Las Vegas has hosts three Professional Rodeo events:

Roller Derby [edit]

Rugby league [edit]

The Las Vegas Warriors formed in January 2012, are a rugby league football club that are part of the Las Vegas Rugby Academy and compete in the American National Rugby League's Western Conference.[25] Australian actor Russell Crowe announced plans in November 2010 to hold a Champion's League tournament (featuring the top 4 Super League and NRL teams) in Las Vegas.[26]

Rugby union [edit]

The USA Sevens, the largest annual rugby tournament in North America, has been held in Sam Boyd Stadium during the second weekend in February every year since 2010. The 2012 USA Sevens drew over 64,000 fans to the stadium and was broadcast live on NBC.[27]

The Las Vegas Blackjacks RFC are a rugby union team that compete in the Southern California Rugby Football Union.

Running [edit]

Events [edit]

  • Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon — The marathon was originally organized by Al Boka in 1983, who eventually sold the marathon in 2005 to Devine Racing, a Chicago-based race organization company that is responsible for several other races, including the Los Angeles Marathon. Devine redubbed the race as "The New Las Vegas Marathon", and updated the course to include the Strip. Introduced on December 4, 2005, the new course marks one of the race occasions that the Strip is closed to traffic. Prior to that, the course had run on the old Los Angeles Highway, beginning in the community of Jean, Nevada, and ending inside Las Vegas proper (Sunset Park). Additionally in 2005, the date of the marathon was changed from January to December to help ensure better weather. In 2009, the Las Vegas Marathon was acquired by the Competitor Group, Inc. and renamed as the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, as part of the company's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series.[28]
  • Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay – Vegas is the end point for the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay'. This 120 mile long foot race is run in April of each year by law enforcement teams from around the world.[29] The race starts in Baker, California and is run over two days. This is the largest law enforcement athletic event in the world.[citation needed]

Tennis [edit]

Las Vegas is home to The Tennis Channel Open hosted at Darling Tennis Center. An international series tournament with a $500,000 prize fund which attracts stars such as Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake and Las Vegas native Andre Agassi.

Triathlon [edit]

Other events [edit]

  • Las Vegas is home to the professional paint ball team Las Vegas LTZ and amateur team Sin City Paintball.

Sports venues [edit]

Arenas [edit]

Golf courses [edit]

Motor sports [edit]

Sports fields [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b "USA Sevens Signs Letter Of Intent to Bring Tournament to New Venue in 2010" (Press release). USA Sevens, LLC. July 13, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009. 
  2. ^ "State of Harrah's – Gary Loveman talks about present and future of gaming giant". Las Vegas Business Press. June 15, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009. 
  3. ^ "Vegas, baby? Arena envisioned to draw pro team to city". ESPN. August 22, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  4. ^ Nakashima, Ryan (August 22, 2007). "Harrah's, AEG to build Las Vegas arena to attract NHL, NBA teams". USA Today. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  5. ^ Knightly, Arnold M. (August 22, 2007). "Joint Venture: Arena plan unveiled". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  6. ^ Wyland, Scott (April 6, 2010). "Commissioners hear proposals for new sports arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Triple A (AAA) Ballparks, Ballparks of Baseball". Ballparksofbaseball.com. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  8. ^ Olney, Buster (January 26, 2004). "Las Vegas Expos not such a longshot". ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  9. ^ Press Release (August 26, 2010). "Goodman Gets Brushback Pitch from MLB Team". Fox 5 Vegas. Retrieved August 26, 2010. 
  10. ^ ((cite web | last = Kasler | First = Dale | title = Maloofs disclose details of Kings sale to bankruptcy trustee | date = February 12, 2013 | work = Sacramento Bee | url=http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/12/5183022/maloofs-disclose-details-of-kings.html))
  11. ^ Robbins, Liz (February 15, 2007). "Las Vegas yearns for a team". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  12. ^ "Sonics owner Bennett tells officials he's eyeing Vegas". ESPN. April 28, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  13. ^ Dewey, Todd (June 8, 2007). "Las Vegas needs arena for NHL to take root". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  14. ^ Gallagher, Tony (June 8, 2007). "NHL flirts with Las Vegas". CanWest News Service. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  15. ^ Olivieri, Anthony (2009-11-29). "Locos Win UFL's First-Ever Title". AOL News. Retrieved 2013-01-09. 
  16. ^ Pivovar, Steve (2010-11-27). "Tuskers fall short in UFL championship game". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2013-01-09. 
  17. ^ Associated Press (2011-10-22). "Virginia Destroyers win UFL title". Boston.com. Retrieved 2013-01-09. 
  18. ^ "UFL suspends operations for 2012 season". Omaha Nighthawks. Retrieved 2013-01-09. 
  19. ^ Press Release (June 24, 2009). "Vegas Baby: 2009 ArenaCup heads to Las Vegas". Af2. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 
  20. ^ Staff (June 24, 2009). "af2 championship game bound for Orleans Arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 
  21. ^ "Pac-12 to bring basketball tourney to MGM Grand Garden - Sports - ReviewJournal.com". Lvrj.com. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  22. ^ "Exclusive: Las Vegas submitted 2020 Olympic bid to IOC without USOC Concurrence". GamesBids.com. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  23. ^ "PressRelease". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  24. ^ "Las Vegas approves Champ Car race". ESPN. July 20, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2008. 
  25. ^ "More teams for AMNRL". rleague.com. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  26. ^ Walter, Brad (November 27, 2010). "Crowe wants a Vegas play-off". The Sydney Morning Herald. 
  27. ^ "USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament Returns to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas for Fourth Consecutive Year". Kirvin Doak Communications. September 11, 2012. 
  28. ^ "Las Vegas Strip to close for marathon runners". The San Diego Union Tribune. June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
  29. ^ "BakerVegas". BakerVegas. Retrieved 2012-08-07. 
  30. ^ Empfield, Dan (October 7, 2010). "70.3 WC: Viva Las Vegas". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
  31. ^ "Course". World Triathlon Corporation. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
  32. ^ Empfield, Dan (May 7, 2013). "70.3 Worlds Internationalizes". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013. 
  33. ^ "The 2011 ITU Long Course Triathlon World Championships". Silvermannv.com. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
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