T-Mobile Arena

Last updated

T-Mobile Arena
The Fortress
T-Mobile Arena logo.svg
Las Vegas 05.2020 - T-Mobile Arena.jpg
T-Mobile Arena in 2020
Location map Las Vegas Strip.png
Red pog.svg
T-Mobile Arena
Location in Paradise
Relief map of U.S., Nevada.png
Red pog.svg
T-Mobile Arena
Location in Nevada
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
T-Mobile Arena
Location in the United States
Former namesLas Vegas Arena (planning/construction)
Address3780 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Location Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Coordinates 36°06′10″N115°10′42″W / 36.10278°N 115.17833°W / 36.10278; -115.17833
Public transit BSicon MONO.svg Las Vegas Monorail
at MGM Grand
BSicon BUS2.svg RTC Transit routes 201, 301, 502, 605, 606, 607, 608, 902
Owner
Operator MGM Resorts International [2]
Capacity Overall: 20,000
Basketball: 18,000
Boxing/MMA/Pro Wrestling: 20,000
Ice hockey: 17,500
Concerts: 12,000–20,000 [3]
Acreage 16 acres (6.5 ha)
Construction
Broke groundMay 1, 2014;10 years ago (2014-05-01)
OpenedApril 6, 2016;8 years ago (2016-04-06)
Construction cost$375 million
Architect Populous
Project managerICON Venue Group
Structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineerME Engineers
General contractorPenta Building Group
Hunt Construction Group
Tenants
Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) (2017–present)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (2016–present)
Website
t-mobilearena.com

T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), T-Mobile Arena is situated on the Las Vegas Strip behind the New York-New York and Park MGM casino hotels.

Contents

T-Mobile Arena has hosted various sports and entertainment events, with the latter including concerts, award shows, and beauty pageants. The arena has also hosted various combat sport events, including mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, and professional wrestling. MMA promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) signed a long-term tenancy agreement with T-Mobile Arena in 2017, under which it agreed to host four events per-year over the next seven years.

History

The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) first tried to build an arena in Las Vegas in association with Harrah's Entertainment. In 2007, the joint venture announced they would build a 20,000 seat stadium behind the Bally's and Paris casino-hotels. [4] Caesars Entertainment had previously envisioned using the location to build a baseball park, but the company's buyout by Harrah's cancelled the plans. Through the following year, Harrah's became uncertain on continuing with the project, not knowing if AEG would split the costs, and whether building a major league-ready stadium without a guaranteed franchise to play on it would be feasible given the enduring financial crisis. [5] The original plans were to break ground in June 2008 and finish the arena in 2010, but by 2009, it was revealed that the stalled project had not even done a traffic study despite being located near a busy intersection. [6] In 2010, the plans were changed to use an area behind the Imperial Palace. However, given the financing would require a special taxation district, opposition from Clark County regarding using public money in the project stalled it even further. [7] AEG eventually backed out completely by 2012, once MGM Resorts International came up with their own project using a terrain behind the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts. This attracted AEG primarily for not relying on public funding. [8]

MGM and AEG announced their joint arena plan on March 1, 2013. [9] Plans were further fleshed out over the following months with the announcement of a $100-million pedestrian shopping area, The Park, to serve as a gateway to the arena, [10] and the retention of prominent sports architecture firm Populous to design the project. [11] Other firms on the project include: the ICON Venue Group, [12] Thornton Tomasetti, [13] ME Engineers, [14] Penta Building Group and Hunt Construction Group. [15]

The project broke ground on May 1, 2014, [16] followed by the demolition of existing buildings, and excavation of an oval area for the arena. The final steel beam of the structure was placed on May 27, 2015. [17]

In January 2016, T-Mobile US announced that it had acquired the naming rights to the new arena in a multi-year contract. [18] [19] The arena held its grand opening on April 6, 2016, with a concert by Las Vegas natives The Killers, Shamir and Wayne Newton. [20] Country music artists Martina McBride and Cam performed at a soft opening on March 31, 2016. [21]

In 2016, the National Hockey League awarded an expansion team to a Las Vegas ownership group led by Bill Foley, with T-Mobile Arena as its home venue. [22] As part of the team's lease, Foley negotiated an option to buy a stake in the arena from MGM and AEG. [1] He exercised that option in September 2016, buying a 15 percent interest for around $35 million. [1] [23]

Tenants

During its construction, T-Mobile Arena was pointed to as the home arena for a possible National Hockey League expansion team in Las Vegas. [24] [25] [26] The expansion bid was approved and announced by the NHL on June 22, 2016; the new team, the Vegas Golden Knights, began play in the 2017–18 season. [22] [27]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event at the venue was UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes , held on July 9, 2016. [28] In March 2017, the UFC signed a seven-year agreement to become an official tenant of T-Mobile Arena. The promotion agreed to host at least four events per-year at the facility, in exchange for receiving permanent retail space and signage. [29]

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals moved to T-Mobile Arena in 2016, moving from the Thomas & Mack Center, [30] followed by the Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, which moved from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. [31] The PBR World Finals were held at T-Mobile Arena from 2016 to 2019, and again in 2021. Since 2022, the arena is home to the PBR Team Series Championship. [32]

The UNLV men's basketball team played at least one game at T-Mobile Arena in each of the first three seasons after the venue's opening. The Runnin' Rebels played and lost to Duke in December 2016, [33] defeated Rice and Utah in successive games in November 2017, [34] and defeated BYU in November 2018. [35]

Notable events

In addition to Golden Knights games and UFC events, a number of major sporting events have been held at the arena, including boxing matches such as Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor. By virtue of the Golden Knights winning the 2017–18 Western Conference finals, it also played host to three games of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, between the Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals, including the cup-clinching fifth game which awarded the Capitals their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The arena hosted three games of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals between the Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers, culminating in a 9-3 Game 5 win for the Golden Knights on June 13, 2023.

The arena has hosted nationally televised entertainment events such as the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the Latin Grammy Awards, and the Miss USA beauty pageant. It is also a stop on many national concert tours, and hosts Strait to Vegas, a concert residency by George Strait.

WWE hosted the first professional wrestling event at the arena in June 2016, with its Money in the Bank pay-per-view. [36] All Elite Wrestling (AEW) made its debut at the arena with Double or Nothing in 2022, which was the promotion's first event to exceed $1 million in gate revenue. [37]

The semifinals and final of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament were held at T-Mobile Arena.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM Resorts International</span> Hotel and entertainment company

MGM Resorts International is an American global hospitality and entertainment company operating destination resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, and New Jersey, including Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and Park MGM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Strip</span> Stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard with many resorts, shows, and casinos

The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about 4.2 mi (6.8 km) long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester, but is often referred to simply as "Las Vegas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrah's Entertainment</span> American gaming corporation

Harrah's Entertainment was an American casino and hotel company founded in Reno, Nevada, and based in Paradise, Nevada, that operated over 50 properties and seven golf courses under several brands. In 2013, it was the fourth-largest gambling company in the world, with annual revenues of $8.6 billion. It was acquired in 2020 by Eldorado Resorts, which then changed its own name to Caesars Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas & Mack Center</span> Multi-purpose arena

The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anschutz Entertainment Group</span> American company

The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events. Under the AEG Presents brand, it is the world's second-largest presenter of live music and entertainment events, after Live Nation. AEG Presents was founded in 2002 as AEG Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orleans Arena</span> Multipurpose indoor arena in Nevada

Orleans Arena is a 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It is located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino and is operated by Coast Casinos, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM Grand Garden Arena</span> Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, United States

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and subsequent concerts by Luther Vandross, Anita Mui and Janet Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-Mobile Center</span> Multi-purpose arena in Missouri, US

T-Mobile Center is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has effectively become the city's primary indoor arena, a role previously held by Kemper Arena, which had been built in 1974 a few miles away in the West Bottoms neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelob Ultra Arena</span> Event center in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, and was opened on April 10, 1999. MGM and brewing company Anheuser-Busch entered a naming-rights agreement in 2021, naming the arena after the company's Michelob Ultra beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa is a resort located along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada, south of the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan, the founder of Coast Casinos. It includes a 137,232 sq ft (12,749.3 m2) casino and a 25-story hotel with 2,163 rooms.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area is home to many sports, most of which take place in the unincorporated communities around Las Vegas rather than in the city itself. Currently, the Las Vegas Valley has three major league professional teams: the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL), which began play in 2017 as the region's first major pro team, the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) which began play in 2020 after relocating from Oakland, California, and the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) plan to move to Las Vegas to play at a new ballpark which is estimated to be complete by 2028. When this relocation happens, Las Vegas will have progressed from being the largest market in the U.S. with no teams in the men's major professional leagues to being one of the smallest markets with at least three such teams within less than a decade. In addition, the National Basketball Association has publicly confirmed Las Vegas is being considered for an expansion franchise, which would potentially make Las Vegas by far the fastest market to progress from no teams in the Big Four leagues to having teams in all four leagues.

Frozen Fury is an annual pre-season ice hockey game hosted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), held in Salt Lake City since 2021. A previous incarnation of the series was held between the Kings and the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas from 1997 to 2016. On four occasions, the Kings faced different teams instead of the Avalanche; once each against the Arizona Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and the Dallas Stars. The 15th Frozen Fury was originally supposed to take place on September 29, 2012, but was cancelled due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout. It resumed September 27–28, 2013, with the New York Rangers making their debut in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Net Resort & Arena</span> Planned entertainment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada

All Net Resort & Arena was a planned entertainment complex in Las Vegas. A project of businessman and former basketball player Jackie Robinson, the complex would have included a resort hotel, retail and restaurant space, and a multi-purpose arena with a retractable roof. Its location was set on the Las Vegas Strip at the former site of a Wet 'n Wild waterpark, next to the Sahara Las Vegas in Winchester, Nevada.

William J. Hornbuckle IV is an American businessman who presently is the CEO and President of MGM Resorts International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegas Golden Knights</span> National Hockey League team in Paradise, Nevada

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expansion team, the team is the first major sports franchise to represent Las Vegas. The franchise is owned by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley and the Maloof family. Their home games are played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Foley (businessman)</span> American businessperson (born 1944)

William P. Foley II is an American businessman and former attorney, specializing in financial services. He is chairman of Fidelity National Financial, Cannae Holdings and Black Knight Financial Services, and vice chairman of Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS). Foley is the lead investor, chairman, and CEO of Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium that owns the Vegas Golden Knights. He is managing general partner of Black Knight Football and Entertainment, which owns Premier League club AFC Bournemouth, A-League club Auckland FC, and a stake in French Ligue 1 club FC Lorient. As of 2023, he had an estimated net worth of US$1.6 billion according to Forbes.

Vici Properties Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino and entertainment properties, based in New York City. It was formed in 2017 as a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Corporation as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. It owns 54 casinos, hotels, and racetracks, 4 golf courses, and 38 bowling alleys around the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City National Arena</span> Ice hockey arena in Summerlin, Nevada.

City National Arena is the practice facility and team headquarters of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. City National Arena opened on September 18, 2017, and is located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. It contains the headquarters for the team, a team store, and a MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub restaurant, among other features. It is also the home venue for the UNLV Rebels hockey program, the Las Vegas Thunderbirds, the Vegas Jesters of the Mountain West Hockey League, and the Junior Golden Knights.

The Fortress Invitational, formerly known as the Ice Vegas Invitational, is an annual mid-season college ice hockey tournament that has been held since 2018 at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kaplan, Daniel (October 3, 2016). "NHL's Vegas owner buys share of arena". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Form 10-K: Annual Report (Report). MGM Resorts International. March 1, 2018. p. 72 via EDGAR.
  3. "Quick Facts". T-Mobile Arena. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  4. "Vegas, baby? Arena envisioned to draw pro team to city". ESPN. August 23, 2007.
  5. Benston, Liz (September 27, 2008). "Harrah's still wants arena, but how much will it pay?". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  6. "Insiders Tight Lipped on Las Vegas Arena". 8NewsNow.com . January 20, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  7. Las Vegas foundation drops arena effort
  8. "MGM & AEG Building a 20,000-Seat Arena on the Las Vegas Strip". Billboard. June 19, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2015.{{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  9. "MGM Resorts announces plan for 20,000-seat arena". Las Vegas Sun. March 1, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  10. Stutz, Howard (April 18, 2013). "MGM has grand plans with trendy plaza, sports arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  11. Snel, Alan (June 18, 2013). "World-famed architect announced for MGM arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  12. Snel, Alan (November 5, 2013). "AEG, MGM Resorts International Offer First Look at Arena on Las Vegas Strip". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  13. Jones, Jenny (February 18, 2014). "New Arena Design Reflects Las Vegas's Milieu". Civil Engineering. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  14. "Designing a Winning Sports Venue". Consulting-Specifying Engineer. April 27, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  15. Robison, Jennifer (December 22, 2013). "Las Vegas Construction Poised to Prosper in 2014". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  16. Snel, Alan (May 1, 2014). "Shovels in the Ground, Confetti in the Air as MGM/AEG Arena Construction Begins". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  17. Snel, Alan (May 27, 2015). "Construction workers install final beam at MGM arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  18. "Introducing T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas". T-Mobile US. January 7, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  19. Snel, Alan (January 7, 2016). "T-Mobile buys naming rights to new Las Vegas arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  20. Casper, Ashley (April 1, 2016). "What others are saying about T-Mobile Arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. News + Media Capital Group LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  21. "Martina McBride plays private concert at T-Mobile Arena stress test". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  22. 1 2 Carp, Steve (June 22, 2016). "Las Vegas awarded NHL expansion team". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  23. Form 10-K: Annual Report (Report). MGM Resorts International. March 1, 2018. p. 82 via EDGAR.
  24. "NHL says no credibility to report of Las Vegas expansion team". Las Vegas Sun. August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  25. "NHL denies expansion report, including a second team in Toronto". Toronto Star. August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  26. "Gallagher: Bettman has changed his tune on NHL expansion". The Province. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  27. Rosen, Dan (June 22, 2016). "Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  28. Dave Doyle (September 4, 2015). "UFC 200 set for July 9, 2016 at new Las Vegas Arena". mmafighting.com. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  29. Hill, Adam (March 3, 2017). "UFC to be an anchor tenant at T-Mobile Arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  30. "PBR moves Built Ford Tough Series World Finals to new Las Vegas Arena in 2016". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  31. "Pac-12 Tournament will move to larger Las Vegas arena in 2017". Deseret News. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  32. "PBR Team Series Championship at T-Mobile Arena". Las Vegas Journal. November 3, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  33. "2016–17 Men's Basketball Schedule". UNLV Rebels. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  34. "2017–18 Men's Basketball Schedule". UNLV Rebels. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  35. "2018–19 Men's Basketball Schedule". UNLV Rebels. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  36. Caldwell, James. "6/19 WWE MITB PPV Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  37. Currier, Joseph (March 4, 2022). "AEW announces its first-ever $1 million gate". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

38. Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/gervonta-davis-vs-ryan-garcia-fight-pay-per-view-numbers-live-gate-exceed-expectations-in-las-vegas/