Before it was
Sports City.

Before the big leagues

Early Cashman Field hosted baseball, rodeo and boxing, long before the modern stadium era. Its original wooden venue opened for games in 1948.

Stardust International Raceway

The Valley’s motorsport story includes Stardust: sports cars, Can-Am, Trans-Am, drag racing and USAC championship cars on a circuit later lost to urban development.

Hockey’s early foothold

The independent Las Vegas Outlaws were part of a much earlier hockey chapter than the Golden Knights.

Jai alai on the Strip

The original MGM Grand brought professional jai alai and Basque players to the Strip. The 1980 fire interrupted play, but newer histories place the permanent closure in 1983, when the fronton became meeting space. Read the full jai alai story for the players, rules and conflicting older accounts.

Read the complete ArenaLV jai alai story

The Quicksilvers experiment

Las Vegas fielded a North American Soccer League team for one season. Eusébio was among the notable players in that short-lived chapter.

Formula 1 at Caesars Palace

Las Vegas staged two Formula 1 races under the Caesars Palace Grand Prix name, decades before the modern Strip circuit.

Stars, stadium and college crowds

Triple-A baseball arrived as the Las Vegas Stars, while Thomas & Mack opened a new chapter for large-scale indoor events.

Rodeo finds a December home

The National Finals Rodeo moved to Las Vegas and became a cornerstone of the city’s winter event calendar.

UNLV’s championship night

Jerry Tarkanian’s Runnin’ Rebels beat Duke 103–73 in Denver to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

The Thunder years

The Las Vegas Thunder brought International Hockey League competition to Thomas & Mack and helped build a local professional hockey audience.

A new speedway opens

Las Vegas Motor Speedway added a major racing complex to Southern Nevada’s event infrastructure.

The Stars become the 51s

Las Vegas’s Triple-A club took a new name while continuing to play at Cashman Field.

Wranglers hockey

The ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers built a devoted following, adding another layer to the Valley’s pre-NHL hockey history.

T-Mobile Arena opens

A privately financed arena near the Strip expanded the city’s capacity for major sports and entertainment events.

The Golden Knights arrive

The NHL era began, building on decades of local hockey experiments and smaller professional clubs.

Soccer settles in downtown

Lights FC began playing at Cashman Field, sharing the stadium with baseball before becoming its sole sports tenant.

The Aviators move west

The former 51s became the Aviators and opened their new home in Downtown Summerlin.

Allegiant changes the scale

The stadium created a shared home for Raiders and UNLV football and a platform for major destination events.

Henderson adds an arena

The venue now called Lee’s Family Forum opened, strengthening the Valley’s network of smaller professional sports venues.

Formula 1 returns

The modern Las Vegas Grand Prix brought Formula 1 back on a circuit incorporating the Strip.

Another transition at Cashman

The Lights announced a farewell season as the historic complex moves toward redevelopment.