Some 28 minor league sports teams have come and gone, unable to replicate the successful business model of the Triple-A baseball team.
Over two dozen minor league franchises — including the Silvers, Outlaws, Thunder, and Gladiators — have found their place in Southern Nevada’s sports graveyard.
But not the Las Vegas Aviators. Without its $150 million stadium anchoring Downtown Summerlin, the Triple-A team — previously known as the Stars and 51s — might have followed the same fate.
Howard Hughes Corp., along with an $80 million, 20-year naming rights deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, created the nearly 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark, which opened in 2019.
Cashman Field in downtown Las Vegas, which is 41 years old, “probably lost its fastball in the early 2000s,” Aviators president Don Logan said, using an expression to describe a pitcher at the end of his career. “Major League Baseball wouldn’t have allowed us to continue at a facility like Cashman.”
The new stadium transformed the business model for the Pacific Coast League members. The franchise celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023, seeing a threefold increase in season ticket sales from the final year at the dilapidated Cashman. More than 20 luxury suites accommodating groups of 20 to 60 fans opened new revenue streams for the team.
Logan, with the franchise since 1983 and serving as president since 2003, believes Las Vegas has room for minor league sports. However, 28 minor league teams in hockey, basketball, arena football, and indoor soccer have come and gone.
In the last three years, Las Vegas has seen minor league franchises emerge in hockey, arena football, women’s volleyball, and indoor lacrosse. Logan suggested these teams need to invest time and money into Southern Nevada to build a fan base for success.
“The Aviators are part of the community, and that’s why we’ve succeeded where other models haven’t,” Logan said. “We’re affordable, and over the years, we have become good partners to local businesses and nonprofits.”
Major League Sports Transforming Las Vegas
The biggest change in the sports landscape has been Las Vegas’ elevation as a major league sports market. The city became home to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, which won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, who relocated from San Antonio in 2019. Three years ago, the Oakland Raiders moved to the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, becoming the Las Vegas Raiders and bringing the nation’s most popular professional sports league.
None of these teams directly competes for the Aviators’ fan base.
Logan attributed the team’s longevity to the deep connection people have with baseball. “Baseball runs through everyone’s blood. It’s got a connection to people more than any other sport,” he said.
When the team arrived in 1983, it wasn’t seen as a business rival to the UNLV men’s basketball program. The “Runnin’ Rebels” were the only sports attraction in Las Vegas, making four NCAA Final Four appearances from 1977 to 1991 and winning a national championship in 1990 under coach Jerry Tarkanian.
On Deck: The Las Vegas A’s
In 2028, the Aviators are expected to see their Major League affiliate, the Oakland Athletics, move into a planned $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat stadium on the Strip. The A’s have a 10-year player development contract with the Aviators, with both franchises benefiting from being in the same market, such as moving players seamlessly between the teams.
With the A’s playing 81 home games and the Aviators hosting 75 games at Las Vegas Ballpark, there will be some overlap.
“It’s going to be a little more challenging, but our price points are going to be so much less than Major League Baseball,” Logan said. “We have a great venue in a great part of town, and it’s always about 5 degrees cooler up here. I think [having the A’s in Las Vegas] will impact us, but I don’t think it will put us out of business.”
Logan remains in constant contact with the A’s management. The A’s have played spring training games at Las Vegas Ballpark and may play a few regular season games in Las Vegas over the next three years while temporarily relocating to Sacramento as their stadium is being built.
Challenges Ahead for the A’s
UNLV economics professor Bill Robinson, specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment, said the Aviators’ four decades in Las Vegas present a challenge for the A’s to build a following in the next three years.
“The A’s don’t really have a fan base, even in Oakland,” Robinson said. “The A’s will be on the Strip, and it’s not easy to get to. You’re going to have to pay for parking, which will be very expensive. Locals might still prefer to go to Aviators games.”
Robinson emphasized the onus on the A’s to differentiate between attracting locals and tourists.
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