Sam Arkwright Diary
July 27th, 2022
Henderson, Nevada. It's where you live if you work in Vegas... and don't want to stay in Vegas.
It may be suburban sprawl, but it's more than just a bedroom community these days. It's home to a $600 million Google data center, an Amazon fulfillment facility, and the Las Vegas Raiders training facility. The population has nearly doubled in the last two decades, growing from roughly 175,000 residents in 2000 to 320,000 in 2022. City leaders like to call Henderson an “employment center,” or a “city on the rise.” But let’s call Henderson what it truly is: A Boom Town.
San Francisco was a boom town. So was Seattle. And Minneapolis. But for every one of those big cities, there's a Deadwood, Dodge City, and a Tombstone. Does John Fisher really think Henderson is going to be the next San Francisco?
It's more than just a little perplexing that the A's would scout a potential stadium location there.
All the rumors and reports lately have centered around two sites -- both on or around The Strip. That's where I would build a stadium. That's where Fisher should build a stadium. Can you imagine a new state-of-the-art facility with all the out-of-town A's fans, along with all the fans of whatever team happens to be in town that week? There's a couple thousand fans right there. Vegas tourists looking for a break from the casinos and the shows? There's a few thousand more right there. And don't forget all the Vegas locals and transplants just looking to adopt a team of their own. Filling a 35,000 seat stadium at $20 a pop for 81 days a year would be a cash cow. $56.7 million, to be exact. Based on what I've seen between the A's and the Braves, that $20 ticket price is a very conservative number.
The Strip is made for Major League Baseball. Henderson is not.
You're telling me the A's are going to build a 35,000 seat stadium in a city with a population of just 320,000 people? 10% of the entire city of Henderson would have to show up to fill the ballpark. And how many tourists do they think are going to make the drive from Vegas to Henderson? Sorry. I just don't see it happening.
It begs the question -- How serious are the A's about Vegas if they're sniffing around Henderson? It's one thing to use one city against another as leverage for a stadium. Clearly it's worked so far with Oakland and Las Vegas. But to pit one community against another within the same city? That's just bad business.
Unless...
Are the people Fisher is dealing with doing the same exact thing to him? It wouldn't be beneath a Las Vegas developer to leverage two suitors against each other -- like a Major League team and a casino. It's definitely something to consider.
All of this makes me wonder... Do I really want to get in the middle of this? I'm not one to gamble, but suddenly I feel like I've stumbled into a high stakes game of poker. Fisher vs. Oakland. Oakland vs. Las Vegas. Las Vegas vs. Henderson. And the wild card... the Commissioner. I can't help but think of the Gambler, Kenny Rogers.
"If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right
You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run"
So... do I play the game? Do I walk away? Or do I run?
Kenny Rogers. The Pitcher: