Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

SPECTATOR SPORTS 203
Monte Carlo (& 702/730-7777) has three night-lit courts available to the
public for $15 per hour.
In addition to hotels, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Harmon
Avenue just east of Swenson Street (& 702/895-0844), has a dozen courts
(all lit for night play) that are open weekdays from 6am to 9:45pm, weekends
8am to 9pm. Rates are $5 per person per day. You should call before going to
find out if a court is available.
8 Spectator Sports
Las Vegas isn’t known for its sports teams. Except for minor-league baseball and
hockey, the only consistent spectator sports are those at UNLV. The Las Vegas
Motor Speedway (p. 181) is a main venue for car racing and should draw major
events to Las Vegas.
But since the city has several top-notch sporting arenas, there are important
annual events that take place in Las Vegas, details for which can be found in the
“Las Vegas Calendar of Events” in chapter 2. The PGA Tour’s Las Vegas Senior
Classic is held each April in nearby Summerlin, and the Las Vegas Invitational
takes place in Las Vegas each October. The National Finals Rodeo is held in
UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center each December. From time to time, you’ll
find NBA exhibition games, professional ice-skating competitions, or gymnastics
exhibitions. Then there are the only-in-Vegas spectaculars, such as Evel
Knievel’s ill-fated attempt to jump the fountains in front of Caesars.
Finally, Las Vegas is well known as a major location for boxing matches.
These are held in several Strip hotels, most often at Caesars or the MGM Grand,
but sometimes at The Mirage. Tickets are hard to come by and quite expensive.
Tickets to sporting events at hotels are available either through Ticketmaster
(& 702/893-3000; www.ticketmaster.com) or through the hotels themselves
(why pay Ticketmaster’s exorbitant service charges?).
MAJOR SPORTS VENUES IN HOTELS
Caesars Palace (& 800/634-6698 or 702/731-7110) has a long tradition of
hosting sporting events, from Evel Knievel’s attempted motorcycle jump over its
fountains in 1967 to Grand Prix auto races. Mary Lou Retton has tumbled
in gymnastic events at Caesars, and Olympians Brian Boitano and Katarina
Witt have taken to the ice, as has Wayne Gretzky. And well over 100 worldchampionship
boxing contests have taken place here since the hotel opened. In
the spirit of ancient Rome, Caesars awards riches and honors to the “gladiators”
who compete in its arenas.
The MGM Grand’s Garden Events Arena (& 800/929-1111 or 702/891-
7777) is a major venue for professional boxing matches, rodeos, tennis, iceskating
shows, World Figure Skating Championships, and more.
Mandalay Bay (& 877/632-7400) has been hosting a number of boxing
matches in its 12,000-seat Events Center.
The Mirage (& 800/627-6667 or 702/791-7111) also features occasional
championship boxing matches.