The Vegas Golden Knights speak to something more than just sports. The Knights have made a genuine network for fans and created a neighborhood overflowing with pride for its community. For most fans, the overwhelming success the Knights have had is just a bonus. It’s the community they’ve created that appears to have the most impact.
History
In 2016 at a NHL league owner meeting, it was decided that the Vegas Golden Knights would start play in the 2017-2018 season. Being an expansion team, the Knights had all odds against them. Their story quickly changed as the Knights went on to the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural season.
Revenue
At the end of their first season, the Knights finished 17th in the NHL in average home attendance, but finished 4th in average arena capacity. The total attendance reached by the Knights their first season was 740,000 and an estimated ticket revenue of around $65.1 million. This is exceptional for a brand-new franchise with a much smaller than average arena. The Blackhawks, for example made an estimated $79.9 million last season, but were founded in 1926.
Creating Jobs
From 2016 when the Knights were announced as a franchise to March of 2018, around 50,000 jobs have been added and the total employment rate in the area does not show any signs of slowing down. There’s not a direct correlation that the Knights have added all of these jobs, it’s that the area they have grown in has grown with them. For a new franchise, they have the support and money in their favor.
A Place To Call Home
Las Vegas has been known as a transient city for many years. According to SmartAsset Las Vegas and Henderson aren’t even considered to be in the top 25 transient cities. Now that we have a professional hockey team the perception of Las Vegas as transient city is changing, we’re now a great city to call home. The Knights are currently working with Toyota to provide resources to grow the sport of hockey in the community. It builds a sense of community that everyone can latch onto and call their own. Players join the community and reach out to youth groups to reward children with memories that will last a lifetime.
Knights Foundation
The Golden Knights Foundation serves as the primary charitable link between the NHL’s newest team and the Las Vegas community. Through this organization the Knights support Las Vegas non-profits that make a difference every day via direct grants and fundraising partnerships. These initiatives are funded through corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, signature events, in-game programs, and merchandise sales.
Looking Forward
In spite of being called the “Brilliant Misfits” the Knights’ effect on the community has been tremendous. People throughout the city now have something in common – HOCKEY! And whether we have a seven game winning streak or not we can all embrace Las Vegas’ first major professional sports team, the Vegas Golden Knights and recognize how they’ve inspired our community. Go Knights Go!
Sources:
https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/nhl-playoffs-2018-vegas-golden-knights-rewrite-nhl-history-with-stanley-cup-final-berth/
http://www.espn.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/homePct
https://www.forbes.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/
https://www.forbes.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/
