The thought of an NHL expansion team in Las Vegas but with Nevada in the official name was interesting while it lasted — for a day or so.
On Tuesday, prospective owner Bill Foley — the billionaire behind Las Vegas' bid, along with the Maloof family — said this to the Las Vegas Review Journal:
Nevada “has a good catch to it. It’s more inclusive,” Foley said.
“I’ll follow up on that. It has a lot of merit. I prefer it. We want to include everyone,” Foley said. “All we need now is to sell the tickets and get the team.”
The follow-up, apparently, did not take long.
Just spoke to Bill Foley for an upcoming column. Quick thing: If his group gets an NHL franchise, it will be Las Vegas, not Nevada.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) February 4, 2015Foley said he spoke with his marketing people. "We really feel like it needs to be Las Vegas, that that's the identity we need."
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) February 4, 2015MORE: A primer on the Maloof family | Let's name the team
Foley's initial interest in naming his team the Nevada Whatevers makes sense; he's about to launch a season-ticket drive and shooting for 10,000 deposits, which would go a long way to convincing the NHL to officially expand. Giving the team a statewide identity, in theory, would make the whole endeavor more inclusive.
Realistically, though, about 2 million of Nevada's 2.8 million people live in the Las Vegas metro area. Eight of the top 10 most populous cities are in Clark County. Reno is a seven-hour drive. In short, this isn't an Arizona Coyotes situation, where the team plays in Glendale with Scottsdale nearby. It's not New Jersey, either, where the bulk of the fanbase doesn't identify with being specifically from Newark.
This is about Las Vegas; the team is playing there. The season-ticket holders will be from there. Tourists who'd go to games and buy merchandise would not tell their relatives "I'm spending the weekend in Nevada" before getting on the plane. The splashiness and perceived allure of a Vegas team is a huge part of the deal — might as well go all in.
As far as Foley's preferred nickname is concerned, though, he might be on the right track. Drop a word, and you've got the Las Vegas Knights. It's not Craps, but it'll do.