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The CFL in Las Vegas:  What Went Wrong?

By "Bud"

Saskatchewan Roughrider FAN Page

March 18, 2001

LAS VEGAS -  I've spent the last five days in this wonderfully bizarre city.  Once known as a city of sin where you could, at any given time, find showgirls, thieves, magicians, prostitutes, comedians, gamblers, cheesy lounge singers, murderers, cheats and the mob, the city has worked hard to clean up its image.  Indeed, it has become one of the premiere destinations for families during this year's annual ritual called "March Break".  Hotels such as Circus Circus and Treasure Island place emphasis on family fun and less so on casino gambling.  Flying into the city at night, it becomes immediatley clear:   this city isn't just a jewel in a desert, it is a crown. 

The sparkling lights from the "The Strip" of hotels located on Las Vegas Boulevard attract your attention initially.  Upon closer inspection, those same lights hold your fascination with the discovery of so much detail.  That intense bright light shining straight up into the sky from the pyramid-shaped hotel, The Luxor, cannot only be seen by Las Vegans, but is reported to be able to be seen by astronauts out in space.  Look at the giant screen at the MGM Grand ("it seems every hotel's got one these days").  It's advertising its EFX Alive show starring Rick Springfield ("so, that's where he is now").  No, wait a minute.  A Hong Kong popstar is performing there next month ("in Vegas, I guess they do cater to big spending, big gambling Asians").  What's that big explosion in front of the Mirage?  Not to worry, it is only their volcano show spewing flames and water every fifteen minutes.  Wow, are those two ships firing cannons at each other in front of Treasure Island?  It is!  Hmmm.  A big sign displaying a picture of a guy named Danny Gans ("what a funny name"), who has been voted Vegas' "Entertainer of the Year" ("Hey, wait a minute, I thought that award went to Clint Holmes, or was it magician Lance Burton?   Andre-Phillipe Gagnon?").  Another sign at The Mirage featuring those lion tamers Siegfried and Roy.  Ohmigod!  Look at the dancing fountain show in front of that hotel of the stars, Bellagio ("How do they synchronize the water and the lights to the music of Andrea Boccelli?").  You look further down the strip and ask yourself "You've got to be kidding?".  A scaled down version of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, Las Vegas ("geez, it's not that scaled down, it's almost life-sized")?  That fascination with Vegas continues, even after you land.  Walking down The Strip, the spotlights shining on the walls of the hotels makes everything seem a little surreal. 

This is my second trip here in less than two months and the fourth time I've been here in the last three years.  I think I'm beginning to know Las Vegas and what works and what doesn't.  As you can appreciate, Las Vegas is a city full of distractions.  It is not a big city (probably only about 500,000 people), yet is easily one of the most recognizable destinations on this planet.  It was claimed that it was because of these distractions, that the CFL's Las Vegas Posse could not survive.   So, then why are the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws doing so well at the gate?  OK, so the league itself is headed on a slippery slope to hell, but the Outlaws are still drawing up to 30,000 to their games, when the Posse could only average less than 10,000 and had the last home game of their existence moved to Edmonton because they feared nobody would show up.  Both teams played out of Sam Boyd Stadium, that is far from the colourful Las Vegas Strip.  Certainly the weather is a factor.  The Outlaws are playing their games in the spring, where the weather is nice and cool (it can be downright cold in the evenings).  The Posse played their games in the stifling desert heat during the summer months, a time when most Las Vegans stay in the air-conditioned indoors.   In many ways, the Posse had a much better team than the Outlaws do.  There were many stars that came out of that Posse team:  Anthony Calvillo, Curtis Mayfield, Tamarick Vanover, just to name a few and a colourful coach in Ron Meyer (who is now with Chicago in the XFL).  Ah, but then again the Outlaws have "He Hate Me".   The Posse used to practice at the parking lot at Caesar's Palace.  The Outlaws have pre-game festivities at New York, New York.   No, the only difference seems to be the way the game was marketed.  The Outlaws have the powerful marketing machine of Vince McMahon and the WWF behind them.  The Posse had Larry Smith and entire one-man CFL marketing team behind them.  Flash does sell in Vegas and the Outlaws, with help from the WWF, certainly have a lot of it.  As Vegas is turning into more and more of a destination for the rich and famous, following in the Monte Carlo, Monaco model, Las Vegans apparently didn't want some boring team from some league in boring Canada, they want the sizzle from Vince McMahon.  But then again, maybe they're just coming out for the cheerleaders.