Give me the over on Erpen Giveaways

June 4 – 2007

I can’t tell you how often it’s happened.  I’m in Vegas, weaving drunkenly through the recesses of some Italianate pickpocketorium, when it hits me: buffets, ultra-lounges, and the Spearmint Rhino are nice, but what what this place really needs is an MLS team.Â

Enter Paul Caligiuri, scorer of the most important goal in US soccer history and front-man of “Las Vegas Sports and Entertainment Group.” According to P-Cal, “The proposal on the table is by far the best proposal that this league has ever seen. The sports group is committed to building a franchise that will compete with teams in the rest of the world, not just MLS.” The franchise fee is ready to go, and all that’s needed now is the go ahead from the league brass.Â

Normally I wouldn’t give much thought to which US city will next have the chance to ignore an MLS club, but the idea of legalized gambling rubbing so closely with Don Garber’s ultra-sterile MLS intrigues me. Can the “youth player and soccer mom in every seat” vision coexist with the drunk guy holding a ticket on the Wizards at +155?Â

Should Garber look to other sports for direction, he’ll find the NFL, NBA, and MLB maintain an uneasy relationship with Vegas: gambling delivers a ready made and loyal fanbase, and in return the leagues treat gambling like an advanced case of social herpes. For its part, the Vegas MLS plan includes “a $500 million retractable-roof stadium, an adjacent hotel and casino, practice fields and other amenities on 200 acres.”  In other words, Bud Selig’s worst nightmare. According to MLSnet.com, however, there’s no problem:

Whereas some U.S. sports leagues have kept their distance from Las Vegas due to concerns over legalized gambling there, MLS says gaming is not an issue, according to league spokesman Dan Courtemanche.

Tough to say whether that means “it’s not a problem because no one gambles on MLS,” or “it’s not a problem if people want to gamble on MLS.” Regardless, Garber and company will eventually need to reason through the possibility that fans will be using halftime to grab a second half line rather than a hot-dog.Â

I’m not a big sports gambler, but I can recognize the value a wager can add to a sporting event of marginal interest. MLS is desperate for gains in attendance and viewership, and between those two realities, sparks may fly. A Vegas franchise would certainly be exciting, and for that reason alone you can probably bet against it. This is, after all, MLS.