Sport Allegiant Stadium
Why the “Death Star” is actually unsuitable for the Super Bowl
Status: 05.02.2024 | Reading time: 4 minutes
The Super Bowl will take place in a few days at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Actually, another arena should be given preference
Quelle: Getty Images via AFP/ETHAN MILLER
The Super Bowl takes place in the second most expensive stadium in the world. Various extras are hidden in the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and there is a special highlight in the interior. Nevertheless, the futuristic sports temple is officially not suitable for the NFL finals.
In 2017, Allegiant Stadium was still an ambitious plan. On the site intended for the new arena there was a deep construction pit that had been dug into the desert ground. Gerard Decosta was one of the hard-working workers on the gigantic construction site. The steel designer, an ardent fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, came up with a special idea in the face of the sweaty toil.
Where the Las Vegas Raiders’ new stadium would soon stand, Decosta buried a small red and yellow flag with the inscription “Chiefs Kingdom” – Kingdom of the Chiefs. Decosta commented on a photo of his action on X at the time with the words: “Providing the Raiders’ new home a warm Chiefs Kingdom welcome.”
Seven years later, the black facade of the ultra-modern stadium shines under Nevada’s desert sun and Decosta’s favorite club is fighting for victory in the Super Bowl on Monday (12:30 a.m., live on RTL/DAZN). It remains to be seen whether the lucky charm deep beneath the field will help the Kansas City Chiefs win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Huge video boards on the facade
The venue for the 58th Super Bowl definitely goes beyond most dimensions. The home stadium of the Las Vegas Raiders was built just off Las Vegas Boulevard and is located directly on Al Davis Way, a street named after the team’s former owner and father of current boss Mark Davis.
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Advertorial property valuation
The football temple, which owner Mark Davis affectionately calls the “Death Star” in reference to the Star Wars films, is the second most expensive stadium in the world, with construction costs equivalent to around 1.8 billion euros. Only the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was more expensive (2.2 billion). The construction costs also include the new Las Vegas Raiders training center. The team from the National Football League (NFL), which was previously based in Oakland, took over around 790 million euros, another 700 million was financed through public money and the remaining 190 million was contributed by the NFL.
The financing from tax revenues in particular caused criticism in the planning phase. However, supporters repeatedly emphasized the positive impact on Las Vegas as a business location. According to estimates, the stadium is expected to bring in around 580 million euros annually for the region and at the same time secure around 6,000 jobs in southern Nevada. It is named after the American low-cost airline Allegiant, which has its headquarters in Las Vegas.
The turf can be moved out of the stadium if necessary
Quelle: AP/Matt York
The construction of the stadium consumed enormous resources. According to the operators, around 105,000 cubic meters of concrete were used, which could have been used to build a 413 kilometer long sidewalk from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The workers installed around 28,000 tons of steel. Depending on the event, the grass field can be moved outside. The field’s movable substructure alone weighs around 9,500 tons, which is roughly the weight of the Eiffel Tower. 72 motors set the lawn in motion when necessary. The stadium also has a total of 75,000 square meters of video boards, including a huge screen that runs around the outside of the facade.
28 meter high torch
The eye-catcher in the interior is the 28 meter high steel torch, which is intended to commemorate club founder Al Davis. Before each Raiders NFL game, selected people are allowed to light the fire – sometimes celebrities, sometimes volunteer citizens or members of the military.
The Al Davis Memorial Torch
Quelle: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/Jake Mysliwczyk/Amg Media
Given this enormous amount of material, it seems almost surprising that the planners of Allegiant Stadium placed emphasis on sustainability. It is the NFL stadium that gets its energy supply entirely from renewable energies. “New standards” are also said to have been set in terms of waste separation and water treatment, as the operators emphasize. The roof is made of an ultra-light polycarbonate; A similar material was also used for the outer skin of the Allianz Arena in Munich. The operators planted 425 trees to improve the air quality around the arena.
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Despite its massive size, the stadium in Las Vegas is actually too small for the Super Bowl. The NFL prescribes strict criteria for awarding the final, as a leaked document from league circles revealed a few years ago. Among other things, a stadium with at least 70,000 seats is planned. Allegiant Stadium officially only holds 65,000 spectators. The league originally awarded Super Bowl 58 to New Orleans; However, the city had to cancel due to scheduling problems with the local Mardi Gras, a type of carnival. So the NFL made one of its rare exceptions.
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