Current:Home > ContactAllegiant Stadium’s roll-out field, space station look to be center stage during Super Bowl in Vegas -Zenith Money Vision
Allegiant Stadium’s roll-out field, space station look to be center stage during Super Bowl in Vegas
View
Date:2025-04-15 00:06:52
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis called his new home the Death Star in 2020 — and the name stuck.
Allegiant Stadium, with its black facade, in fact resembles the ominous space station from the “Star Wars” movie franchise that was capable of destroying planets.
The futuristic stadium takes center stage on Feb. 11 when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers meet in the first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
And like the unique city that surrounds it, the stadium has some features that set it apart from others around the NFL. Among the most notable is the playing surface.
Because the Raiders insist on playing on grass, even in a dome, the field spends most of the time outside in sunlight and is rolled in on a tray for games. Last year’s Super Bowl host, the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium, uses a similar transfer system.
The NFL takes over management of the field when it comes to the Super Bowl, and the playing surface is monitored closely. No one wants a repeat of what happened last year in Glendale. Players slipped on that grass in the Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This surface has been nurtured from the sod farm all the way to the Super Bowl,” said Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president for communications. “Its maintenance is measured by a series of tools and metrics. ... Our field manager expert has been on top of this for many weeks and is on site frequently and will be throughout the next couple of weeks in anticipation of the game.”
Other notable stadium features include:
— Huge lanai doors on the north end facing Interstate 15 and the Strip. Those doors, which are 80 by 215 feet, can be opened to create more of an outdoor element, but have remained closed during Raiders games even late in the season when temperatures cool.
— The Al Davis Memorial Torch is 92 feet high and surrounded by a circular bar. It’s an electronic torch “lit” before every Raiders home game. Former heavyweight champion and current Henderson resident Mike Tyson and recording artist and actor Ice Cube were among those who turned on the torch this season. The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces also had the honors after winning their leagues’ championships.
The tradition traces back to 2011 when John Madden lit an actual torch when the team was based in Oakland, California. Another torch remains lit outside the Raiders headquarters in Henderson, Nevada.
— In front of the torch, in an area that overlooks the end zone seats, the Raiders’ 19-person band performs before games and plays in timeouts throughout. Sometimes other performers such as Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons join the band at halftime.
— Every NFL stadium has VIP seating, but Allegiant has some of its most exclusive seating actually located on the field just beyond the north end zone. There are 29 booths, each sitting up to 15 people. Fans who occupy those booths receive wait service, access to private bars and a special entrance.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (8394)
Related
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Ancestry website to catalogue names of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II
- Tennis' powerbrokers have big plans. Their ideas might not be good for the sport.
- A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Tesla profits plunge as it grapples with slumping electric vehicle sales
- Columbia University making important progress in talks with pro-Palestinian protesters
- Pelosi says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resign
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Ariana Biermann Slams Kim Zolciak for Claiming Kroy Biermann Died
Ranking
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Skai Jackson Reveals Where She Stands With Her Jessie Costars Today
- Watch this basketball coach surprise his students after his year-long deployment
- Family of man killed when Chicago police fired 96 times during traffic stop file wrongful death suit
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- ‘Pathetic, Really, and Dangerous’: Al Gore Reflects on Fraudulent Fossil Fuel Claims, Climate Voters and Clean Energy
- 2021 death of young Black man at rural Missouri home was self-inflicted, FBI tells AP
- Secret army of women who broke Nazi codes get belated recognition for WWII work
Recommendation
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
The Brilliant Reason Why Tiffany Haddish Loves Her Haters
Plane crashes after takeoff in Alaska, bursts into flames: no survivors found
Suspect in break-in at Los Angeles mayor’s official residence charged with burglary, vandalism
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Watch this basketball coach surprise his students after his year-long deployment
Senate passes bill forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
'Them: The Scare': Release date, where to watch new episodes of horror anthology series