Thursday, July 1, 1999 | 5:05 a.m.
LAS VEGAS - Mayor Oscar Goodman says the "Field of Dreams" axiom might just work in wooing an NBA franchise to this gambling capital and rejuvenating downtown's Glitter Gulch.
Goodman will head a committee to study possible construction of a sports arena in the downtown area and efforts to woo a National Basketball Association franchise.
"I think this could be the beginning of transforming downtown into the city of the millennium," Goodman said Thursday.
Goodman won election to a four-year term last month on a populist platform that included rebuilding a downtown area that has taken a back seat to the booming Las Vegas Strip.
Mirage Resorts, Inc. Chairman Steve Wynn met with 100 business and civic leaders Wednesday to announce the results of a survey showing Las Vegans would support a new sports stadium and performing arts center. The same survey showed residents would support an NBA or National Hockey League team, if local interests were able to obtain a franchise.
Wynn said any sports team was likely to lose money, and local hotel-casino owners didn't need to own a team as an ego trip. Still, he said he wanted to gauge local support for such a team. He said he had met with NBA Commissioner David Stern and some club owners to determine their interest in a local franchise.
Chris Brienza, NBA vice president of media relations, said Wynn and Stern met a couple of months ago.
"It is definitely not uncommon for David to take meetings if requested by people who are interested in doing business with the NBA or looking at the prospects of buying a team," Brienza said Thursday.
He said the league has no present plans for expansion, and any expansion or franchise transfer would have to approved by the NBA board of governors, which consists of one representative of each team.
Goodman used the "Field of Dreams" axiom - "If you build it, they will come" - to suggest support for the plan.
"Historically, if you build the arena, they (professional clubs) will knock each other out on the way to come to it," Goodman said.
The mayor is heading an ad hoc committee to study the idea of building an arena and/or performing arts center on part of a 178-acre tract that has long been a railroad switching yard.
"That piece of land is a jewel and in large part will control the growth of downtown," Goodman said.
The mayor said he didn't see Las Vegas' role as the nation's gambling capital being a problem in obtaining an NBA team.
"We've been able to circumvent any problems," Goodman said, citing appearances by the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team in the NCAA playoffs over the years. "They just took those games off the boards."
Nevada is the only state in the nation with legal sports betting. State law does not allow betting on games involving Nevada teams.
Brienza said with no current plans for expansion, "we're kind of getting a bit ahead of ourselves to address the casino ownership issue."
The Maloof family currently owns an interest in both the Sacramento Kings and the Fiesta hotel-casino here. And ITT owned an interest in both the New York Knicks and the Caesars hotel-casino properties before ITT was purchased by Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
At Wednesday's meeting, political consultant Frank Luntz of Arlington, Va., presented a summary showing that a pro sports team would receive wide support in the city.
Luntz said a survey of 580 Las Vegas area residents showed 93 percent would support a sports arena and the professional sports team it might draw. He said 87 percent would support a performing arts center in the city.
Wynn's wife, Elaine, a director of Mirage Resorts and longtime activist in the arts, said building a performing arts center would help fulfill "the quest to make Las Vegas a sophisticated, well-rounded environment."
She said Las Vegas is "the last large city of its size not to have any professional sports team associated with it."
Wynn said he felt Las Vegas would be a strong candidate for a sports franchise in light of its 1.2 million population and the fact the city draws some 500,000 visitors weekly.
On Thursday, Goodman reiterated his opposition to local taxpayers funding any new stadium.
"That's going to be one of the key items in our discussions," Goodman said of the financing. He said there are many ways to fund the project "without burdening the taxpayers," such as a room tax or airport tax.
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