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A worthwhile read re: biased coverage of the NBA's weekend in Vegas.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...t&lid=tab2pos1
I can only specifically attest that I've heard that 400+ arrests figure bandied about and knowing some of the average typical arrest rates in Vegas provide a context which I wish were provided elsewhere.
Not excusing or condoning whatever did happen in Vegas that weekend, but it is interesting which information didn't manage to stay in Vegas, this time around.
I dunno if it is accurate or not, but Simmons' take on the weekend was quite funny... although it was insanely long, even by his standards.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/070220
-Jason
I haven't read the Bill Simmons article yet, but the negative publicity seemed totally off-base to me. No NBA players were involved at all and if there was a connection to NBA fans in particular, nobody mentioned it.
The NBA black eye article from the Winston-Salem Journal even makes the following comments:
- The NBA brought 85,000 people to Las Vegas
- The weekend also coincided with the Chinese New Year and President's Day, and the total number of out-of-town people was 302,000.
So was the NBA even the biggest draw that weekend? And if not, how can you possibly blame them for an increase in arrests? (if there even was an increase - I haven't seen the baseline anywhere).
From what Simmons said, there weren't any cops to be seen, so it would be surprising if there were a lot more arrests. He makes a valid point, that the casinos are much more worried about what happens inside than outside.Quote:
Originally Posted by darthur
an article i linked in the off topic section of the recently deceased board from las vegas tv said the 400 arrests were in addition to the normal baseline of 320 or thereabouts.
found the quotes from lasvegasnow.com from a local tv report it seems:
"Between 12 p.m. Thursday and early Monday morning, 362 people were booked into the Clark County Detention Center. That number doesn't include 400 or so routine arrests police make in a 48-hour period."
i was off a little on my numbers originally.
I think there were too many people that wanted to be high rollers in town at the same time. Not enough limos, suites, etc. People are OK not having a limo or suites in say, Houston, where the game was last year, but people come to Vegas and expect different things.
The crime was a side effect of the large crowds, and I agree, it is not necessarily the NBAs fault.
Apparently the service industry folks -- bartenders, dealers, ****tail waitresses -- were close to revolt. There was one blog entry (I know, not necessarily reliable) that I read by a guy who was in Vegas the following weekend who heard nothing but complaints and horror stories as he chatted up various service industry folks about how they were treated, etc. There was another similar article, I believe, in the Vegas paper on this topic. Many locals apparently don't want it back in town and there simply hadn't been a tougher -- and less lucrative considering the crowd and amount of money that came into town -- weekend to be working in Vegas.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Chinese gangsters from 24 that caused that jump in arrests. And if you don't think that asking the majority of people who were arrested why they were there would result in a vast majority saying "the NBA all star game," then you are just way too PC.Quote:
Originally Posted by darthur
Anyone have a link on what did happen in Vegas? Somehow I must have missed "the NBA disgraces Vegas" publicity on SportsCenter...
I think the majority would say they were there to gamble but whatever.Quote:
Originally Posted by tombrady
I also just think busy weekends lead to more arrests, and I don't try to second-guess exactly how responsible each party is without having any evidence. Heck, a lot of the arrests are probably local pickpockets having a field day on the crowds of visitors. Or maybe the cops were just more proactive than usual because they wanted to keep things in check (relatively speaking).
You may even be right, but compared to, say, the recent Detroit/Denver brawls, a slight hike in arrests in the city where the All-Star game is being held is much ado about nothing.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?s=6107862Quote:
Originally Posted by Truth
there was no espn coverage beyond rebuking the claims online as far as i've heard.
more numbers from san diego paper:
"Las Vegas police said they arrested 403 people from the start of NBA festivities last Tuesday to Monday evening, and 231 of them were from out of town. Most of the arrests, or 239, were prostitution-related and made by undercover officers, said police spokesman Martin Wright. Others were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct, burglary, petty larceny and outstanding warrants.
In comparison, Las Vegas police make 175 prostitution-related arrests in a normal week, he said."
this account does not correspond with the numbers in the previous linked story.