Las Vegas Events President Pat Christenson said that the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo "plans to stay at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center for another decade rather than move to the MGM Resorts International/AEG arena being built on the Strip," according to Alan Snel of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Christenson said that the 10-year deal is "expected to be signed before the 10-day rodeo opens on Dec. 4," with the current lease "set to expire this year." Christenson added that he and NFR GM Shawn Davis "took a very preliminary look" at the MGM Resorts/AEG arena, but the $375M venue scheduled to open in spring '16 "is not ideally suited for the rodeo because it has only one tunnel." Christenson said that improvements to Thomas & Mack "through the years, such as adding a second tunnel, now make it an excellent venue for the NFR," with "excellent sight-lines for a rodeo." Snel notes approximately "180,000 fans attend the NFR at Thomas & Mack." Horses, bulls and other rodeo animals are "housed in pens" on UNLV's intramural fields and are "funneled to the Thomas & Mack entry tunnel across an 80-foot stretch of parking lot" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/4).
