Stadium keeps big-time sports away

To the editor:

I attended the El Super Clasico soccer game July 3 with my daughter, and I have lived in the valley for 18 years. I’ve often wondered when Las Vegas might get a real sports franchise, based on the size of the town, great weather and annual visitors. In attending this game, I had an epiphany: it’s the stadium. Between operations, concessions and security, the issues at Sam Boyd Stadium were numerous.

The scoreboard didn’t work until the 61st minute of the match. When it finally worked, it looked like a patchwork quilt of brightness. Furthermore, out of all the live talent in this town, was there no one to sing the national anthem? Two Mexican teams and a hand-held Mexican flag for their anthem, watered-down lemonade for $5.75 — I could go on, but I think you get my point.

The event organizers deserve a big share of the blame. Before I got out of my car, I could tell there was major friction between the groups of fans. We walked to our seats and I didn’t see one police officer. There was heavy drinking in the parking lot before the game, and at the start, there were fireworks being tossed on the field. It wasn’t until the 15th minute that two officers were sent to that corner of the field. I witnessed three people walk directly in front of security while smoking, and security said nothing. The Silver Bowl is a nonsmoking venue.

Additionally, blame the morons who allow the organizers to sponsor these events without protection for the fans attending. Can someone write a check to Sam Boyd Stadium and put security in the stadium? Have stadium officials not learned from Supercross and monster truck fans that things can get out of hand quickly?

Maybe the Review-Journal is a third party to blame, for not calling out anyone in its multiple articles. Are you afraid of your press passes being yanked?

On a somewhat related note, how does UNLV expect to raise attendance at its football games with horrible, overpriced food, clowns for private security and subpar competition on the field? You’d have a better chance holding back the tide than of putting a winning product on the field, changing the concession products and enhancing the stadium.

JAMES WILLHITE

HENDERSON

Leadership over amnesty

To the editor:

Dean Tomsa’s letter (“Boehner’s leadership,” Thursday Review-Journal) stated that despite overwhelming support in the Senate for immigration reform legislation, House Speaker John Boehner has decided not to bring the vote to the floor, and therefore Mr. Boehner no longer recognizes the will of the people. Why hasn’t Mr. Tomsa mentioned the major bills that the House passed over the past 2½ years that our own Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, failed to bring to the floor for a vote? Isn’t Sen. Reid also no longer recognizing the will of the people?

Plus, the Senate immigration bill, as it is currently written, doesn’t have the support of the majority of Americans, because it’s more of an amnesty bill for many illegal immigrants, rather than a bill that implements actual immigration reform.

It’s the same type of legislation that the 1986 immigration bill provided, and you can see what that did, helping put us in our current situation.

MIKE HANKS

NORTH LAS VEGAS