Sports have always been at the backbone of Las Vegas. Even prior to the building of stadiums and arenas, the city has had a hand in everything from college basketball to the World Series of Poker. Game On, the next initiative of the Oral History Research Center, will record the stories of players, coaches, financers, builders, and more. It will be the 14th major project of the OHRC under Claytee White’s direction.
Prior to the launch of this project, the OHRC had already captured some of these stories from members of the community in previous projects. Marc Ratner, who was interviewed for the Jewish Heritage project, was interviewed in his office, surrounded by sports memorabilia. As the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), his work has greatly impacted the Las Vegas economy. In 2016, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Brad Rothermel was interviewed for the UNLV@50 project, but his interview doesn’t shy away from sports either. Before arriving at UNLV, he coached for the Chicago Cubs and had stints at Kansas State and West Virginia University as athletic director and business manager, respectively. Rothermel told stories that ranged from working with Jerry Tarkanian to the intensity of UNLV’s rivalry with UNR. “Well, historically, athletically, when I was here, we dominated the north in everything. They never beat us,” he reminisced.
The oral history of James A. Gay III is also in the OHRC’s repository. Not only was he the first Black American appointed to the Nevada Athletic Commission, but he was a national record holder in the 100-yard dash and an alternate on the 1936 U.S. Olympic track team. He told us, “We wanted them to... see what Blacks could do if given the chance. We know that we’ve excelled in many fields. In athletics we certainly excelled.”
The stories stretch much further than the typical realm of sports, too. As the host of the World Series of Poker and as a city that allows for betting, sport in Las Vegas is about much more than footballs and hockey pucks. Throughout the OHRC’s history, narrators have mentioned the peoples’ fascination with card games and the sports book, making these areas important for recording this history as well. As the next great initiative of the center, we’re excited to bring the game on.
-Noah Price
Notes:
Gay, James A. “An Interview with James A. Gay III.’ By Joyce M. Wright. December 1978.
Ratner, Marc. “An Interview with Marc Ratner.” By Barbara Tabach. 23 August 2016.
Rothermel, Brad. “An Interview with Brad Rothermel.” By Claytee D. White. 31 July 2006.
