Sports Set to Shart on Iconic Bellagio Fountains (Again)

By Scott Roeben, on December 21 2023

3 min read 15 comments

Fresh off of F1 defiling the Bellagio fountains, ruining the iconic photo op for millions of Las Vegas visitors for months, sports are about to do it again.

Plans have been announced to block the view of the Bellagio fountains for the Super Bowl.

We are, as the kids say, over it.

Bellagio needs to unrender this eyesore.

The only bright spot is the disruption around the Super Bowl isn’t going to last for four months, as it did during F1. Just a month and a half.

Closures of parts of Las Vegas Boulevard (southbound) are scheduled to happen Jan. 3-4, 2024 for construction of a studio for CBS Sports.

Sidewalk views of the Bellagio fountains will be FUBAR through Feb. 16.

Small consolation for the visitors who face crushing disappointment as the glorious Bellagio fountains are obscured by the CBS Sport structure.

Casinos and public officials had a freak-out during F1, because many visitors stayed away. They’re blaming social media influencers for “scaring people off,” but the fault actually lies with the boneheads who think these events are more important than quintessential experiences that have made Las Vegas the ultimate destination.

Las Vegas is currently experiencing peak short-sightedness.

It’s simple: If you love Las Vegas, you have to hate sports.

Beyond the spoiling of the Bellagio fountains, beer and Doritos ads are going up on the side of Luxor.

Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/szeCgyky4o

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) December 18, 2023

Honestly, it’s just gross.

This isn’t a just Super Bowl thing, or a personal bias against sports. The Super Bowl is a big deal to concussion fans, we get that. After all, we were the first one to share that Las Vegas would host the Super Bowl in 2024, way back in 2020. We are a noted sports expert.

On the bright side, Las Vegas gets the Super Bowl in 2024.

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) August 3, 2020

But hosting an event doesn’t mean they get to ruin Las Vegas for everyone else.

That’s right, it’s ruined.

F1 is still cleaning up its mess, and it’s been a month since the event.

International travelers couldn’t care less about the Super Bowl, and officials need to stop signing off on using Las Vegas as a backdrop or “extra” when sporting events come to town. Las Vegas is a star and should be treated as such. During the televised F1 race, you couldn’t even tell where it was taking place, by the way.

Far more people don’t care about F1 and the Super Bowl than care about them.

And don’t get us started about the ways hosting the Super Bowl hurts Las Vegas. Casinos are always full for the Super Bowl, but hosting the Super Bowl means gamblers (of great value to casinos) are pushed out for legions of sports fans and people associated with the event itself, the NFL, production personnel, and related entities. In other words, non-gamblers.

In the industry, it’s called “peaking the peak.”

We asked that you not get us started!

Anyway, we have so few rules. One of them is no tilting chairs to save slot machines. Also, no paper straws. Another is don’t ruin iconic photo ops for tourists. That includes grandstands and TV studios blocking the Bellagio fountains, and no clothes of any kind on statues.

Casinos and elected leaders need to learn how to say “no” to things if they hurt more than help. If the decisions are too hard, just send them our way. No draining the canals at Venetian. No blocking the volcano at Mirage, especially given the fact it’s not long for this world as Mirage transitions to Hard Rock. No guys with signs that say, “Kick me in the nuts, $20.” No food or drink vendors on The Strip. No memorials to sad things where tourists can see them.

These aren’t gray areas.

Don’t put a jersey on the goose that lays the golden eggs.

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15 Comments

MrBuzzKill December 23, 2023

There was a time when I was convinced that the Movie and Amusement Park entertainment industry would ruin the Strip. It was ugly-on-ugly. Nasty rides next plasticky movie-set architecture. Awful. While I was busy being disgusted, the sports industry quietly snuck in and set the Strip on a whole new trajectory. I think we're just getting started. The Strip will cosmetically remake itself several times a year to suit sports events. And I predict the UFC will become the Sphere's biggest customer, and combined they will create a video competition/game spectacle that will blow everyone away.
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Travel with Rob and Sue December 23, 2023

I wouldn't say F1 ruined our time in Vegas the week before the race, destined to be our last visit from the UK due to illness, but it did spoil it. Difficult wheelchair access, lifts broken or out of action deliberately at the cross overs, and the whole feel and ambiance blighted by shoddy looking light stands, grandstands and Arris fencing. Looked like a major construction site than the glitzy city we had paid thousands to come and explore. You keep doing this, you will soon see yourself. Out of the top 100 world destinations. We booked our trip well before F1 was being advertised, and knew nothing about it. Our excitement wained daily as we watched for ourselves the mess you were making. Don't blame social media, they did a good job in letting us know what was actually going down. And up as it turned out.
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Gadgetman December 22, 2023

All the space to put things in that town and they F up the major areas people go to visit. I'm so glad I didn't move there. It's become a total Sh.. hole.
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BST December 22, 2023

How on earth do they not care how ridiculous the Luxor looks ? Ridiculous and definitely just gross as you stated. I thought you were joking at first , but I guess not.
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AfroRick December 22, 2023

Was recently in the city for a conference (that other thing that generates a ton of money for the city) and was taken back by the half disassembled infrastructure from F1. Couldn't see the fountains with friends like I had many times before, and the redirects from racing nonsense made traffic worse.
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Patti December 22, 2023

Totally agree with this article. I LOVE sports (except for car racing), but I LOVE Vegas and gambling too! Stop the madness of covering up the fountains and other attractions!!!
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Randy December 22, 2023

I was born and raised in Las Vegas and it is a tourist town. I don’t understand why people move to a tourist town and complain when they don’t cater to its residents. That’s how we make our money is by catering to the people who don’t. How do you keep people coming back? You host new events to keep it exciting/keep people coming. Yes, sometimes it causes headaches for the locals and the events don’t cater to ALL tourists, but that’s the nature of the industry. That’s what allows our city to grow, that’s what keeps the money flowing. Also there’s no need to have a meltdown about them blocking the fountains, this is not the first event to do something like this and it sure as hell won’t be the last. It’s cool like I get it from an event planner perspective. Does it suck for people who are coming for the first time and aren’t able to see it? Maybe a little bit but honestly there are better vantage points of the fountains than the streets that have been blocked off, just up to folks to not be sheeple and find them. I AM having a meltdown however about the Bellagio using fake flowers in its conservatory. Now that’s something you can be up in arms about a ‘luxury’ resort cheapening itself for what? Also, I don’t know where this person is getting their information but F1 was wrapped pretty quickly after the event (the trees were returned folks!!) and the resulting construction that is currently going on is for the super bowl/pre existing projects.
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Jerry J. December 23, 2023

You obviously don't work around the strip. road work is an inconvenience, living with F1 for months was a nightmare. it's hard to calculate how many hours of my life was lost sitting in traffic to accommodate F1 and casinos so they can make profit. The lack of planning when they envision these events is amazing and I assure you, workers are at the bottom of the priority list. Hence FU F1 and every person involved that approved that freaking nightmare event.
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Demetrius December 22, 2023

I can't believe how fast this city is selling itself out for sports. 99% of the crap they're doing is unnecessary, as if people don't know about Vegas at all. Us residents are the ones who suffer and the city doesn't have the infrastructure for this. Just keep it simple..... you know the rest.
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Diab1e December 22, 2023

Looks like its only that one small section in the middle, so they shouldnt shut the entire LVB sidewalk in front of the fountains....right? right?
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David December 22, 2023

Excellent points all, it's a television studio, duh MGM is dumping the brand equity of the Bellagio view for NOTHING The Game is at Allegiant. Put the studio at Allegiant, showcase Las Vegas with shots of it as Game visitors and future tourists will see when they visit
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Andrew December 22, 2023

"During the televised F1 race, you couldn’t even tell where it was taking place, by the way...." . This. Unfortunately I don't see this trend stopping anytime soon. The city is evolving again into trying to lure non gambling millenials and Z'ers who basically entertain themselves through digital screens, so the city it's basically turning into a giant real life screen. Even about the 18$ parking thing, at this point as an occasional visitor I wouldn't mind payin 18 bucks a day for the parking and I would do very little gambling,maybe not at all. A buddy of mine is a veteran worker at Walt Disney World Florida. It's 164$ + tx + parking to get into one park only. It's crazy, but I would pay that. The problem now it's for those who were used to go to Vegas like 3 to 4 times a years, maybe even more if from CA or AZ . I've been out of the USA for a while now so I have no idea about today's consumers habits, especially after COVID. Back to the thing : Vegas is evolving and adapting ,while we are gettion old and obsolete for it LOL..
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Andy December 21, 2023

It is very sad you having a comic Bellagio fountains I've been going through for years absolutely ridiculous to put grandstands there and now a sports bar put it somewhere else I can care less the people are there to enjoy the fountains it was bad enough for them to cut the trees down and making Vegas look awful and that goes for the mirage and The Venetian putting grandstands there and blocking the volcano you people and higher ranks to say no to all this bring back Vegas like it should be I can care less about the super bowl or any other sport event have that garbage put it somewhere else not the beloved Bellagio blocking and walkthroughs because they want to see the super bowl who cares
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Tree Hugger December 21, 2023

Soooo...they're going to take out all the trees again that have just been put in?? No sidewalk or alcove trees in any of those renderings!
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GregM December 21, 2023

At least the SB only comes once, and lasts for only 4 hours.
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