Las Vegas has seized the title of Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World. This week the moniker is specified as Women’s Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World, with Flavor Flav taking over the Strip with SHE Weekend, celebrating U.S. women’s Winter Olympic athletes.
Las Vegas is also the Flavor Flav Capital of the World, as SHE Weekend would never have happened without the hip-hop legend’s passion for women’s sports.
But before this week’s Flav-piloted parade, party and related festivities, a powerful celebration of women’s athletes was marking its fifth year Monday night at Allegiant Stadium. The IX Awards, honoring female sports stars whose careers broke barriers and established a path for opportunities for today’s women athletes.
The gala played out splendidly under the Raiders’ Al Davis Memorial Torch.
Those honored included generational icons Lisa Leslie of the WNBA, Brandi Chastain of the U.S. World Cup champion and Olympic gold-medal soccer teams, five-time U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin, and U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Hilary Knight (among the inspirations for SHE Weekend). Diana Bennett, a Las Vegas philanthropic and hospitality force, was lauded alongside the athletes.
Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis and former Stanford hoops great and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Azzi launched The IX Awards in 2022. The timing was paired to the 50th anniversary of the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal funding.
Davis’ support of women’s sports in Las Vegas is well-chronicled. He was originally an Aces fan who sat courtside next to MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle at Michelob Ultra Arena. The sideline chatter famously led to Davis buying the team from MGM Resorts.
“I got season tickets immediately and, fortunately or unfortunately, I was sitting next to Bill Hornbuckle,” Davis said with a smile prior to Monday’s event. “I kept telling him, ‘You’ve got to pay these women more money, you’ve got to pay more money,’ and he said, ‘All right, if you want them to make more money, you pay them. Buy the team.’
“I laughed. And he said, ‘No, I’m serious.’ So I bought the team.”
Davis paid $2 million. CNBC reported in May the team’s valuation is $500 million, up from Forbes’ estimate of $310 million in 2025. But Davis says he did not buy the team as a business investment.
“It really was a bad cash-flow business decision. But it was from the heart,” Davis says. “I wanted to help perpetuate and build the WNBA here.” But the owner did allow, “The advance in value of the equity is ridiculous.”
Al Davis, Mark Davis’ legendary father and Raiders owner, was also an avid women’s basketball fan.
“He would watch the Final Four and follow all the colleges back east and, yeah, watch Cal and Stanford,” Davis said. “He knew all the players, their height and weight. He damn near knew their parents’ names. He scouted women’s basketball like he scouted football.”
Monday’s event opened with a silver-carpet arrival befitting any gala. Davis, Azzi, Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan, Aces President Nikki Fargas, and the night’s quintet of honorees walked the carpet.
Olympic track legend Tommie Smith (who along with teammate John Carlos gave the Black Power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics) introduced Chastain. Diving superstar Greg Louganis presented Franklin. WNBA founding executive Renee Brown brought up Leslie. Former Las Vegas Mayor and Vegas Strong Fund Board of Directors Chair Jan Jones Blackhurst introduced Bennett. ESPN Major League Baseball analyst and U.S. Olympic gold-medal softball player Jessica Mendoza hosted.
Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley, North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown, Aces guard Jewell Loyd, Trail Blazers Scouting Manager Sheri Sam, NBA President of New Business Ventures Amy Brooks, and Pacers assistant coach Jennie Boucek were among the dignitaries in attendance.
Singer-songwriter Rachel Platten performed “Fight Song,” leading a singalong and inviting gala attendees to join her onstage. Platten is a Raiders favorite who has performed at halftime at Allegiant. The terrific local nonprofit arts company Broadway In The Hood, led by founder Torrey Russell, performed twice during the event. Members of David Perrico and the Raiders House Band played the pre-show, commingling session.
Iconography ruled the night. Leslie’s first-ever dunk in a WNBA game was played for the attendees. Chastain shedding her jersey after her shootout goal to beat China in the 1999 World Cup was replayed. The glowing Allegiant Stadium logo and images on the big screen loomed over the invited dignitaries.
With Azzi looking to evolve the event, there seems a limitless list of deserving honorees. Why not make a fast break to Michelle Obama or Oprah Winfrey? The IXs, as they are called in shorthand, can be as big as they want to be. Next year, maybe get Flav involved. I’d bet he’d be up for the party.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.