LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When Reilly Smith launched Battle For Vegas in 2019, Las Vegas had one major professional sports team and a brand-new ballpark.
Seven years later, the annual charity softball game has become one of the city's signature summer sports events.
Thousands packed Las Vegas Ballpark on Saturday night as Golden Knights players, Raiders stars, celebrities and local fans came together for the seventh edition of Battle For Vegas. Team Reilly defeated Team Brock 38-27, but the scoreboard wasn't the biggest story.
Since its debut, the event has raised more than $1.2 million for local charities. This year's proceeds benefit the Battle For Vegas Foundation and its community partners, including Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada and Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.
"The event has built and expanded," Smith said. "The support we have from the community somehow continues to grow, so it's super special. Being able to give back to this community and the kids and the youth is foremost, the most important thing."
For Smith, who helped create the event, watching it evolve has become as meaningful as anything he's accomplished on the ice.
"To be a part of that, it's something that I'm probably more proud of this than almost anything in my career," he said.
The Golden Knights arrived less than two weeks after their season ended in the Stanley Cup Final, with many players delaying their offseason plans to return for the event.
"As soon as that chapter kind of ended, it was nice to put my focus on this," Smith said. "I'm very thankful that a lot of the players stuck around or even flew back to be a part of today."
For the Raiders, the night served as an early offseason bonding experience before training camp.
"Getting the guys together, especially in the offseason...it just brings us all closer," Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said. "Just getting outside and doing something different is fun."
The evening featured a performance of the national anthem by Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, a Thunderbirds flyover and appearances from mascots across the valley before the softball rivalry took center stage.
Carter, who has lived in Las Vegas for a decade, said the event reflects how much the city's sports culture has evolved.
"They're creating their own tradition, and I think that's really what's great about Vegas," Carter said.
What started as a one-night charity game has grown alongside Las Vegas' professional sports scene — and, judging by another packed ballpark, its place on the calendar appears as secure as ever.
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