As he was settling into his seat for a recent airline trip, UNLV President Keith Whitfield struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger about the state of the sports industry in Las Vegas.

There was much to discuss.

Whitfield, who became UNLV’s 11th president in August 2020, has seen the landscape change dramatically in his short tenure. The Las Vegas Raiders played three seasons at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Aces and the Vegas Golden Knights won championships and Las Vegas will host two major events between November and February — the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and Super Bowl LVIII.