Raiders to Las Vegas?

[RiverDog]

Now that the draft's over, we're heading into a couple month lull until training camps open, so it might be a good time for a change of pace topic.

I've been following this story for the past few weeks, and some interesting developments have occurred in recent months. First of all, when the league approved the Rams move to LA, the Raiders and owner Mark Davis were the odd man out. San Diego has first dibs at moving in with the Rams. Secondly, the league has traditionally been dead set against considering a team in LV due to their strict stance against gambling. They essentially gave LV a wink and a nod to proceed with their efforts. And thirdly, Mark Davis announced that he is willing to contribute up to $500M to a new stadium, although this apparently includes a 9 digit dollar amount from the league. He obviously wants to move there.

They are proposing a new stadium to be built off Tropicana Avenue just a couple of blocks off The Strip. There's obviously some very big names and money behind these efforts, not the least of which is Steve Wynn. There's a ton of hurdles to clear, but it's Las Vegas, and they're used to doing big things. I don't see any problem with them coming up with a public-private partnership to get a stadium built.

Here's a couple of articles on the subject. First, Wynn's involvement:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/co ... dy-raiders

And the league's "evolving" position on gambling:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/co ... g-gambling

Comments?

[obiken]

Why does Vegas deserve a team more than Oakland???

[RiverDog]

Why does Vegas deserve a team more than Oakland???

Oakland is a slum. They have one of the worst venues, can't even fill enough seats to take the tarp off of Mt. Davis. The authority that runs their stadium slapped them in the face by quadrupling their rent. There's at least one city councilman that is on record as saying he doesn't want them. There's an almost zero percent chance of them being there 5 years from now. More than likely, they'll be out in less than three. Read this:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foo ... in-oakland

They have one of the most thuggish fan bases in the world. No one that values their life is going to want to travel to the east bay.

Vegas, on the other hand, is a glittering palace, a vacation destination. The Raiders would be an immediate hit for the simple reason that opposing team's fans would be much more likely to travel with their team to Las Vegas.

I'd love to see a team in Vegas. It keeps them on the west coast and would give me an excuse to travel there in the fall. I don't like seeing any team move, as I know the pain of losing a sports franchise. But if a move is inevitable as this one is, it sure beats the hell out of them moving to London.

[burrrton]

Why does Vegas deserve a team more than Oakland???

Well, "deserves" isn't generally a big part of the equation, unless you consider things like attractive stadium deals, tax rates, and such as making one city/state more "deserving", in which case Las Vegas, NV beats the tar out of Oakland, CA anyway.

[jshawaii22]

Hey, I went to a lot games in that SLUM in the 70's when my Dad lived in Walnut Creek. It was one of the greatest venues of it's time. But, it's way past it's prime and for the $500 million that Boy Owner is now committing to a Casino Owner (not the city, by the way, but Alderson, who is the person that is actually committing to the project) I hope he gets it done sooner rather than later. Hawaiian Air, 3 nights at the California Hotel for $499.00. What a great weekend that could be. Now I wouldn't care if they put the Seahawks back in the AFC-West just to get that trip every year.

[obiken]

Yeah no, we have done way better in the NFC West than in the AFC.

[RiverDog]

Hey, I went to a lot games in that SLUM in the 70's when my Dad lived in Walnut Creek. It was one of the greatest venues of it's time. But, it's way past it's prime and for the $500 million that Boy Owner is now committing to a Casino Owner (not the city, by the way, but Alderson, who is the person that is actually committing to the project) I hope he gets it done sooner rather than later. Hawaiian Air, 3 nights at the California Hotel for $499.00. What a great weekend that could be. Now I wouldn't care if they put the Seahawks back in the AFC-West just to get that trip every year.

I wouldn't mind at all moving back to the AFC West, although things are bound to improve in our division with the Rams moving back to LA and a world class stadium.

The Raiders are a shell of their former selves. I never liked them as I was a Chiefs fan growing up, probably because my dad liked the Raiders and I enjoyed rooting against his team (he was a huge George Blanda fan). Perhaps a move to Las Vegas can re-invigorate this corpse of a franchise.

[NorthHawk]

I think the Raiders are on an upswing.
They've added some interesting pieces on Defense and their Offense showed some real promise last year.
I can see them causing problems in that Division for the other teams and in a year or two maybe challenge for the AFC West crown.

[Vegaseahawk]

This

The Raiders would be an immediate hit for the simple reason that opposing team's fans would be much more likely to travel with their team to Las Vegas.

& This

I'd love to see a team in Vegas. It keeps them on the west coast and would give me an excuse to travel there in the fall. I don't like seeing any team move, as I know the pain of losing a sports franchise. But if a move is inevitable as this one is, it sure beats the hell out of them moving to London.

The NFL requires a ⅔ majority vote to relocate a team. In view of the fact that the majority of NFL owners are old family money, the chances may not be good that the issue will pass. Sheldon Adelson is worth $38 billion, so it's not about stadium money. Having said that, successful businessmen know that markets change, & successful businesses change with them to stay competitive. With the revenue stream that Fantasy Football has brought, it may be that conservative attitudes about locating a team of twenty somethings in a city like Vegas may be changing.

[NorthHawk]

They are actively seeking a place for the NFL in London which has a huge betting/gambling infrastructure already in place.
I don't see how they can say yes to one, and no to another (and keep a straight face) if gambling is the biggest issue.

[Vegaseahawk]

Hey, I went to a lot games in that SLUM in the 70's when my Dad lived in Walnut Creek. It was one of the greatest venues of it's time. But, it's way past it's prime and for the $500 million that Boy Owner is now committing to a Casino Owner (not the city, by the way, but Alderson, who is the person that is actually committing to the project) I hope he gets it done sooner rather than later. Hawaiian Air, 3 nights at the California Hotel for $499.00. What a great weekend that could be. Now I wouldn't care if they put the Seahawks back in the AFC-West just to get that trip every year.

The California markets almost exclusively to Hawaiians. The people I know who've worked there absolutely love them. I know for a fact that Hawaiians & New Yorkers are the biggest tippers. If you do come, check out the Main Street Station across the street. They have a great brewpub. You can also zipline down Fremont now.

[RiverDog]

Gambling issue aside, it doesn't look like the owners will have a problem with the Raiders moving to Las Vegas.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... /84677130/

I have a feeling that this is going to happen. This is Davis's best opportunity to get out of that chit hole in the east bay.

[c_hawkbob]

My wife is from Vegas (well, Henderson) ... I have a lot better chance of talking her into a game there than even in St Loo when they were there, even though it was less than a 3 hour drive.