Las Vegas Officially Set to Raid Oakland of its Franchise
The Oakland Raiders saga seems to be signed to a close, thanks to the bill that Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed into law. This bill will finance the stadium that the Las Vegas Raiders would be playing in. Sandoval said that having the Raiders come to Sin City will bring millions of new people to LV, and bring in billions to the economy. He continued by saying that Las Vegas is the perfect place for an NFL team, especially a team called the Las Vegas Raiders. Riiiight because Las Vegas can 'raid' people of their money *ba-dum tiss*. Anyone? No? Alright, I'm sorry. The bill was passed in a special legislative session last week, and it approved the use of $750 million in hotel tax money toward a proposed $1.9 billion dollar stadium. Mark Davis, the Raiders owner, was in attendance to see Sandoval sign the bill into law and wow, did he look happy. A kid in a candy shop x10 kinda happy. That being said, there are still a few bumps in the road for Raiders to get over before they can officially become the Las Vegas Raiders.
First off, a business deal needs to be worked out. Who gets what revenue, how the public will recover the money, that sorta thing. A bunch of boring stuff that a people would not want to spend their afternoons reading over, but it has to get done. Then, there's the ever so important NFL owners vote, which requires 24 of the 32 owners to approve of the relocation. Surprisingly enough, owners from around the league are starting to warm up to the move. Legendary owner Robert Kraft told NFL network's Stacey Dales "When I came into the league 23 years ago, I probably would not have supported a team being in Las Vegas. I think this would be a positive move for the Raiders if they cannot stay in their home territory." NFL owners are set to meet in Houston, but a decision is not expected to be made on the move. This is just supposed to be a meeting where owners can gather information and discuss the pros and cons of the move. Davis himself does not have relocation on his agenda for the meeting; he plans on introducing some details of the move right before the January winter meetings.
Oakland officials are still trying to do what they can to keep the Raiders in Oakland, and they have commissioner Roger Goodell on their side. Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo is also doing what he can to have the Raiders stay(ironic, no?). He sent one of his reps to the Coliseum last week. Mark Davis himself told ESPN.com that even if the Raiders do end up going to Las Vegas, he plans on playing the next two seasons at the Coliseum.
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I'm a Bay Area native, so having the Oakland Raiders leave would just feel weird. But I fully support the move. There is so much positive for Las Vegas here, who have arguably been deserving a major franchise of any kind for so long. And now, LV are getting two! The NHL granted the city a franchise, who begin play next season. And now, the Raiders. The Raiders chose a great time to start getting good again. For so long the Raiders where bottom-feeders of the AFC West. Now? They're set for a playoff run. Could you imagine if the Raiders inaugural season in Las Vegas ended with a Super Bowl win? They really are not too far off from that being a reality. Like Governor Sandoval said, the move will bring billions of dollars to the economy. People will make weekend pilgrimages to Sin City just because. Now, with the Raiders coming to town, it's going to be another incentive for them to stay, which helps out all the hotels for business. I've seen an artists rendition of the new Raiders stadium and oh my god it looks nice. Oh yeah, the stadium is going to be shared with UNLV. Are you kidding me? That's going to bring wonders to UNLV. As enticing as going to school in Las Vegas is going to be, now your school shared a kick-ass stadium with a professional football team!!? C'mon, that's awesome! This would become such an advantage for UNLV recruiters. There's no way high caliber prospects, especially football prospects, wouldn't love going to a school with a Pro sports team. That could be a pipeline for the Raiders, once UNLV football gets good. Las Vegas can quickly turn into a football city, hell, a total sports city, in the next couple years.
