Las Vegas Raiders?
 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14...ng-leaked-memo

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- While a leaked memo from UNLV president Len Jessup said representatives of the Oakland Raiders will be in Las Vegas on Friday to check out potential stadium sites, team owner Mark Davis would offer only a cryptic comment.

"In typical Raider fashion," Davis said with a laugh over the phone from the Bay Area, "I can neither confirm nor deny."

Davis will be in Las Vegas and is scheduled to meet with Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, Sands spokesman Ron Reese confirmed.

The Sands Corp. announced Thursday that it was lending its support to build a $1 billion domed stadium on a vacant 42 acres of land recently purchased by UNLV near the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane across from McCarran International Airport.

"Correspondingly, the Sands leadership team let us know that officials from the Oakland Raiders are scheduled to travel to Las Vegas and tour locations around the valley for a potential new home, and they have asked us to meet them at our 42-acre site on Friday morning to answer questions about that site," Jessup wrote in the memo, which was reported earlier by Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston.

UNLV is looking for a new home for its football program, which has played at 35,500-seat Sam Boyd Stadium some nine miles from campus on the eastern edge of the city since 1971.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Los Angeles-based Majestic Realty Co. and UNLV are involved in the conceptual plans, and Las Vegas Sands senior vice president of government relations and community development Andy Abboud said the project would be a "public-private" partnership, with the Sands or the Adelson family contributing a large portion of the financing.

"He said the casino company, which operates the Venetian and Palazzo [casinos], as well as casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania, could also raise financing for the project," the Review-Journal reported.

Tony Sanchez, UNLV's head football coach, said "having an on-campus, state-of-the-art stadium would be huge."

"We have a nice stadium now; the location is just a little further out," said Sanchez, who grew up a die-hard Raiders fan in the Bay Area. "To have something on campus, right in the heart of Las Vegas, would change the entire game-day atmosphere. We're right near the Strip. People can walk or take public transportation. It would be a great addition for the city."

Davis has long stated that remaining in Oakland is his primary goal, but after being rebuffed in an attempt to move to Los Angeles and join the Chargers in a joint-stadium project in nearby Carson, the Raiders do not have a lease for a home stadium for the 2016 season. They do have the option to join the Rams in Inglewood should the Chargers decline.

It is expected that the Raiders will play at least the 2016 season in Oakland. They have also been linked to San Diego, should the Chargers go to Los Angeles, for the following years as well as to San Antonio.

The NFL has had a hard line against Las Vegas, and it is hard to see the league signing off on allowing a team to relocate to the gambling capital of the country. The NFL did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Las Vegas has chased a major league franchise for almost two decades, including MLB and NBA teams. The city appears close to getting an NHL team in under-construction T-Mobile Arena between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos.

And while Las Vegas may be a relatively small media market at No. 41 nationally, it is bigger than four other current NFL markets in Jacksonville (No. 48), New Orleans (No. 51), Buffalo (No. 52) and Green Bay (No. 68), per last year's Nielsen data.

Oklahoma City Raiders?

Saint Joseph Missouri Raiders?

Gambling issue will be probably squash it. But Vegas would be a good fit for the Raiders.

Stadium location is between the MGM Grand and UNLV.

No way, no how

"**** 'de Raiders"

Never Happen .... NFL won't allow it

Yep. Plus I'd rather drive to Vegas to see a Chiefs game instead of going to Oakland.

Outside of Oakland or Los Angeles (which won't happen), it makes the most sense for them.

Vegas would be a cool spot to go see a Chiefs road trip. Could you imagine a Super Bowl in Vegas? :D

I don't think there's anyway the other 31 owners allow a team in Vegas, despite the fact that the suburbs are filled with scumbags and degenerates

Football can't compete in Vegas, nor survive.

Ferguson Raiders

Granted, it was the 'United Football League' but i remember when the Locomotives played there, the stadium was near empty.

I suppose you have to look at everything but I'd think the San Antonio/Austin site would be the best. Granted, you'd have to get approval from the other in state teams but Texas has a huge population and is growing fast.

Olathe Raiders. Come for the football, stay for the strip malls!

A domed stadium will not be necessary either, given the near perfect weather year round.

Honestly, I think it is a great idea for them. Tons of people will fly into Vegas to watch a game. Would you rather spend a random weekend in San Diego or Vegas? I think most would rather Vegas.

I don't see San Diego fan base welcoming the Raiders with open arms either. The Chargers just moved up the street a bit and there is plenty of Raider hate in San Diego.

You can gamble in just about every state. There are several casinos 15 minutes from arrowhead.

Betting on games?

No.

As an Austinite I would love to be able to see the Chiefs locally each year. The biggest issue will be getting Jerry to agree to it. He doesn't want another team in Texas but obviously 4 teams in California is just fine. :rolleyes:

Tijuana Bandidos

It's probably going to be the worst home field advantage in the league!

I was going to say Mexico City Raiders, but not far off.

It's a gambling town with adjacent cities several hours away. How would they expect to sell out a stadium?

So they would go to another location Freighters would be too scurred to go to ROFL He will never see his team now.

It's still very hot in September here, well into October. A retractable roof stadium would be perfect. This city is ready for a pro sports team.

Vegas did put in for an NHL team.

Quantrill's Raiders?



Lawerence is not amused.

They will go for a permanent dome for all the other events ie concerts, UFC, boxing, conventions, etc.

For sure. You won't see the Atlantic City Raiders either.

I thought there were rules from way back saying no pro team (NFL, NBA, MLB) could have a home city that allowed sports betting?

I don't think there's a chance in hell that 24 owners vote for a move to Vegas.

Beyond that, it's a service industry town. There was 25%+ unemployment after the 2008 crash, plus housing prices plunged causing the most defaulted mortgages per capita in the US.

Their state government won't build a $1 billion dollar stadium and I can't see how they could possibly fill a 70,000 seat stadium on a consistent bases, let alone pay for PSL's.

This is a complete non-starter.

the casinos will gobble up all the season tickets, it'll be like a corporate tourist home game every weekend

Private/public partnership with two big hitters and UNLV.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...e-to-las-vegas

The nfl doesn't acknowledge vegas exists. They aren't moving there

So Mark Davis would continue to be a welfare recipient.

How embarrassing.

Agreed.

Plus, Las Vegas may have the most fragile economy in the United States because it exists solely on tourism.

9/11 was disastrous for Vegas, with the 2008 economy and housing crashes maybe even worse.

This. Paper thin economy and suites filled with Casino executives is not a good look.

Plus, there's no way it gets 24 votes. I'd be surprised if they even got two (one vote by Mark Davis, of course).

The NFL has enough off the field problems to contend with each year.

Could you imagine 10 games a year played in Vegas? Young wealthy guys with a night on their own with all of the strip clubs and high stakes poker games, not to mention the prostitution?

The Dallas Cowboys wouldn't be able to field a team on Sunday.

why not all the fans are

San Diego fills the stadium with opposing team's fans so I am sure Las Vegas could do even better.

There's a lot more money in San Diego and Orange County than Clark County.

Yeah I am doubtful the city itself could support a team. I do think the honeymoon period would be huge though with out of town fans making a weekend of it and filling the stadium (assuming they wake up before kickoff).

It won't happen, but it would really screw up betting on the NFL if it did.

How so?

It would eliminate most of the future's betting. You can't bet for or against a team in Nevada. So even if you put 50 dollars on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl, it would be considered a bet against a Nevada team so you wouldn't be able to place the bet.

Never knew that. Thanks for explaining.

They take futures bets in college basketball and manage to justify that's not a bet against UNLV. I am going to guess they also have futures bets for the Mountain West.

It will never happen.

The NBA won't even touch Vegas anymore thanks to all the crap that went down over the 2007 All Star game weekend

I think NBA would be an infinitely better fit. Too many ppl hate the Raiders. Lots of ppl all around the country would love to fall in love with an LV team, but not the raiders. If the NBA got a team there, they would automatically be my squad

FYI Raiders have their games on radio in Vegas and preseason games on Vegas TV.

I'm hearing that people in league circles believe that is all bullshit.

Probably even a worse fit.

See: 2007 NBA All Star weekend in Vegas

Not surprising.

And as I've mentioned in this thread, there isn't a chance in hell that 2 owners, let alone 24, approve an NFL team moving to Vegas.

Those billionaires are much, much smarter than that.

Could you imagine 41+ NBA games in Vegas each year?

The league would need to contract teams because too many players would be unavailable.

Courtside would be all hookers and dealers. I say do it.

Yeah talked to him today and he laughed his ass off over Vegas. Said Stan has enough money it doesn't matter but Davis isn't even close to that guy.

It would be so awesome.

ESPN just reported that the Chargers are staying put now. What the hell? Guess Raiders to LA is still an option.

Los Angeles doesn't want the Raiders. The business leaders will block it.

I seriously doubt that Kroenke wants them either.

Raiders LMAO


I wonder what percentage of Raiders fans are simply 'fans' because the colors are black and white, and primarily associated with (not the Raiders themselves, but merchandise) gangs/tough/hard core people (at least in their minds).

I work with a guy who grew up here in KC. his parents are from here, yet he's a hardcore Raider fan. LMAO
****ing moron.

In this particular case, I really think he is a fan of them, not just their colors. but most fans of the team strike me as liking them because of the colors and 'image'. Our warehouse is full, uh.....spanish speaking people who can barely speak English, and it's 50/50 Raiders fans / Cowboys fans. Cowboys, I can understand. Raiders......well, I have my reasoning on why I think they like the Raiders.

Like people who are "fans" of a team because it's the local franchise but would struggle to name two players on the team are somehow any better? BTW, the colors are actually silver & black. Do you even football much brah?

Yes, much much better.

How about the Nomadic Raiders.

Every week they play a home game in different city. College, pro, high school, world.

It could be a guessing game. Or cities could have a lottery to try to draw the Faid circus to their city.

As long as they're run by that buffoon of an owner, they're going to be a mess.

My biggest fear with the Raiders is that Mark Davis finally wakes up and realizes that he needs a partner or that he needs to sell, then a Peter Guber or Larry Ellison, et al, steps in to purchase the team, build an amazing stadium and have the smarts to hire an excellent front office.

That would blow.

That was me from about age 12 to 18 or so. It was the Yo, MTV Raps era, Bo was Bo, I was a fan of Howie Long. SO I had the starter jacket, the hats, jersey, etc.

I blame it on bad parenting.

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/2016...egas-this-week

What if I would have told you five months ago the Rams would be in place in Los Angeles and have the top pick in the NFL draft?

And that the Chargers and San Diego might be on their way to a stadium agreement that would keep the Bolts in America’s finest city?

And, finally, the Oakland Raiders would seriously be considering Las Vegas as a future home?

Crazy, right?

Not so fast.

The Rams are back home, and sitting at the top of the draft.

The Chargers are pushing a beautiful new stadium in downtown San Diego, and momentum is building to get things done.

As for the Raiders, it’s too soon to say Viva Las Raiders, but what seemed like a far-fetched idea a few months ago is growing into a full-fledged possibility.

And about to get a big-time push forward.

Raiders owner Mark Davis will be in Las Vegas Thursday when the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee (SNTIC) meets to discuss plans to build a 65,000-seat stadium near the Las Vegas strip, and according to sources, Davis will offer a commitment to pursue a Raiders relocation there if financing for the $1.3 billion project is approved.

Davis is absolutely serious about targeting Las Vegas as the future home for his franchise, and sees the growing city as the ideal landing spot for the Raiders both locally and regionally.

In Las Vegas, the Raiders envision a home base that would enable them to tap into the furthest reaches of their fan base. Las Vegas would be their primary market, but its elements as one of the most popular destination points in America would be the magnet they use to draw in Raiders fans and season-ticket holders from across the country.

And they have some powerful people getting behind a stadium effort that might soon be their future home.

Sheldon Adelson of the Sands Corp Corporation is proposing a domed stadium near the Strip through a public-private partnership. The preliminary financing proposal calls for about two-thirds of the funding to come from taxes on tourists.

The SNTIC will review tourism-related projects for possible state funding at this week’s meeting, with the stadium proposal being one of the projects being considered. The committee is expected to make a recommendation later this summer.

Davis’ appearance Thursday – and the commitment he is expected to make – could be a difference maker. Davis will leave no doubt his franchise will pursue relocation to Las Vegas if the stadium project is approved.

“It’s huge because the committee sees (the Raiders) are serious,” a source close to the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Southern California News Group. “And if (the committee) approves the funding, there will be no stopping the train.”

Meanwhile, there is growing sentiment within the NFL that fellow owners are opening up to Las Vegas and granting Davis his wish to move there should he request it.

“It would be a good home for them,” said a high-ranking NFL source.

And it’s a Raiders landing spot that could play perfectly into an NFL game of connect-the-dots that appeases more than just Davis’ interests.

The Rams, Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and NFL all have reasons to support a Raiders move to Las Vegas.

The Raiders are one of two teams that have been approved for relocation to Los Angeles to join the Rams at their new stadium in Inglewood, which is scheduled to open in 2019.

The Chargers get first dibs, but will use at least the next year to pursue a long-term stadium solution in San Diego before acting on their Los Angeles option.

If the Chargers opt to remain in San Diego, the Raiders are next in line to join the Rams in L.A.

But the growing momentum in Las Vegas – and the possibility the stadium financing might soon be approved – will leave the Raiders with options.

And potentially position them to use some NFL misgivings about their presence in L.A. - and the league’s desire to keep a second spot open in L.A. to use a stadium leverage across the NFL - to overcome concerns about moving a franchise to Las Vegas.

The Raiders can likely count on support from Rams owner Stan Kroenke, as it would mean the Rams having Los Angeles all to themselves.

Meanwhile, Chargers owner Dean Spanos would have obvious motivation to keep the Raiders out of Los Angeles – or San Diego, should the Chargers relocate to L.A. - as it would eliminate the Raiders considerable competition from the Southern California region.

And if you’re Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys or Bob McNair of the Houston Texans, supporting a Raiders move to Los Vegas would mean keeping them out of San Antonio, a city the Raiders have long considered as a possible relocation destination.

Those are four likely votes for the Raiders, who would need 24 of 32 owners to sign off on their wishes.

Obviously there are concerns about Las Vegas – the close proximity to gambling and casinos first and foremost - but it would be a mistake to assume a Raiders move to Las Vegas would be opposed by the NFL.

And the NFL made that abundantly clear in a memo it sent to all teams last February.

In it, the NFL said: There is no prohibition under league rules on a team moving to any particular city. Any proposal for relocation would be evaluated based on the same standards as apply to any proposed move. Those standards are well-known, having just been applied in connection with relocation proposals to Los Angeles.

As a high-ranking league official told me at the owners meeting in Florida:

“I think it would be a mistake to just write Las Vegas off. It’s all predicated on getting the financing in order, but if they do, considering the Raiders brand and how well it could play in Las Vegas and all the various other dots that can be connected, the Raiders would have a very compelling argument to make.”

And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stressed in March at the league meetings that the casino implications don’t render a Raiders relocation a no-go.

“We’d have to understand it, we’d have to understand what the impact is on us and ultimately each owner would have a vote on that,” Goodell said, implying a softening in the league’s long-held stance on a team presence in Las Vegas.

One month later, the Raiders and Mark Davis are on the verge of making a commitment to Las Vegas.

It seemed far-fetched just a few months ago.

But that train is roaring down the tracks, and if the financing comes through there might not be anything stopping it.

Viva Las Raiders.

It's looking like Las Vegas is a serious option for the Raiders, especially since Davis has partnered up for a $1.8 billion dollar facility. Reportedly, the NFL will not stop them, either.

Personally, I think it would be cool and a great reason to hit Vegas each year.

You would have to think Chiefs and Broncos a yearly fan travel package to Vegas would be a great seller.

Seems like a great idea for opposing teams,dunno about the Raiders

Las Vegas is a Raiders town. They have radio affiliate, games on preseason etc.

Eh, I'd say it's an any team town. It's cheap to get there, raider home games will be opposing fans on a weekend trip.

Gonna be great for vegas though.

I'd much rather go to Vegas instead of Oakland for a Chiefs/Raiders game.....and I'm an hour away from Oakland.

Why should Oakland have a team, anyway?

Hell yeah, I'd go for the chiefs game.

Based on Citydata.com, Median Income in Oakland $54,000. That doesn't sound bad until you see that the median home value is $450,000.

Compare that to Overland Park, Median Income $70,000, Median Home Value $228,000.

Well to be fair, most people in Oakland live in incarceration facilities.

I remember Howie Long not letting his family go to Raiders games when they played in Oakland. I hope that would be different if they played in Vegas. I guess it depends on how many Oakland convicts come down to watch the game. Anybody know how easily California Department of Corrections gives out of state passes for parolees?

They made their way down to San Diego every year to stab Charger fans, Vegas is probably about the same distance from Oakland

If this keeps the Raiders and their fans out of Los Angeles, I'm all for it.