Although Raiders owner Mark Davis’ plan to move the team to Las Vegas took a significant step Friday, there are conflicting reports about his status in the NFL. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says some powerful owners are wondering if the league will force Davis out. Conversely, a source told Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News that the prospect of the league booting Davis is “nonsense” (Twitter link).
The Raiders have been under the control of the Davis family for most of their 56-year existence. Mark Davis’ father, Al Davis, took the helm of the franchise in 1972 and didn’t get let go until his death in 2011. That paved the way for Mark Davis to grab the reins, and with the Raiders and the city of Oakland not progressing toward a new stadium, a departure to Las Vegas looks likelier than ever for the organization.
In a key development, the Nevada Assembly signed off Friday on $750MM in contributions from the state toward a proposed $1.9 billion stadium for the Raiders. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com then reported that the league’s owners wants to extend the current collective bargaining agreement as a way to help fund a stadium in Las Vegas. Davis has vowed to contribute $500MM, 40 percent of which ($200MM) would come from an NFL loan.
While Davis wants to head to Las Vegas, a return to Los Angeles remains an option for the Raiders, according to Bonsignore, though the Chargers have the option of joining the Rams there by Jan. 15. Davis’ Nevada plan likely has the league’s support, per Bonsignore, which would ultimately rule out LA for the Raiders. Unsurprisingly, the league “will take a very hard and thorough” look at Davis’ relocation proposal before it gives him the green light (Twitter links). Davis will need approval from 23 of the league’s other 31 owners to move his franchise.
Since their inception in 1960, the Raiders have played only in California – either Oakland or LA – but it appears that run is on the verge of ending.
Let them go to Vegas. LA doesn’t need 2 teams
I know it’s not really football related, but you would think a guy like Davis could afford a decent haircut.
Davis is such a moron. He is trying to move his team to a location with a smaller poorer market. The bay area has 2.5 million tv households with a median income of 70k. LV. Has 700k tv households with a median income of 50k. No-one is going to fly out to Vegas to watch a football game & how the neck are they going to play home games in black in Vegas? I sincerely hope this is just a ploy to get Oakland to fund a stadium which no municipality should ever do (its a wealth transfer from the taxpayers to a multibillion dollar organization that Doesn’t produce anything). But this move is so unbelievably stupid I doubt they will. Also the all the games will be called into question as sports betting is legal in Nevada.
Each sentence:
1. Opinion
2,3. NFL shares all TV revenue. Households won’t be buying LV tickets, corporations and visitors will be.
4. WIll be sold out every week. They have lighter uniforms and have you been there in Nov and Dec? Not hot.
5. Ploy? At this stage? No.
6. Get a new stadium vs. Oakland does not equal “unbelievably stupid” in any universe.
7. You are aware you can bet on any NFL game in LV? Is every NFL game called into question?
Back to #1 – You maybe?
I’m sure the NFL wants a greater shared revenue than Vegas can offer. It would probably be sold out be non raiders fans, essentially nullifying any defensive advantages. Getting anew stadium isn’t unbelievably stupid, however saying you don’t want to share a stadium (when asked about Levi’s which was built specifically to house both bay area teams) and then turning around and accepting a shared stadium offer with either the rams or chargers or a college team is. If mark was smart (he’s not) he’d remain in the huge bay area market and reap the befits of a brand new stadium that’s 10 minutes from the heart of the silicon valley. He has the tech Capitol of the United states in his backyard, but he’d rather use money from the desert lol.
Correct its my opinion.
Revenue is not 100 percent shared I believe that it is 80% shared for tv and 70 % shared for ticket sales so ya sacrificing a larger market that is per capita more lucrative is unbelievably stupid. The raiders will not be able to move to LV and retain their fan base in the Bay Area believe me we are not Wisconsin we have tons of stuff to do in our Sundays during the season.
Raiders wear black at home and that should not change.
You can bet on games as a fan. The Raiders organization, coaches, players, referees. Will all be in a city with institutional gambling. Much different
Looks like a great move by Mark Davis, if Jerry Jones had made this move nobody would say a word.