RAIDING THE DESERT

By Sabrina Siracusa

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The possibility of the Oakland Raiders relocating from California to Nevada is one of the most exciting projects since the new T-Mobile Arena. As the city of Las Vegas continues to expand, capturing a professional sports team would put it on the map with other major metropolitan cities as an established city‒not just a temporary playground for adults. After all, almost every major city has a football team to call its own.

What might have started as just talk has become serious consideration for two cities. Will the Raiders leave the Bay Area for the desert? What do fans have to say about potentially losing their team? And is this really the best bet for the city of Las Vegas?

The Journey Toward Las Vegas
In October 2016, the Nevada state Senate voted 16-to-5 to approve a plan to use $750 million in public funds to build a new 65,000-seat domed stadium for the Oakland Raiders in Las Vegas. Nevada’s Governor Brian Sandoval signed the bill that put money from hotel taxes toward construction. But with a total cost of about $2 billion, private money would need to be used to fill in the gap. These funds would come from a tax hike (0.88 of a percentage point) on hotel rooms in Clark County, where Las Vegas resides.

Supporters of the Raiders’ relocation say that Las Vegas should not turn down this opportunity, since a move would mean the chance to create construction jobs. Additionally, the $620 million in predicted economic activity created by the stadium would be too much to pass up. But the move is not being cheered on by everyone in Nevada.

Opponents say the economic study used to support the Raiders’ possible move is relying too heavily on the probability that Las Vegas tourists will purchase one-third of the tickets. And according to reports in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, opponents are also not supportive of a plan where billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson would commit $650 million of his own money, and Raiders’ owner Mark Davis would personally pitch in $500 million. Additionally, Nevada is facing financial issues of its own, including a potential $400 million budget shortfall. Critics say Nevada has more pressing needs for its tax dollars, such as education and human services.

Nonetheless, the team is making definitive moves toward Las Vegas. According to an article on ESPN.com by Darren Rovell, ESPN senior writer, the Oakland Raiders have filed for three trademarks to the phrase “Las Vegas Raiders,” which Rovell saw as perhaps the next step in a move from Oakland to Sin City. “The trademarks seek to give the team the exclusive right to use the name for sporting events,” wrote Rovell, “and to sell the phrase on everything from helmets to swimsuits to earmuffs.”

What Fans Think
At a recent Raiders game, USA Today Sports reported that Ray Perez Jr.—dressed as his Raiders super-fan alter ego “Dr. Death”—handed out dozens of signs with “Stay in Oakland” printed on one side, and on the other, “Las Vegas, If you build it we won’t come,” until they decorated nearly every tailgate party. Unfurling a larger banner with the same anti-Las Vegas message, he then pointed to the sky where a plane circled the stadium pulling an even larger banner with a clear message: If Raiders owner Mark Davis moves his team to Las Vegas, the most die-hard of Raiders fans won’t be going with him.

But that is just one side of the story. With such tremendous loyalty, Raiders fans more than likely they will follow their team, and the Raiders will pick up countless new fans in Sin City. Additionally, the move to Vegas may finally allow the Raiders to get out from under the shadow of California’s more successful football team, the San Francisco 49ers. As long as they stay in Oakland, they will likely always be upstaged.

What The Move Means To Las Vegas
No other city in the United States can compete with the entertainment venues that Las Vegas offers. The only thing that is missing is a professional football team. For years, the NFL has sidestepped Las Vegas because of its association with sports gambling and fears that game fixing would be too tempting. But as with everything, time changes all. The owners have warmed up to the idea of having a team in Las Vegas, which has become more of an entertainment and family destination. The fact that West Coast fans could easily get here (and that Raiders fans nationwide could visit Vegas as a weekend getaway to watch a game) definitely adds to the appeal.

From a financial point of view, a professional sports team and a new stadium means a tax hike for the city, and could mean more jobs and a potential spike in the economy due to additional tourists in town for home games.

What Needs To Happen Next
According to an article on NFL.com, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the owners could see a formal proposal from the Raiders as early as the next owners’ meeting in December 2016, but that it would more than likely be sometime after that. In the same article, it was reported that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said she would not enter a bidding war against Las Vegas to hold on to the team.

As the league continues to research the move, the Raiders would need 24 of 32 owners to approve relocation. The league and the team would also need to determine whether Las Vegas has a sufficient number of fans, as well as the corporate support needed by the team. Relocation to Las Vegas would allow the Raiders to expand its West Coast market further east, with Vegas as the ideal end point.

Although it is a slim chance, it is important to not overlook the chance that the Raiders could somehow find a way to make things work with a new stadium in Oakland despite California civic leaders pledging that they won’t use public money to fund a new stadium. With that in mind, the odds seem favorable for Vegas to finally get its own football team.

Sabrina Siracusa is Las Vegas-based freelance copywriter. With an undergraduate degree in psychology and an ABA Paralegal Certificate, Siracusa’s specialty is crafting SEO-filled content for legal-, medical- and career-based websites. Learn more about Siracusa and her work at www.writergirl.biz.