Mark Davis
The super wealthy and powerful in the world didn’t ascend to that elitist level by taking no for an answer as by hell of high water, they will get what they want. For years Mark Davis sat by and watched his father Al battle with the City of Oakland and Alameda County in order to procure a new stadium for his Oakland Raiders which never came to fruition. The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is currently the second oldest stadium that is in use by a National Football League franchise and by far it is home to the worst facilities in the league. Since moving back to Oakland in 1995, the Raiders have shared the Coliseum with the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. The stadium is a relic, a dinosaur, an eye sore; whatever that you want to refer to it as compared to the more modern facilities. And after failed bids by Davis and the Raiders to get a new stadium in Oakland, along with being unable to move into the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California with the San Francisco 49ers, or back to Los Angeles which was their home from 1982-1994, the NFL has given him free reign to seek out another city that will give him what he wants.
And that is exactly what Davis has done as he’s been on a barnstorming tour seeking a new home for his team. San Antonio, Texas welcomed Davis with open arms as they are seeking a National Football League franchise after hosting the New Orleans Saints for three games in 2005 at the Alamodome when they were dispersed due to Hurricane Katrina. St. Louis, Missouri has been somewhat interested in the Raiders after they recently lost the Rams to Los Angeles marking the second time since 1987 that they’ve lost an NFL franchise. But San Antonio and St. Louis haven’t courted the Raiders in the same fashion that Las Vegas, Nevada currently is.
Las Vegas has been called “Sin City” and for some people it is referred to as the entertainment capitol of the world as it is littered with bright lights, showgirls, and casinos galore. For a very long time Las Vegas has sought to have a professional sports franchise to call its own, but being that gambling is legal in the State of Nevada, pro leagues have been reluctant to set up shop there.
The closest that Vegas has come to having a professional sports franchise would be the Las Vegas 51s who are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Las Vegas has also hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 2007, along with exhibition games for the Athletics and Los Angeles Kings. But the major professional sports leagues have been unable to look past the legal gambling aspect of the city.
However that could be changing as Davis has been in talks with officials in Las Vegas to bring his Raiders there. And unlike the efforts of his father to move the Raiders, the younger Davis has the blessing of the National Football League.
There is a possibility that the Raiders could secure 42-acres of land in Vegas where they are hopeful that a 65,000-seat domed stadium could be built. Davis is willing to put up $500 million for the potential project, as long as Vegas is willing to hold its end of the deal.
This isn’t a ploy by Davis who recently took a tour of the potential site in Las Vegas as the days of the Raiders in Oakland appear to be numbered. And if the Raiders would embark on calling Vegas home, it would symbolize the dawn of a new day in professional sports which includes him getting tax breaks.
Professional sports are no longer prohibited by imaginary barriers as more than ever it is all about the almighty dollar. In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals participated in the National Football League’s first regular season game outside of the United States which took place in Mexico City. Each year since 2007, the NFL has had at least one regular season game take place in London, England, while the Buffalo Bills played six games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2008-2013. Today’s NFL owners have no problem as far as taking in currency from other nations as they are expanding their global brand which has included the notion of them putting a full-time team in the United Kingdom; so it only makes sense for them to tear down the imaginary borders that have prevented Vegas from getting a professional sports franchise as the desert is a goldmine.
Today’s team owner in the National Football League is all about the dollar; which is why we’ve seen more luxurious new stadiums popping up since the late 1990’s and the league is always in pursuit of more revenue. What the Raiders would mean to Vegas is that they would be a professional sports franchise which the city could call its own. Tourism has been the backbone of Las Vegas and that would only increase as people would be flocking to the the city to see a National Football League game in the desert; whether it be a die hard Raider fans from California willing to make the trek to Nevada, or fans of opposing teams that would use a Sunday game as an excuse to catch a flight to Vegas, it would be win for Davis, the NFL, and Sin City as the dollars would be pouring in hand over fist.
If everything goes down as planned, the move to Las Vegas for the Raiders could be as big as the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles, or in National Football League terms, the original Browns leaving Cleveland in favor of Baltimore. And one thing is for sure, is that the sky would by the limit of the Silver and Black from merchandising, public appearances, and endorsements as they would be like rock stars on the Vegas strip. A Raiders team in Vegas would be extremely successful, and it could open the door for other sports leagues to open up shop in the desert.
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