NFL News: Raiders File Paperwork To Move Team To Las Vegas
The Oakland Raiders have gone all-in as the team has filed the paperwork needed to move the football team to Las Vegas, Nevada, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. Moving the Raiders, or any other team, to Las Vegas has always been considered taboo since gambling is legal in Vegas. The deal is not finalized yet. In order for the Oakland Raiders to become the Las Vegas Raiders, a league-wide vote needs to be held. If 24 teams out of the 32 in the league vote yes, the Raiders can then relocate.
Governor of Nevada Brian Sandoval took to Twitter to express his approval of the Raiders moving to his state.
Mark Davis is a man of his word. The filing of the @RAIDERS app for relocation w/ the @NFL is a significant step in bringing the team to #NV
— Governor Sandoval (@GovSandoval) January 19, 2017
Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak also took the opportunity to comment on Twitter about the Raiders by releasing an official statement from his office.
Here is our official statement on the @RAIDERS move to #LasVegas. pic.twitter.com/l3V7dxhW9D
— Steve Sisolak (@SteveSisolak) January 19, 2017
While the politicians in Nevada are happy about the potential move, Oakland is not ready to let the Raiders go without a fight. According to a report in USA Today, Ronnie Lott and other investors are currently in the process of negotiating with local government officials for a new stadium in Oakland that would have a seating capacity of 55,000 and would cost a whopping $1.25 billion. The investors released a statement on Thursday.
“We are in this game and we are playing to win.”
The proposed stadium in Vegas has been estimated to cost almost $1 billion more than the one proposed in Oakland. The stadium in Las Vegas would cost $1.9 billion. Funding for the stadium has already been discussed. Last October, the legislature of Nevada met and approved an increase to the current hotel room tax which would generate $750 million. Sheldon Adelson, a multi-millionaire in the casino business, agreed to give $650 million to the Raiders. The Raiders would be responsible for paying the remaining $500 million.
The Las Vegas proposal does not hinge on Sheldon Adelson’s $650 million. According to the report in the Los Angeles Times, the team is confident that without Adelson’s money, the team could acquire the necessary funds by going through Goldman Sachs. NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman commented.
“The Raiders are looking at this, potentially doing it without Mr. Adelson if it comes down to that. The timing of that is still up in the air.”
Not only is the stadium in Oakland old and in need of repair, a new stadium would ensure that the Raiders are no longer the only team that has to share their stadium with another team. Currently, the Oakland Athletics play in the same place.
When could the move to Las Vegas actually happen? The league-wide vote will not take place until the NFL holds its yearly meeting in March. The Raiders have told the NFL that they intend to stay in their current stadium while their new one is being constructed. They have yearly options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons to play in Oakland.
The Raiders have attempted recently to move to another city. Back in 2015, the Raiders attempted to move back to Los Angeles. It never happened. According to the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, there was a lot of fighting going on when they attempted to move to Los Angeles. Jones commented on if he thought the same type of fighting would take place with the Raiders now trying to move to Las Vegas.
“There won’t be. You’ll have certain individual owners with thoughts, but you won’t see people clumping together to try to stop it — not with Las Vegas in the Raiders’ case. You’re not going to have factions and things like that. Not here.”
What are your thoughts on the Raiders moving to Las Vegas?
[Featured Image By Eric Gay/AP Images]
