Raiders’ owner Mark Davis warned Oakland in 2014 it could be the city’s last chance to keep the franchise.
Sheldon Adelson might soon be associated with an NFL franchise. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke with Adelson on Friday about the possibilities of relocating his franchise to Las Vegas.
The two men discussed a proposed $1 billion domed stadium which Davis and Adelson would build adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. If the stadium was built, the Oakland Raiders would move to the Vegas Strip within the next few years.
NFL’s Opposition to Vegas Franchises
The NFL has long opposed franchises moving to the Las Vegas area, because of the inferred connection to the American gambling industry. The National Football League has long maintained an aloofness from sports betting, claiming that gambling undermines the integrity of the game in the public’s eye. The NFL currently is involved with year-old lawsuit against the State of New Jersey, because Jersey governor Chris Christie sought to bring sports betting to his state. When New Jersey regulators announced they would look the other way while Monmouth Park and William Hill opened a sportsbook, the NFL joined with Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, and the NCAA on a joint lawsuit.
Last week, the Oakland Raiders failed in a bid to move their franchise to the Los Angeles area. Instead, the St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers were given approval by league owners for such a move. The two franchises plan to build a billion-dollar stadium in the Los Angeles area, with the long-awaited approval from local municipalities.
Raiders Looking for a New Home
That leaves the Raiders casting about for a home. Former Raiders owner Al Davis, the late father of Mark Davis, once moved his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles. From 1983 to 1995, the Raiders were a part of the L.A. landscape, becoming a beloved team in the community. Then Al Davis moved his franchise back to Oakland. Now, Oakland leaders are dragging their feet on building a state-of-the-art stadium and practice facility, so Mark Davis is looking for options.
Las Vegas is a possible suitor, but the odds of a franchise moving to Sin City are small. If it happens, it appears Sheldon Adelson, president of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, would be instrumental in the move.
Andy Abboud on Big League Interest
Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands SVP of Government Relations and Community Development, spoke recently to the The Review-Journal about the stadium initiative. Abbound told the newspaper, “The whole concept of the stadium, everything we have looked at, is under the assumption that there is no NFL team. We feel this project will go forward without an NFL team, because there isn’t one right now. But we are talking to NFL teams to see if they would be interested. This is first and foremost about the community and UNLV and about enhancing visitation.”
Sheldon Adelson invited Mark Davis to talk with him about the possibilities of moving his franchise to Las Vegas. The billion-dollar stadium appears as if it will be built, no matter what. Las Vegas business and political leaders say they want to lure a franchise from one of the major sports as a sign their city is on a part with other major American metropolitian areas. So far, they have been unable to lure a franchise. The gambling issue appears to be an obstacle.
Carl Braunlich on NFL Opposition
Carl Braunlich, a UNLV College of Hotel Administration and a consultant to the Las Vegas gambling industry, put the question into perspective in a 2014 USA TODAY Sports article. Braunlich, who consults with Las Vegas gaming companies, said “When it comes to sports in Las Vegas, the elephant in the room is gambling. That will probably always be a potential killer for a sports franchise here. People are afraid of the taint of an accusation of corruption.”
Braunlich added, “The NFL, for instance, is just horrified at the thought of anything that would make it look less ‘family’ or less ‘quality’ than it is now, even though bookmakers around the world thrive on the NFL and the games that are being played.”
Some might scoff at the idea the NFL, the most violent of the American major sports, would market itself as family-friendly. Yet all leagues want to have a mainstream appeal. Any association with gambling is seen as a bad thing, though gambling drives a great deal of fan interest. Ironically, the NFL league office and many of the franchises quickly made sponsorship deals with daily fantasy sports companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, because the DFS industry argued they were not gambling. Now, officials around the United States argue the NFL is already involved with gambling outfits.
The Oakland Raiders: A Rogue Franchise
If Las Vegas wants to lure a franchise, Sheldon Adelson chose wisely in the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders long have had a reputation as a maverick organization. When Al Davis first took over the franchise, he signed cast-offs and discipline problems from other organizations. The colorful cast of characters made the Raiders one of the most marketable franchises in the NFL — and proved to be a remarkable success on the field. Al Davis’s slogan to his roguish band of players was “Just win, baby.”
The late Al Davis also proved the NFL was helpless to stop a franchise from relocating to another city. In the early 1980s, Davis sued the NFL and won the lawsuits. His turned his team into the Los Angeles Raiders in spite of opposition from then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Two years later, Pete Rozelle had to hand a Super Bowl trophy to the LA Raiders’s owner.
Whether Mark Davis has the same renegade streak in him as his father is another matter. The fact he sat down for lunch with Sheldon Adelson is an indication he’s willing to entertain the notion. Of course, the Raiders might use Las Vegas as leverage to get a better deal out of their old associates in Oakland. Mark Davis currently is negotiating a short-term lease to play for the next few years in Oakland’s O.co Coliseum. He likely wants a permanent deal with Oakland, but one with a billion-dollar domed stadium. Either way, Las Vegas and Sheldon Adelson will continue to seek big league franchises to locate to their city.
