Las Vegas Raiders?

[ChiefsCountry]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14...ng-leaked-memo

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- While a leaked memo from UNLV president Len Jessup said representatives of the Oakland Raiders will be in Las Vegas on Friday to check out potential stadium sites, team owner Mark Davis would offer only a cryptic comment.

"In typical Raider fashion," Davis said with a laugh over the phone from the Bay Area, "I can neither confirm nor deny."

Davis will be in Las Vegas and is scheduled to meet with Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, Sands spokesman Ron Reese confirmed.

The Sands Corp. announced Thursday that it was lending its support to build a $1 billion domed stadium on a vacant 42 acres of land recently purchased by UNLV near the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane across from McCarran International Airport.

"Correspondingly, the Sands leadership team let us know that officials from the Oakland Raiders are scheduled to travel to Las Vegas and tour locations around the valley for a potential new home, and they have asked us to meet them at our 42-acre site on Friday morning to answer questions about that site," Jessup wrote in the memo, which was reported earlier by Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston.

UNLV is looking for a new home for its football program, which has played at 35,500-seat Sam Boyd Stadium some nine miles from campus on the eastern edge of the city since 1971.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Los Angeles-based Majestic Realty Co. and UNLV are involved in the conceptual plans, and Las Vegas Sands senior vice president of government relations and community development Andy Abboud said the project would be a "public-private" partnership, with the Sands or the Adelson family contributing a large portion of the financing.

"He said the casino company, which operates the Venetian and Palazzo [casinos], as well as casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania, could also raise financing for the project," the Review-Journal reported.

Tony Sanchez, UNLV's head football coach, said "having an on-campus, state-of-the-art stadium would be huge."

"We have a nice stadium now; the location is just a little further out," said Sanchez, who grew up a die-hard Raiders fan in the Bay Area. "To have something on campus, right in the heart of Las Vegas, would change the entire game-day atmosphere. We're right near the Strip. People can walk or take public transportation. It would be a great addition for the city."

Davis has long stated that remaining in Oakland is his primary goal, but after being rebuffed in an attempt to move to Los Angeles and join the Chargers in a joint-stadium project in nearby Carson, the Raiders do not have a lease for a home stadium for the 2016 season. They do have the option to join the Rams in Inglewood should the Chargers decline.

It is expected that the Raiders will play at least the 2016 season in Oakland. They have also been linked to San Diego, should the Chargers go to Los Angeles, for the following years as well as to San Antonio.

The NFL has had a hard line against Las Vegas, and it is hard to see the league signing off on allowing a team to relocate to the gambling capital of the country. The NFL did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Las Vegas has chased a major league franchise for almost two decades, including MLB and NBA teams. The city appears close to getting an NHL team in under-construction T-Mobile Arena between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos.

And while Las Vegas may be a relatively small media market at No. 41 nationally, it is bigger than four other current NFL markets in Jacksonville (No. 48), New Orleans (No. 51), Buffalo (No. 52) and Green Bay (No. 68), per last year's Nielsen data.

[BWillie]

Based on Citydata.com, Median Income in Oakland $54,000. That doesn't sound bad until you see that the median home value is $450,000.

Compare that to Overland Park, Median Income $70,000, Median Home Value $228,000.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Based on Citydata.com, Median Income in Oakland $54,000. That doesn't sound bad until you see that the median home value is $450,000.

Compare that to Overland Park, Median Income $70,000, Median Home Value $228,000.

Well to be fair, most people in Oakland live in incarceration facilities.

[frozenchief]

I remember Howie Long not letting his family go to Raiders games when they played in Oakland. I hope that would be different if they played in Vegas. I guess it depends on how many Oakland convicts come down to watch the game. Anybody know how easily California Department of Corrections gives out of state passes for parolees?

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by frozenchief

I remember Howie Long not letting his family go to Raiders games when they played in Oakland. I hope that would be different if they played in Vegas. I guess it depends on how many Oakland convicts come down to watch the game. Anybody know how easily California Department of Corrections gives out of state passes for parolees?

They made their way down to San Diego every year to stab Charger fans, Vegas is probably about the same distance from Oakland

[DaneMcCloud]

If this keeps the Raiders and their fans out of Los Angeles, I'm all for it.

[O.city]

Anything that gives me a reason to go to vegas, I'm all for

[ct]

i still prefer the Tijuana Bandidos

[staylor26]

Good. Peters will have no reason to leave us for the Raiders if this happens.

[InChiefsHeaven]

For some reason, I'm kind of excited by this idea. Don't really know why, but it seems like a cool landing spot for the Rayduures...

[DaneMcCloud]

I've heard from a few of my friends that are Raiders fans (that actually live or lived in the Bay area) and not surprisingly, they're not down with this move, even the guys that live in Los Angeles (Vegas is only 3.5 hours by car whereas Oakland is closer to 5.5 hours).

The main reason being that they're "Bay area guys", not Vegas guys. I get that, as it would suck if the Chiefs left KC for Vegas, even though it would be much closer for me.

[ct]

Anyone worried about economic down times impacting ticket sales, i would imagine every single home game would have a strong marketing campaign in the visitor's city for travel packages. Not to mention the corporate stooges reserving luxury suites. I don't think they would have any problem selling out regularly, and easily.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by ct

Anyone worried about economic down times impacting ticket sales, i would imagine every single home game would have a strong marketing campaign in the visitor's city for travel packages. Not to mention the corporate stooges reserving luxury suites. I don't think they would have any problem selling out regularly, and easily.

If you're an owner wanting to make warehouse loads of cash it sounds like a great idea.

If you're a fan and want your team to essentially play all road games it also sounds like a great idea.

They'd be going from splitting an area with about 8 or 10 million people to an area with about 2 million and would probably see a stadium half full of road fans every week. Not a recipe for success

[Toby Waller]

and the nfl will continue to deny gambling exists while giving air time to gambling sites

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Cochise

If you're an owner wanting to make warehouse loads of cash it sounds like a great idea.

If you're a fan and want your team to essentially play all road games it also sounds like a great idea.

They'd be going from splitting an area with about 8 or 10 million people to an area with about 2 million and would probably see a stadium half full of road fans every week. Not a recipe for success

They would be fine, around 2 million people live there. That is a big enough boost to get the stadium half full if not more. Basically equal to every other team not in a major city. Then the rest of the seats get sold or given out by casino's. And as time goes on, especially if they win the fan base gets stronger there.

It is not a super far drive from LA/Oakland, and it seems airline tickets are not a whole lot, I have a feeling lots of fans will still keep their tickets and then just sell them if they cant go that week.

The Chiefs week will **** them though being that much closer.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Valiant

They would be fine, around 2 million people live there. That is a big enough boost to get the stadium half full if not more. Basically equal to every other team not in a major city. Then the rest of the seats get sold or given out by casino's. And as time goes on, especially if they win the fan base gets stronger there.

It is not a super far drive from LA/Oakland, and it seems airline tickets are not a whole lot, I have a feeling lots of fans will still keep their tickets and then just sell them if they cant go that week.

The Chiefs week will **** them though being that much closer.

Las Vegas was devastated after the 2008 crash. 40% of the homeowners were underwater and being a service town, unemployment was higher than 25%.

While I think that under normal circumstances, an NFL franchise can survive in Las Vegas, there's no doubt that if there's an economic downturn, they'll be the hardest hit.