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Raiders' Davis Turns Attention To Vegas, While Fellow Owners Wonder About Market Viability

With "little to no progress on a new stadium in Oakland," Raiders Owner Mark Davis has "turned his full attention to Las Vegas and said he’ll move his team there if that city comes through with the financing help the franchise has been promised," according to Sam Farmer of the L.A. TIMES. Davis yesterday at the NFL owners' meetings said, "I’ve given my commitment to Las Vegas, and if they can come through with what they’re talking about doing, then we’ll go to Las Vegas." Farmer notes the Raiders have "hired experts to study the Las Vegas market to make sure the fan base is strong enough there to justify a move." Davis: "We’re not looking to make this something where the fans are going to fly in every week for the games. ... We want to have a local fan base." Asked what type of feedback he has gotten from fellow NFL owners, Davis said, "I haven't heard no" (L.A. TIMES, 5/25). The AP's Steve Reed notes Davis last month appeared before a Las Vegas stadium commission to "not only pledge to move the Raiders to the city," but put $500M into a $1.4B stadium. Davis gave "no timetable for a potential move, saying it is up to the legislative process," and while it was not discussed during yesterdays league meetings, some owners "did express support for Davis and a move to Las Vegas." 49ers CEO Jed York said that Davis "has worked hard to get something done in Oakland but that 'it's a tough market for them to have a good private partnership with.'" Davis said that the Raiders "have a one-year lease at the Oakland Coliseum and two one-year options after that" (AP, 5/24).

MEANS BUSINESS: Davis said that the idea of him using Las Vegas as a stalking horse for a new venue in Oakland is "not the case." Davis: "I’m excited about it. [Las Vegas] has the potential to be a really exciting market. The Raider fans in Northern California get upset a little bit when we talk about going to Los Angeles, and the L.A. fans get a little ticked off at the fans in Northern California, so it seems like Las Vegas is a neutral site that everybody’s kind of bought into. It will unite the Raider nation more than divide it" (NEWSDAY, 5/25). 

ADMITTED CURIOSITY: ESPN.com's Dan Graziano noted while a "longstanding aversion to the gambling element obviously present in Nevada no longer seems to be the obstacle it used to be, there is a lot of mystery about the viability of Las Vegas as a pro sports market." Giants President & CEO John Mara said, "I'm more curious to find out whether the market is deep enough to support a team." Graziano noted owners "would want to know what the stadium proposal looks like, would want to see projections for ticket sales, seat licenses, luxury suites, etc." All of these are things that "haven't even been studied yet in a market that has no professional sports team." Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie said, "What everybody would want to know is, would this be a great NFL market? We have to find out whether it's a viable market" (ESPN.com, 5/24). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted the Raiders moving to Las Vegas is a "realistic option" because owners believe Davis has "exhausted the possibilities in Oakland." Rapoport: "He has given them a real chance, he has tried to make it work. It's not like he's fleeing or trying to leave. This simply might be a situation where Las Vegas represents the best chance for the Raiders to have a viable stadium option, and that is something that the NFL office and the owners want” (“NFL Total Access,” NFL Network, 5/24).

QUIET ON THE HOMEFRONT: NFL.com's Judy Battista yesterday reported there was a sense among owners that "giving up on Oakland ... might be inevitable." Owners "expressed concern that there has been no meaningful progress after years of trying to secure a stadium solution in Oakland and that the Raiders might not remain competitive if they continue to operate in the league's worst stadium situation with no end in sight." But the NFL "would have to grapple with the idea of allowing a team to leave the booming region of Northern California for a relatively small market." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that he spoke with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf late Monday to "discuss whether there are proposals the city can identify that would keep the Raiders there." Goodell: "We believe in that market. I know Mark Davis does. But there has to be a solution that's developed" (NFL.com, 5/24). CSNBAYAREA.com's Scott Bair noted while the Raiders are "actively pursuing Las Vegas, nothing much is happening at home." An investment group, headlined by former Raiders players Ronnie Lott and Rodney Peete, has spoken with the Raiders and Oakland about "getting involved with an Oakland stadium project to help bridge a large funding gap." But NFL sources said that any forward movement with that group is a "long ways off at best" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 5/24). 

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