A group of casino leaders and other supporters yesterday "urged Nevada lawmakers ... to support public funding" to build a $1.9B domed Raiders stadium and expand the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to a front-page piece by Chereb & Whaley of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Among those "testifying on behalf of the multibillion-dollar projects" included Wynn Resorts Chair & CEO Steve Wynn and MGM Resorts Chair & CEO Jim Murren. Wynn said, "My friend [Cowboys Owner] Jerry Jones and [Patriots Owner] Robert Kraft and others with whom I have a personal relationship have told me the NFL is ready to do it if Nevada steps up in Las Vegas with a stadium." Murren said, "We can't afford to lose this opportunity." Former Las Vegas Mayor and Caesars Entertainment Exec VP/Government Relations & Corporate Responsibilities Jan Blackhurst said, "It’s been almost a decade since there has been a major infrastructure investment in the Las Vegas Strip, and the time for a new investment is now." In another favorable development for the stadium project, the Nevada Taxpayers Association yesterday "announced that it had withdrawn its opposition, opting instead to take no position" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/11). Murren said, "To bring an NFL team, how cool is that? ... I’m utterly confident we’re going to get a basketball team in the next few years, and I hope it’s at T-Mobile." Murren said that he "envisions professional soccer coming to Las Vegas in addition to college basketball events such as the NCAA Tournament" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/11). Wynn called any failure to approve the Las Vegas projects "one of the most heartbreaking mistakes." In Las Vegas, Messerly & Valley note lawmakers "applauded after the presentations, which drew the ire" of Nevada Assemblyman Elliot Anderson. Anderson said, "We clapped instead of asking questions, and I just don’t think that’s appropriate." The discontent "spilled over into the Senate chamber" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 10/11).
BOON FOR UNLV? In Las Vegas, Ed Graney notes UNLV views the possible Raiders stadium as "another step toward building a contending football program and, ultimately joining a Power 5 conference." Some believe the proposal is a "good deal for the university," while "some don't." UNLV has been "told it will recoup" the $3.5M it nets each year from "operating Sam Boyd Stadium upon moving into the new stadium." UNLV has to "trust the process." It is not "driving the bus." It has to "believe those named to the governing Stadium Authority Board will in the future look out for the football program’s best interest, that UNLV won’t be damaged financially and that handshake agreements now become reality later" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/11).
DEBT MANAGEMENT: In S.F., Matier & Ross noted officials in Oakland are "trying to craft a competing deal" to keep the Raiders from leaving. However, they are wrestling with the estimated $95M in "public debt that Oakland and Alameda County taxpayers still owe" for the Coliseum’s '95 renovation. Ideas for handling the debt "range from transferring it to other city property ... or including it as part of any new stadium deal." Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Exec Dir Scott McKibben said, "If the Raiders go to Las Vegas, we will still owe $95 million. But if they stay here, there is a way in which to generate new money to pay down the bond indebtedness" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/10).
GROUND CONTROL: In N.Y., Evan Grossman notes the NFL during the last decade under Commissioner Roger Goodell has "broken ground on eight brand new football stadiums." The resulting construction race has "turned Goodell’s 10 years on the job into the golden age of NFL architecture and excess." Grossman: "Call it the Goodell Period, where structures are identified by their massive girth, custom amenities and artisanal food stands." Just like the players on the field, the NFL stadium experience has "gotten bigger." Grossman: "Way bigger. And more expensive." The last five NFL stadiums to be built have "all surpassed" the $1B mark. In the last 10 years, eight NFL stadiums have been "funded by an average" $285M worth of taxpayer dollars (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/11).
