Even though NFL owners voted 31-1 in favor of the Raiders' move, it "wasn't an enthusiastic vote of confidence that they love Las Vegas," according to Peter King of THE MMQB. It was more "resignation that the Raiders would never get a good stadium built in Oakland" unless Davis agreed to take on a partner. What concerns the league now is the fact that the northern part of the Bay Area is "now going to be without an NFL team." With so much money and so much fan interest, having "one team and having it at the southern end of the region, with nothing at the northern end, is disconcerting." Fans in the region are "turned off by the 49ers," and now the Raiders "may not even be loved in the next two years inside the Oakland Coliseum." Somehow, the NFL has to "figure a way to stop the bleeding in great football regions" like San Diego and S.F.-Oakland. It is "not going to be easy," but there are "too many great fans of pro football in California getting slapped in the face with the moves of these two franchises." Meanwhile, with the Raiders likely waiting until '20 to play in Las Vegas, the team could "play four home games in London" in '19. One owner source said, "I love the idea. I doubt the Raiders will. But that's not the first time I've heard that" (MMQB.SI.com, 4/3).
CITY NOT TOO SINFUL? In Las Vegas, Todd Dewey noted the NFL "hasn't requested a betting ban on Raiders games when the team moves to Las Vegas." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league has "no plans to do so." Nevada Gaming Commission Chair Tony Alamo said that "neither the NFL nor the NHL has requested any betting restrictions on their games." Alamo: "Nobody has approached the commission or me regarding the NFL or any such discussion" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/2). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted Saints QB Drew Brees dismissed issues that could arise from players being in Las Vegas because the city is not "all that different" from New Orleans. Brees: "This is a destination city, it relies on tourism, we’ve got casinos here, we’ve got plenty of nightlife, we’ve got all that stuff. You have to get guys that when it’s time to work, it’s time to work, and when it’s time to have fun you can go have fun but you have a level of responsibility and professionalism to the way that you conduct yourself" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 4/1). In California, Ryan Kartje noted as momentum grows for legalization of sports betting, Goodell "continues to cling, at least publicly, to the outdated sentiment that gambling is a menace to the pure, blue-blooded American values of the clean-cut, conservative NFL." The NFL will "change its tune on sports betting." However, it will not be because "logic suggests it or fans like it or other leagues support it." It will happen because "owners will someday envision the fat stacks of cash they'd collect in casino licensing deals and decide they've seen the light, just as they did with the Raiders' move" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/1).
LIVING WITH YOUR EX: In Houston, John McClain noted the Raiders and Chargers are "going to experience what teams in those cities learned the hard way: nothing good comes from leaving town for anyone other than the owner and the new city." It is "unbelievable to think the NFL won't have a franchise in Oakland or San Francisco, one of the nation's largest television markets." The 49ers "play in Santa Clara." That is like the Texans "playing in Galveston." The Raiders' relationship with fans during the next two season is "going to be messy" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/2). In N.Y., Gary Myers wrote under the header, "Oakland Won't Be Fun For Players, Fans As Raiders Wait For Vegas" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/2).
