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Raiders Could Face Uphill Challenge In Vegas With NHL's Success

Raiders' Draft Party outside T-Mobile last week did little to show Las Vegas has a football-hungry fanbaseARASH MARKAZI

The Raiders hosted an NFL Draft viewing party outside T-Mobile Arena on Thursday prior to the Golden Knights' home playoff game against the Sharks, and it showed the NFL team will be "hard-pressed to match the experience and the enthusiasm the Knights have created" in Las Vegas, according to Ann Killion of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Large screens showing the Draft "attracted little interest," and reaction to the Raiders’ draft machinations "was nonexistent." Few fans were "paying any attention," and no Raiders jerseys "were seen in the happy crowd." On Thursday morning at the Raiders Preview Center in Las Vegas, potential seat-license buyers "arrived at a steady rate." Club seats, which had "previously only been available to current season ticket holders, went on sale" last week to the general public. Many "were wearing Golden Knights shirts." One Raiders salesperson said of the Golden Knights, "Their success is helping us. People are learning about what it’s like to take their families to live sporting events.” No Raiders employees in Las Vegas or in Oakland "want to speak on the record about the progress of the stadium, ticket sales or the impending move." The organization is "threading a needle: not wanting to alienate the current fan base or Oakland while actively preparing to abandon it." When the Raiders leave Oakland, they will be "leaving a shared stadium and a shared market," but they will be "arriving in a city that has already given its heart to another team" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/29). In Minneapolis, Patrick Reusse wrote, "Deep down, NBA officials have to be dying, watching the NHL beat it to vibrant markets such as Las Vegas and Seattle" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 4/28).

LONG RUN: Pro Football HOFer Howie Long said, "There's big money, big money here [in Las Vegas]. They (Raiders) are selling luxury boxes here for between $450,000 and $650,000 a year, with a 10-year commitment. And they'll sell them all." He added, "It’s a unique fan base, from both Northern and Southern California, where they’ve won Super Bowls in both. That fan base will get in their car and drive four hours from L.A., or I think it’s Allegiant Air, where you can get a flight from the Bay Area to Las Vegas for like $95. I think they’re trying to make that accessible for a lot of the fans." Long: "When the NFL comes here the support is going to be very passionate" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 4/30).

PUMP THE BREAKS: Nevada gubernatorial candidate Dan Schwartz said that he has a "plan to slam the brakes" on the Raiders' stadium deal with Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Colton Lochhead notes Schwartz would "strand the stadium in a roadless desert just off the Strip until the Raiders agree to rework the deal." Schwartz said, "Assuming I’m elected, I cannot interfere with the various contracts that are out there. But the governor does control the roads. What I will do is tell them that you can build the $2 billion stadium, but you ain’t going to have any roads." Schwartz "promised to withhold funding for roads to and from the stadium" unless the team reworked the deal to remove the $750M in room taxes helping to fund the stadium which is the "biggest such tax subsidy ever for a professional sports stadium" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/30).

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