Current Raiders players and past greats are continually circulating through Las Vegas, including Davis (l)RAIDERS
Two years before they officially move to Las Vegas, the Raiders have "planted roots so deep and prominent they already seem like a longtime member of the community," according to Vincent Bonsignore of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. The local response "has been impressive: It took only 60 days for the Raiders to sell out their luxury club seats, which came with a Personal Seat License price ranging between $20,000-$75,000." And they are "well on their way to securing ownership for 100 executive suites thanks to a robust corporate base anchored by, but not limited to, the hotel and gaming industry." Of those club seats, approximately 70% were "gobbled up by Las Vegas area residents," with L.A. and Oakland "picking up a significant portion" of the other 30%. In nearby Henderson, construction "will soon begin" on the Raiders' HQ and practice facility. The 55-acre parcel of land "leaves plenty of room to eventually develop a year-round entertainment and retail hub." Meanwhile, current Raiders players and past greats are "continually circulating through Las Vegas, taking part in community events and appearances." The Raiders will "spend at least" '18 and likely '19 in the Bay Area while their new stadium is being built. It is an "unprecedented, delicate balancing act trying to endear themselves to their future market without offending their current home." Raiders Owner Mark Davis said, "As excited as I am about the Las Vegas opportunity and what we’re doing here, I certainly don’t want to over-overstate it at this time because I still want to show respect to the fans up in Oakland and to the Raider Nation as a whole" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 7/8).
NEVER AN EASY SITUATION: CBS Sports Radio's Damon Amendolara said he will "always be uncomfortable with any team being ripped away from its fans, but this one really kills me in Oakland because Raider fans did nothing wrong." It "wasn't Raiders' fans fault their their stadium stinks." It is "not Raiders' fans (fault) that they are given the most decrepit facility in the NFL that can't make money from a luxury suite standpoint and a sponsorship and sales standpoint the same way a new stadium can." Amendolara: "Through no fault of their own, the NFL saw a chance to make more money because one city was willing to give them a stadium and said, 'Yeah, why don't we put them there?'" The Raiders moving "is a disgrace" ("The D.A. Show," CBS Sports Radio, 7/9).
