Mark Davis opted for no fans at Allegiant Stadium this season rather than allow in a limited numberGETTY IMAGES
Raiders Owner Mark Davis' decision to shut out season-ticket holders from Allegiant Stadium in '20 "can be seen as honorable from a health and safety perspective as well as being fair to fans who would have attended albeit in limited fashion," according to Jerry McDonald of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. But that "doesn't mean it's practical, nor in in the best interests of either the season-ticket holders or the organization provided experts believe a smaller crowd can be accommodated safely." It is "natural for Mark Davis to want it all," and he "wants it so bad he'll serve the interests of none of his fans instead of giving them a scaled-down version of the future they helped finance." If the Raiders allowed 13,000 fans per game, "that's 104,000 fans that would see them play in their new stadium." It is "not 520,000, which would be eight games at full capacity, but it's not zero, either." A crowd of 13,000 is "far from ideal, but it beats the alternative" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 8/4).
TO HELL AND BACK: In Las Vegas, Bryan Horwath notes the stadium construction team "battled remarkable challenges to finish the project on a tight timeline." Mortenson VP/Operations Eric Grenz said, "Allegiant Stadium is definitely going to go down in our collective companies -- Mortenson and McCarthy -- as one of the most amazing accomplishments that either company has completed. ... When you look back at what this team has been through and what they've endured, it's pretty amazing. I think most companies probably would have thrown in the towel a long time ago" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 8/5).
