Oakland, Los Angeles Failure a Blessing for Raiders
With the Raiders preparing for their inaugural season in Las Vegas, it’s crazy to imagine that they could have been playing in Los Angeles this year. Or for better or worse, still, be in the city of Oakland.
Owner Mark Davis and the Raiders lost their bid to move back to L.A. after the then-St. Louis Rams successfully negotiated their way back to the West Coast in 2016.
They’re getting ready to kick off their inaugural season in So-Fi stadium.
Davis and the Raiders perhaps should have been in L.A. by now.
As Davis said, after the failure of moving to L.A., he attempted to stay in Oakland. But with a facility over half-a-century old, Davis needed a decent offer to stay on the bright side of the Bay.
Instead, the former executive director of the Coliseum Authority in Oakland, Scott McKibben, tripled the lease.
Almost fittingly, in January of this year, McKibben was charged for allegedly violating conflict-of-interest laws for seeking a $50,000 fee to help negotiate the stadium’s naming rights.
With L.A. and Oakland out of the picture, there was only one place to go--the gambling capital of the world.
“Vegas had been after us for years, but I told them I will only talk to you if Oakland and Los Angeles don’t happen,” Davis said to The Athletic. “Losing the L.A. vote was probably the best that ever happened for us.”
Las Vegas has genuinely treated the Raiders well thus far, building a brand-new $1.84 billion stadium in the middle of the desert, for starters.
The city also built a brand-new, state-of-the-art headquarters with both inside and outside practice fields. You know, so the players can practice even when dust storms come flying through town.
The Raiders don’t have to share a market. Las Vegas was an untapped market. Sure, some may argue that the stadium might not be filled with a majority of Raiders fans because of the distance from the West Coast.
But if you ask me, look at the NHL’s Golden Knights down the road. They don’t have an issue, so why should the Raiders?
Plus, the Raiders have a worldwide fanbase. Old fans will find a way to get to Las Vegas. New fans will be made as for the first time in history, Nevada gets its own NFL franchise.
Ultimately, losing out in L.A. was a blessing in disguise.
Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Raiders Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE FOLLOW button on the main page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
